Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons^™

Internet Domain Names And Trademarks: Recent Developments In Domestic And International Disputes, G. Gervaise Davis Iii

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Domain name conflicts have already become a significant legal issue in the United States and are starting to be a similar problem in other nations, especially in the European Community. These disputes can easily turn into costly litigation and/or expensive negotiations over transferring the name from one owner to another, between owners of existing domain names and similar trademarks. While there are a number of pending changes in the domain name assignment procedures, it seems unlikely that the proposals will resolve anything, and in fact, the proposals will probably lead to more litigation.

Symposium Presentation: Doing Internet Co-Branding Agreements, Eric Goldman

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Mr. Goldman discusses many important issues that need to be considered when deciding to participate in and when drafting co-branding agreements, but which are often overlooked. As internet co-branding has become ubiquitous as a means of combining one website's functionality and another's marketing muscle in online business, practitioners handling co-branding agreements face the challenge of choosing the correct legal paradigms as starting points in these kinds of negotiations. Co-branding agreements often incorporate advertising, trademark licensing, service provisions and domain name components. In light of this complexity, choosing the wrong starting point can frustrate the process by omitting key issues from …

Necessary Protections For Famous Trademark Holders On The Internet, Gregory D. Phillips

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The Internet is being catapulted to the forefront of commerce and will soon become one of the largest players in the commercial world. Famous and wellknown marks have been the special target of a variety of predatory and parasitical practices on the Internet, such as "cybersquatting" and "cyberpiracy." These practices have been exacerbated by registering domain names through offshore or fictitious entities, or by providing false or fictitious information to the registrar of the domain names, Network Solutions, Inc. This article outlines the problems of "cyberabuse" faced by famous trademark holders on the Internet, and outlines important protections that need …

Swapping Claims In Cyberspace: Legal/Technical Context And Negotiation Stategies For Domain Name Deals, Jefferson F. Scher

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Domain names continue to perform multiple functions as mnemonic addresses for Internet devices, trademarks for new or established businesses, and "search terms" for those who don't know where else to look. This article speaks to the operation of the domain name system, and discusses many business issues that accompany the ownership of a domain name.

Consumer Advocacy In The Sports Industry: Recognizing And Enforcing The Legal Rights Of Sports Fans, Amy Wang

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In the business of today's sports industry, the sports fan has been relegated to the status of a second-class consumer, exercising little influence over major market decisions. This note highlights some of the more fundamental issues affecting the rights of sports fans, focusing specifically on the rights arising from ticket ownership and the rights arising from support of local teams and players.

The New Wave Of Speech And Privacy Developments In Cyberspace, Eric J. Sinrod, Jeffrey W. Reyna, Barak D. Jolish

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

As with any other medium of information, the Internet has the potential to be used as a tool for businesses, individuals, and government to peer into people's personal lives. Conversely, many are concerned that the Internet can also be used to deliver objectionable or obscene information to minors. These concerns fuel the ongoing debate over whether and how to regulate the Internet to protect the privacy and speech concerns implicated by its many uses. Congress, the courts, the European Community, and a coalition of Internet industry members have taken several decisive steps in an effort to focus the ever-changing policy …

Chasing The Future: Has The Digital Performance In Sound Recordings Act Of 1995 Kept Pace With Technological Advances In Musical Performance, Or Is Copyright Law Lagging Behind, Steven V. Podolsky

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Ever since jukeboxes and taped music began replacing bands in many restaurants and bars, performing musicians have been deprived of earnings and protection from unauthorized performance of their work. Digital technology exacerbated the problem by creating super quality sound that can be duplicated without a loss of quality. The Internet, which has become a medium for distributing prerecorded music, has the potential for doing damage to ownership interests throughout the entire recorded music industry. In just a few seconds, anyone with Internet access can retrieve, store, and listen to the performance without paying royalties to the performers. This article discusses …

Should Motion Picture Studios And Filmmakers Face Tort Liability For The Acts Of Individuals Who Watch Their Films, S. Michael Kernan

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Motion pictures are speech, just like any other form of expression. As such, the First Amendment protects filmmakers from both criminal liability and tort liability for the speech in their films. A recent opinion from Louisiana, which was denied review by the United States Supreme Court, may have a great impact on filmmaker liability. As long as a plaintiff follows a specific pleading format, filmmakers will be forced to spend the money necessary to defend against potentially frivolous lawsuits all the way through the discovery phase, up and until they prepare an expensive motion for summary judgment. This article analyzes …

Recent Trademark Cases Examine Reverse Domain Name Hijacking, Carl Oppedahl

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The outcome of a domain name dispute can fall anywhere along a spectrum. Some courts grant strong remedies against domain name owners, while others find no liability for domain name owners with common or generic dictionary words that are used by many companies. For every highly visible "strong remedies" case in which the trademark owner chose to go to federal court, there have been dozens of unpublicized cases in which the challenger went to the "court" of Network Solutions, Inc. instead. This article focuses on the three recent cases in which domain name owners, faced with NSI decisions in favor …

The Case For A Specialized Copyright Court: Eliminating The Jurisdictional Advantage, Michael Landau, Donald E. Biederman

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Many of those who specialize in copyright law have become increasingly dismayed by the degree to which the outcome of copyright cases depends upon the venue in which an action is brought. Beyond this, copyright is a highly specialized and technical body of law, and some of its aspects seem to us to be the sort that would be best handled by specialized judges. This article discusses the history of existing specialized courts, and examples that demonstrate that the current system of copyright adjudication works poorly. The authors then recommend the creation of a national copyright court that follows the …

Music Included On Software Downloaded From The Internet: Public Performance Or Private Use, Christopher Paul Moore

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This note addresses the applicability of the public performance right when software creators license copyrighted music to include on software that is sold and delivered directly over the Internet. This note contends that when software is bought from a site on the Internet, and then digitally downloaded to a consumer, a public performance has occurred under section 106(4) of the Copyright Act.

International Copyright Law And The Electronic Media Rights Of Authors And Publishers, Irene Segal Ayers

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This article looks at recent cases resolving disputes over the electronic media rights of freelance journalists and publishers in the United States and Europe. This article considers the implications of conflicting case law for international electronic trade in copyrighted works and suggests international solutions that attempt to balance fairly the competing interests of freelancers, publishers, and the new electronic media industries.

Choice Of Entity And Securities Aspects Of Independent Film Offerings By First-Time Filmmakers, Michael L. Maddren

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Independent films have become increasingly common over recent years. It has become increasingly difficult for these first-time filmmakers to obtain studio financing. Filmmakers who cannot obtain studio financing often turn to private investors. A filmmaker seeking private investor financing must confront several legal issues. This article examines the choice of entity and securities law aspects of independent film financing, and makes suggestions for the independent filmmaker facing these issues.

Symposium Presentation: Legal Recognition Of Digital Signatures: A Global Status Report, Richard Allan Horning

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Mr. Homing traces the evidentiary roots of the "put it in writing" axiom and asks "where is the writing in e-commerce?" He discusses the legal response to the new evidentiary problems raised by that question in the context of online business, noting the need for new legal models to place such contracts within the Statute of Frauds.

Us Media Law Update, Jonathan Weinberg

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Defending Larry Flynt: Why Attacking Flynt's Outing Of Sexual Affairs Is Misguided, Clay Calvert, Robert D. Richards

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Marching To Madness: Dual Use Trademarks After Illinois High School Association V. Gte Vantage, Jonathan Berger

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

March is the month when the college basketball season draws to a close, and the insanity associated with the championship tournaments begins. In 1996, the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that the term "March Madness" existed with dual-usage. This article argues that there was no need to create the concept of the "dual-use trademark" at all, and that the existing trademark-law framework was perfectly adequate for the task of adjudicating issues such as the one presented here. This article further contends that the potential perils of dualuse trademarks far outweigh any benefits that might spring from their …

United We Stand: The Anti-Competitive Implications Of Media Ownership Of Athletic Teams In Great Britain, Jonathan E. Bush

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This Note analyzes the increasing integration of the sports and broadcasting industries and the British framework for evaluating the permissibility of transactions furthering such integration. In the context of the recent attempted takeover of British football club Manchester United by Rupert Murdoch's British Sky Broadcasting, the Note examines how the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) was uniquely poised to fully consider the ramifications of this developing nexus of sports and media and evaluates the significance of the MMC's decision on the future of both industries.

A diverse array of domestic, international, political, and economic issues and implications face any court …

Panel Discussion - To Bot Or Not To Bot: The Implications Of Spidering, David Kramer, Jay Monahan

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Mr. Kramer and Mr. Monahan discuss the issues raised by the use of bots on the Internet and the implication of such use in litigation. Bots, or spidering programs, are software devices used to access specific information contained on web sites. Bots are commonly used when search engines comb the web to generate responses to queries. However, other less than noble uses, including the gathering of e-mail addresses for "spamming" and the taking of a site's content and reposting it elsewhere, raise complex legal issues and have generated considerable litigation.

Preparing Your Music Client For Web Distribution, Stephanie Brauner

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Digital transmission of recordings is becoming an extremely important method of distribution. As this method of distribution becomes increasingly common, attorneys practicing in this industry will be compelled to advise their clients of the choices available in releasing their musical expressions on the Internet. This article provides a basic overview of the digital transmission process, discusses the current state of copyright protections for musicians and the failings in those protections, and will present other viable options that allow for the protection of a client's interests.

When Cyberspace Meets Main Street: A Primer For Internet Business Modeling In An Evolving Legal Environment, Christopher Paul Boam

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

With the increasing use of the World Wide Web, the Internet consumer will, for better or worse, change the "shop around the comer." However, the advent of electronic commerce can have the capacity to be the great equalizer. This technology, which allows the smallest of entrepreneurs to enter millions of households throughout the world also subjects them to innumerable conflicting foreign laws and jurisdictions and magnifies the legal impact of any content errors. The ability to enter the households of millions of unknown persons also poses difficult challenges of identification, privacy, and security. The collective impact of these peculiar characteristics …

You've Got Mud On Your Face: Have Mp3s Turned The Middleman Into Roadkill, Jessica Trivellini Toney

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Moving Picture Expert Group Audio Layer 3, or MP3s, computer audio files transmitted over the Internet, have emerged as powerful challengers to the current music distribution system. MP3s challenge the recording industry on two fronts: piracy and sidestepping industry distribution channels. This note explores how copyright law applies to computer sound files, including MP3s, and demonstrates how advances in MP3 technology have made infringement concerns a significant problem. This note concludes that the record industry must radically change its current marketing scheme and adopt a low cost licensing approach in order to adapt successfully in the digital age.

The Transferability Of Non-Exclusive Copyright Licenses: A New Default Rule For Software In The Ninth Circuit, Brandon M. Villery

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

The merger and acquisition of companies using software technology can generate a need to transfer valuable software licenses from a target company to an acquiring company. As a default rule in the Ninth Circuit, a licensee cannot assign a non-exclusive copyright license without the express authorization of the licensor. Consequently, an acquired licensee may be forced to renegotiate an otherwise valid software license, even if it survives the acquisition and continues to operate as a subsidiary. Understandably, the issue of copyright license transferability continues to pose a problem in mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies. This note analyzes the Ninth Circuit's decision …

Foreword, Chelsea M. Doerrie

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

No abstract provided.

Symposium Presentation: Tales Of An E-Commerce Lawyer: When Every Decision You Make Is A You Bet Your Company Decision, Michael Scott

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Mr. Scott gives an overview of how the Internet and e-commerce have changed the practice of law. He notes that business today is almost instantaneous, in what he refers to as "Internet time," so a wrong business decision can spell disaster. He also discusses the implications of these almost instantaneous business decisions in the context of copyrights, patents, comparison sites, gaming and spamming.

Symposium Presentation: Business And Patents And Business Patents, Michael A. Glenn

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Mr. Glenn provides a general overview of patent law. He details recent developments in software patents, utility patents and business method patents. He concludes by emphasizing the notion that nearly everything is patentable, possibly even the business method for serving a meal, if such a method could be deemed useful, novel and nonobvious.

The Owned Public Domain: The Constitutional Right Not To Be Excluded - Or The Supreme Court Chose The Right Breakfast Cereal In Kellogg V. National Biscuit Co., Malla Pollack

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Before the rise of law and economics, the Supreme Court vigorously enforced the public right to use material in the public domain upon the expiration of utility patents. This right was most notably upheld in Kellogg v. Nat'l Biscuit Co. Recently, numerous Federal Circuit courts have failed to follow the holding of Kellogg. This article discusses the Lockian conception of property, argues that Kellogg was based upon sound Constitutional footing, and suggests that the current Court should follow that Constitutional reasoning, rather than distinguishing the case based on economic theory in its consideration of TrafFix Devices v. Marketing Displays this …

Taxation Of International Computer Software Transactions Under Regulation 1.861-18, Jonathan Purcell

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Transfer of computer software in the international context presents many complexities. Tension has developed between countries of manufacture and the countries of sale. Specifically, how should the income arising from such transactions and the resulting tax base be allocated between the nations where the purchaser and seller are located? Treasury Regulation 1.861-18 attempts to bring some clarity to the characterization of income from the international transfer of computer software. This note explains this regulation as it concerns the disposition of copyright ownership rights and copyrighted subject matter, as well as explores various tax planning opportunities.

Defending The Informers: The Media's Right To Protect Non-Confidential Source Information Following United States V. Smith, Michael Fitzsimmons

Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal

No abstract provided.