Entertainment Litigation Blog

HOW THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT (DMCA) PITS WEBSITES AGAINST TRADITIONAL MEDIA COMPANIES

The growing power and influence of the internet presents a different kind of challenge to traditional media companies. Social networking websites like YouTube and MySpace were once viewed as novelties with limited reach. Now visited by millions of users 24 hours a day, these user-friendly websites present a legitimate threat to traditional media companies and the manner in which people obtain information and spend their free time.

The battle between the new media and traditional media turned ugly last March when Viacom filed a billion dollar suit against YouTube for copyright infringement.

Continue reading "ENTERTAINMENT LITIGATION: MEDIA WARS -- YOUTUBE VS. VIACOM" »

AGGRESSIVE GOVERNMENT TACTICS PUT ALL MEDIA INCREASINGLY AT RISK

Recently, news media organizations have faced government pressure to reveal sources or other information or face criminal prosecution. The most infamous of these cases involved Judith Miller of the New York Times. Miller went to jail when she refused to reveal her confidential source for a news story in connection with a grand jury investigation. (Another reporter working for Time magazine agreed at the last minute to reveal his confidential source when his source gave him permission to do so.)

Yesterday's New York Times reveals a new tactic -- a government investigative subpoena which also threatens prosecution of the target for the mere disclosure of the subpoena. Apparently, the First Amendment is not what it used to be.

Continue reading "ENTERTAINMENT LITIGATION: THE FIRST AMENDMENT ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE" »

ACTORS' DEAL EXPIRES WITH NO PACT ON THE HORIZON

July 1 has come and gone with no deal in place which would prevent another crippling strike in Hollywood. The Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reportedly reached an impasse in their negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the previous agreement, which expired at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning. While the two sides are scheduled to meet today, public statements by AMPTP representatives make clear that the studios are unwilling to consider any changes to their final proposal which they transmitted on Monday, June 30.

For its part, SAG has acknowledged that the studios' final proposal is "generally consistent" with the agreements that the studios brokered with other guilds, including SAG's sister union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The studios first reached agreement with the Directors Guild of America in January. That agreement helped facilitate a resolution with the Writers Guild of America after an extended writers strike which halted production virtually across the board. Recently, the studios reached agreement with AFTRA on a new agreement with that union. The voting results of the AFTRA membership should be known some time next week.

Apparently, those deals are not good enough for some at SAG.

Continue reading "ENTERTAINMENT NEWS: ANOTHER STRIKE BREWING?" »