Stan Soocher

December 17, 2020 | Law.com

Battles over celebrities' estates often end up in litigation, but a recent court ruling involving the estate of French oceanic explorer, environmentalist and documentary filmmaker Jacques Cousteau included a not-often-seen right of publicity consideration: how a U.S. court determines whether right-of-publicity protection in another nation is descendible.

By Stan Soocher

7 minute read

July 22, 2020 | Law.com

Federal courts have long disagreed over whether the unauthorized "making available" of a plaintiff's works to the public is sufficient to constitute copyright infringement under the U.S. Copyright Act. Two June District Court decisions demonstrated the differences between the views of the Fourth and Ninth Circuits.

By Stan Soocher

5 minute read

May 13, 2020 | Law.com

Leslie Jose Zigel, Chair of the Entertainment, Media & Technology Group at Greenspoon Marder offers his thoughts on entertainment industry issues arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Stan Soocher

6 minute read

February 03, 2020 | Law.com

Part One of a Two-Part Article. This article examines the Copyright Directive and music-industry structure issues through the lens of Sweden, which has both a robust music business and a strong technology sector, two divergent perspectives in the development of the directive.

By Stan Soocher

16 minute read

October 17, 2019 | Law.com

There have been disputes over rights to the two existing photographs of blues icon Robert Johnson as well as over who was his rightful heir. The latest court decision involves a contingency fee agreement originally entered into by a law firm hired by Johnson's son, who died in 2015. The case offers an example of what rights counsel may gain from such an arrangement following the death of the signatory client.

By Stan Soocher

6 minute read

September 09, 2019 | Law.com

That U.S. copyright-assignment termination issues are among the most complex in the copyright field becomes even more apparent when attempts to reclaim copyrights involve aspects of international law. Few courts have ruled, however, on the impact of international law on U.S. copyright-assignment terminations.

By Stan Soocher

5 minute read

August 01, 2019 | Law.com

A Q&A with entertainment lawyer Leslie Jose Zigel on the impact of blockchain on the entertainment industry, including how blockchain might affect royalties and music rights approvals.

By Stan Soocher

4 minute read

March 06, 2019 | Law.com

On March 7, 1994, the U.S. Supreme Court decided for the first time that a parody may be a copyright fair use. In the 25 years that followed, the High Court's unanimous 9-0 ruling in Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Inc., has been cited in more than 500 court decisions. But the Supreme Court's pronouncement left questions and controversies in its wake.

By Stan Soocher

16 minute read

November 06, 2017 | Law.com

The big news in the fantasy sports arena this past summer was the announcement that competitors FanDuel and DraftKings, which make up more than 90% of the online market, would end their merger bid following the Federal Trade Commission's filing of an antitrust lawsuit against the companies.

By Stan Soocher

6 minute read

August 04, 2017 | The Recorder

Defendants in entertainment industry cases often invoke California's "anti-SLAPP" statute, Calif. Civ. Code §425.16, which is meant to bar lawsuits filed to muffle free speech activities or a legal right to petition. This summer, some noteworthy court decisions have come out of California that involved anti-SLAPP motions filed by attorneys who are defendants themselves in entertainment litigations.

By Stan Soocher

11 minute read