Law Arts Blog

Could “Betty (Get Money)” be the most expensive “Rick-Roll” of all time?

On January 26, 2023, Rick Astley filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against rising-star rapper Yung Gravy; producers Popnick, Dillon Francis, and dwilly; as well as Republic Records.  Astley alleges that, although defendants had permission from the songwriters to make the track, Yung Gravy vio

Update: On January 27, 2023, in light of the results from its playtest survey, WotC announced that it would be leaving OGL 1.0a in place and unrevised, and that the entire SRD 5.1 would be available under a Creative Commons license.

In late December 2022, District Court Judge Stephen Wilson of the Central District of California, issued a limited order denying Universal Studio’s motion to dismiss in a lawsuit brought by two fans of actress Ana de Armas.

These disputes illustrate that streaming has changed Hollywood drastically and that entertainment lawyers must be more creative when drafting client contracts while staying conscious of union developments across the industry.

Though it may seem like streaming services have already fully entrenched themselves as the present and future of television, behind the scenes, the transition away from broadcast business models is still very much in progress and creating strife within a few of the major entertainment unions. Two major Hollywood union disputes in recent years have shown the complicated task facing entertainment lawyers moving forward.

Why and How Small Arts Organizations Should Develop an Internal Complaint Procedure for Responding to Reports of Harassment and Discrimination

Zelina Gaytan was a museum attendant at the San Diego Museum of Art. On July 9, 2021, she filed a lawsuit against her former employer alleging pervasive sexual and racial misconduct. Among other allegations, she claims teenage staff members were repeatedly asked out on dates and followed to their cars by older staff, volunteer docents referred to darker Latinos as “savages” and likened Frida Kahlo to a “Muppet”, and that Black and Latino employees weren’t promoted to leadership roles.

Sneakers (I’m sure you’ve heard of them) were once only known for their primary function—athleticism. Now, and over the last several decades, they have become fashionable and desirable objects (I even had a middle school teacher who had a different pair of sneakers for every day of the school year).

In this post, our contributors will check in on two timely IP cases, and discuss the implications of these cases for arts and entertainment law.

Marderosian v. Comcast

If you’re an artist on the cusp of taking your career to the next level, you will likely need a team of professionals to help you cross that threshold. When you should hire a manager will vary greatly depending on your current workload, how much work you want to do yourself, your experience in the industry, and a variety of other factors. The purpose of this article is not to determine when you should hire a manager, but rather list some of the most important issues you must consider when reviewing a management contract.