Blogs
Atlanta Concierge Gives Away Young Thug’s $1M Bag to Stranger
On October 14, 2021, Jeffery Lamar Williams, p.k.a “Young Thug,” filed a suit in Gwinnett Superior Court in Georgia against the owner and property manager of the building at which Young Thug resides for negligent supervision and negligence. According to the complaint, Young Thug returned to Atlanta from Los Angeles and was unpacking his car…
Singer Sues Drake and Chris Brown for Copyright Infringement
On October 5, 2021, Brandon Cooper, and his producer, Timothy Valentine, filed a copyright infringement suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Drake, Chris Brown, and seven other songwriters credited on Drake and Brown’s track “No Guidance.” “No Guidance” is an R&B Grammy-nominated song that landed at number…
MTV prevails in Floribama in trademark case
On September 22, 2021, a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Florida granted ViacomCBS’s summary judgment motion against MGFB Properties’ trademark infringement claim under the Lanham Act. The producers of MTV’s “Floribama Shore,” a spin-off of MTV’s popular “Jersey Shore” franchise, used the same name for their show as a restaurant in Florida…
Basketball star, Scary Terry, defeats trademark and copyright claims by owner of rights to mask
On September 27, 2021, a U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of New York found that Charlotte Hornets basketball player Terry Rozier’s use of a ghost mask was fair use. Fair use is the right to use a copyrighted work under certain conditions without the permission of the copyright owner. Fun World produces…
Cher Seeks Judicial Relief Against Sonny Bono’s Widow
On October 13, 2021, Cher brought suit in the United States District Court of the Central District of California against Sonny Bono’s widow, seeking a declaration that she is entitled to 50% of the royalties from the musical compositions recorded by Sonny & Cher. Sonny and Cher were married until 1978. Following their divorce, the…
The Copyright Infringement Lawsuit By Dr. Seuss Enterprises Against ComicMix Over the Star Trek “Mashup” Finally Settles
After a years-long battle between Dr. Seuss Enterprises and ComicMix LLC, the two have finally settled the copyright infringement lawsuit, which was initially filed by the famed author’s estate over Dr. Seuss/Star Trek mashup book entitled “Oh the Places You’ll Boldly Go.” On October 5, 2021, Dr. Suess Enterprises, the group that controls the famous…
Rachel Maddow Defeats Defamation Claim
On August 17th, 2021, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a ruling that MSNBC host, Rachel Maddow did not defame One America News Network (“OAN”) when she stated that OAN is “paid Russian propaganda.” According to the Ninth Circuit, when Maddow remarked that OAN Network is “paid Russian propaganda,” it was an “obvious exaggeration”…
“Love & Hip” Star Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison
In a decision issued on September 15, 2021, a U.S. District Judge of the Northern District of Georgia sentenced Maurice Fayne (“Fayne”), a reality television personality who starred in “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta,” to over 17 years in federal prison for his role in a major Ponzi scheme. Fayne pleaded guilty on May 11,…
Ninth Circuit Overturns Lower Court Ruling on Photo of Indianapolis Skyline
On September 9th, 2021, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court decision in a dispute between a former attorney and a storage company in Los Banos, California. Richard Bell (“Bell”) sued Wilmott Storage Services LLC (“Wilmott”) for posting an exact copy of a photo of the Indianapolis skyline,…
Jury Finds Famous Funkster George Clinton Didn’t Defame His Former Producer
On August 11th, 2021, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found in favor of the highly influential funk musician, George Clinton, author of such well-known funk standards as “Flash Light,” “Mothership Connection (Star Child),” and “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off That Sucker.” In 2015, Clinton’s former producer, Armen Boladian (“Boladian”), filed…