Are parental guarantees of their child’s performance enforceable?

Throughout my career, I have routinely included a parental guarantee of the child’s performance in all contracts I drafted for clients engaging a minor. IMHO, the parent gets a separate benefit and detriment from that of the child in agreeing to same in that the parent’s burden of providing for the child is abrogated if the child becomes an earner. At common law, the custodial parent of a minor child is entitled by law to Continue reading Are parental guarantees of their child’s performance enforceable?

DMCA Fraudulent Takedown Notice

DMCA takedown notices for copyrighted material on the internet are made under penalty of perjury. The filer of the notice must own or control the copyright to the work or risk being charged. Damages accrue only if the work is taken down. See generally, 17 U.S. Code § 512(f). Limitations on liability relating to material online. Also, see Automattic Inc. v. Steiner, the first case to actually award damages for a fraudulent takedown notice.

UMG Wins Round 2 Against Grooveshark

UMG Wins Round 2 Against Grooveshark by Elliot Zimmerman, BCS, PA www.entertainmentlawyer.pro On Tuesday, April 23, 2013, the New York State Supreme Court of Appeals reversed a lower state court decision favoring Escape Media Group Inc., the operators of the music streaming site Grooveshark. See UMG RECORDINGS, INC., Plaintiff-Appellant, (“UMG”) v. ESCAPE MEDIA GROUP, INC., (“Grooveshark”) Defendant-Respondent, RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, AMICUS CURIAE, Appellate Div. of the Supreme Court of NY, 1st Department, 100152/10, Continue reading UMG Wins Round 2 Against Grooveshark

Mass Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Defense

Are you a potential defendant in a mass copyright infringement action? Record and film companies continue the practice of filing mass copyright infringement lawsuits lumping thousands of defendants together, namimg each defendant “John Doe” or “Jane Doe” or “Does 1-2500.” Courts issue subpoenas to these defendants’ cable or internet provider to give up their identity. In turn, the cable or other internet provider sends each potentital defendant a letter stating that their IP address has Continue reading Mass Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Defense

Copyright Myths About Collages

Collage is considered fair use, and therefore not subject to copyright law. The doctrine of fair use protects educational and scholarly purposes such as news reporting, literary criticism, and libraries. Artistic uses are not explicitly protected by fair use, and commercial uses are explicitly not protected. My collage can freely use copyrighted material, as long as I use no more than 5% / 10% / a small amount of the original work. The doctrine of Continue reading Copyright Myths About Collages

Ten Questions: Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Streaming Media

Elliot Zimmerman discusses IP issues facing content creators, owners, and publishers. by Geoff Daily Click here to view article at www.streamingmedia.com February 15, 2007 The questions surrounding intellectual property are too numerous and varied to be boiled down to a list the way we’ve done with other “Ten Questions” articles in this issue. So, we sat down with Elliot Zimmerman—a Florida-based entertainment attorney who has represented clients including Aretha Franklin, jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal and others Continue reading Ten Questions: Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Streaming Media

The CyberEntertainment Lawyer

It’s no secret that all forms of entertainment have embraced and migrated to the web. Why? The internet allows you to select what, when, where, and how the new media is delivered. The present technology provides a vast new world of opportunities to those engaged in the entertainment industry, including artists, musicians, producers, actors, writers, production companies, the film industry, radio and television stations, record distributors, game designers, and many more. It was not long Continue reading The CyberEntertainment Lawyer