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Articles 1 - 23 of 23
Full-Text Articles in Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law
Advertising Injury: Getting The Most Out Of Your Insurance Policy, David P. Brooks
Advertising Injury: Getting The Most Out Of Your Insurance Policy, David P. Brooks
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
This article examines recent cases dealing with insurance coverage for intellectual property matters. State and Federal courts in California have recently held that companies that purchase comprehensive general liability insurance policies may be entitled to coverage under the "advertising injury" clause for claims involving unfair competition, copyright infringement, patent infringement, and possibly even trademark infringement. The article examines common insurance policy forms and concludes that advertising injury coverage should be made available to policyholders on a broader scale.
A Rose By Any Other Name: Trademark Protection Of The Names Of Popular Music Groups, Barbara Singer
A Rose By Any Other Name: Trademark Protection Of The Names Of Popular Music Groups, Barbara Singer
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
As the economic value of the names of popular music groups has burgeoned, courts have increasingly been forced to grapple with the complex issues of trademark ownership and infringement of those group names. This article examines those complex issues and sets forth criteria to assist courts as they struggle to resolve them. The article first explores the trademark and contractual methods available for establishing ownership of a popular music group's name. Next, the article examines the manner in which an infringement is determined under the principles of trademark law both in the absence of and the presence of contractual allocations. …
The Conflict Between The California Mechanics' Lien Statutes And The Public Utilities Code, John Leary
The Conflict Between The California Mechanics' Lien Statutes And The Public Utilities Code, John Leary
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
Following the breakup of AT&T, local telephone companies began growing quickly. However, when the Public Utilities Commission approves a private company's application to offer telephone service to a community, problems can arise, for both the community and that company's subcontractors. This note analyzes a conflict between the California Public Utilities Code and certain provisions of the California Civil Code, which suggests that subcontractors may not be protected by either mechanics' liens or stop notices in their dealings with those local companies. The note suggests that utilities be considered public entities, resulting in protection of subcontrators through the posting of payment …
Son Of Sam Laws After Simon & (And) Schuster V. New York Crime Victims Board: Free Speech Versus Victims' Rights, Kelly Franks
Son Of Sam Laws After Simon & (And) Schuster V. New York Crime Victims Board: Free Speech Versus Victims' Rights, Kelly Franks
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
The United States Supreme Court recently found New York's Son of Sam law to be a content-based financial burden on speech in violation of the first amendment. The law prohibited any payment to a criminal in exchange for the personal account of his crime, and required that such payments be distributed to the victims of the crime instead. The decision affects similar laws in forty-two other states and the federal government. This note explains the background of New York's Son of Sam law, and examines the case that led to its demise. The author argues that having criminals compensate their …
Regulating Slate Mailers: Consumer Protection Or First Amendment Infringement, Carol Federighi
Regulating Slate Mailers: Consumer Protection Or First Amendment Infringement, Carol Federighi
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
Slate mailers are part of the biennial political process in California. Forprofit enterprises that endorse candidates and issues for a price are big business in California. Despite regulations requiring that slate mailer organizations comply with extensive disclosure measures, many mailers remain deceptive. This note describes the deceptive practices of some slate mailers, discusses current regulation of the business, and analyzes the constitutional implications of regulating protected speech. The author argues that, despite the highly protected nature of political speech, the regulations will survive constitutional challenges, and with minor changes, will provide a model for other states.
Legislating Canned Performances, Janet Boessenecker
Legislating Canned Performances, Janet Boessenecker
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
Do people have the right to know whether a concert will feature prerecorded music? Is legislative action needed to protect consumers from another Milli Vanilli-type fraud? A number of states have answered "yes" by introducing legislation to mandate a disclosure on concert advertisements or tickets. This note evaluates the necessity of such legislation in light of current popular music practices and existing law. The author concludes that disclosure laws are unnecessary and would be ineffective as well.
Docudramas: The Legality Of Producing Fact-Based Dramas - What Every Producer's Attorney Should Know, Jacqui Gold Grunfeld
Docudramas: The Legality Of Producing Fact-Based Dramas - What Every Producer's Attorney Should Know, Jacqui Gold Grunfeld
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
This article provides a practical guide for the attorney whose client produces fact-based television movies, whether the producer chooses to use resource material from the public domain or obtain rights. The article analyzes the historical development and current state of the personality and property rights that need to be considered; discusses the impact of Son of Sam laws; examines the provisions to be included in rights acquisition agreements; and explores protective measures that can help to minimize the risk of litigation.
The Uniform Defamation Act: Is Too Much Being Asked Of The Press In The Quest For Libel Law Reform, Ben Dunlap Jr.
The Uniform Defamation Act: Is Too Much Being Asked Of The Press In The Quest For Libel Law Reform, Ben Dunlap Jr.
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
The Uniform Law Commissioners are preparing to begin debate on the most sweeping changes to libel law since New York Times v. Sullivan. The proposed Uniform Defamation Act, if adopted by the full commission in August 1993 and enacted by state legislatures, would introduce an action for vindication as a non-damages remedy for the aggrieved subjects of defamation. The Act would also attempt to codify many areas of libel law that heretofore have primarily been left to development in the courts. This article examines the central features of the Uniform Defamation Act and how its enactment might affect the current …
Gambling And The Law - Update 1993, I. Nelson Rose
Gambling And The Law - Update 1993, I. Nelson Rose
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
The largest, fastest growing, most quickly changing area of entertainment law is legal gambling: last year more than $304 billion was bet legally in the United States. Changes in government policies, from complete prohibition, to grudging permission, to active promotion, have led to a classic nationwide speculative bubble. The nation's leading expert on gambling law explores the recent explosion of legal gambling, including riverboat casinos that need not have engines or crews; "video lottery terminals," video poker machines run by state governments; and the largest table game casino in the world, owned by Native Americans in Connecticut. The article explores …
The Current State Of Moral Rights Protection For Visual Artists In The United States, Amy L. Landers
The Current State Of Moral Rights Protection For Visual Artists In The United States, Amy L. Landers
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
Works of art have been recognized by Congress to embody more than a physical object; rather, these works can be seen to represent the artist's personality. The Visual Artists Rights Act, which codifies moral rights protection in the United States, provides legal recourse for artists whose works have been altered or destroyed in violation of this principle. During the past ten years, several states have also enacted moral rights legislation. This Note explores the current state of moral rights in the United States, with an emphasis upon those states where both federal and state moral rights statutes exist.
Legal Protection For Computer Programs, 1980-1992: A Bibliography Of Law-Related Materials, James E. Duggan
Legal Protection For Computer Programs, 1980-1992: A Bibliography Of Law-Related Materials, James E. Duggan
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
No abstract provided.
Copyright Protection For Audiovisual Works In The European Community, Anne Moebes
Copyright Protection For Audiovisual Works In The European Community, Anne Moebes
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
The European Community's copyright laws have been constantly changing in recent years to respond to the dramatic increase in the demand for and supply of audiovisual works. These laws have become necessary because of the increased risk of piracy in conjunction with the Community's continuing efforts toward Community harmonization. This article explores the scope of copyright protection of audiovisual works, the limitation of copyright protection as embodied in the Community "exhaustion" doctrine, and the impact of the Community's harmonization efforts.
Let Technology Counteract Technology: Protecting The Medical Record In The Computer Age, Terri Finkbine Arnold
Let Technology Counteract Technology: Protecting The Medical Record In The Computer Age, Terri Finkbine Arnold
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
The medical record contains information about the most intimate details of our personal lives. Reliance on the computer by both private health care providers and the government to store, access, and manipulate medical information has increased dramatically in the last decade. The development of a national health care delivery system will utilize computer technology to automate and standardize the medical record even further. Current law and regulations are inadequate to meet the potential for misuse and abuse created by the computerization of medical information. This note explores the development of the computerized medical record and the likely future direction of …
Miss Saigon: Casting For Equality On An Unequal Stage, Mabel Ng
Miss Saigon: Casting For Equality On An Unequal Stage, Mabel Ng
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
In the summer of 1990, Actors' Equity Association tried to bar an awardwinning European actor from playing the role of a Eurasian in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon. In the controversy that raged, the theatrical world found itself afire with an issue that had simmered for decades: the practice of producers and directors casting white actors in racial and ethnic minority roles and their reluctance to consider ethnic actors for such roles. This note discusses the controversy surrounding Miss Saigon, the notion of non-traditional casting, artistic freedom versus affirmative action, and ways in which the theater might at last …
The Trouble With Confidential Sources: A Criticism Of The Supreme Court's Interest-Group View Of The First Amendment In Cohen V. Cowles Media Co., Patrick M. Garry
The Trouble With Confidential Sources: A Criticism Of The Supreme Court's Interest-Group View Of The First Amendment In Cohen V. Cowles Media Co., Patrick M. Garry
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
For the last several decades, confidential sources have been a controversial media law issue. During the 1970s, the press argued that the press clause of the First Amendment conferred the freedom to maintain the confidentiality of its sources. According to this argument, only such a freedom would insure that the press could adequately perform its newsgathering role. In the recent case of Cohen v. Cowles Media Co., however, the press found itself somewhat on the other side of the argument. It unsuccessfully argued to the Court that the First Amendment precluded any liability for breaking a promise of confidentiality to …
The Right To Misquote, Marta Stanton
The Right To Misquote, Marta Stanton
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
This article explores whether the First Amendment protects journalists who materially alter quotations from liability for defamation. The journalist's right of freedom of speech and the speaker's rights came in direct conflict in the case of Masson v. New Yorker Magazine, which provides the touchstone for this article. The author addresses the meaning of actual malice in the context of altered quotations and the journalist's responsibility to respect the meaning of quotation marks. This article concludes that a journalist who materially alters a quotation has gone too far and has acted with knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the …
The Right Of Reply To The Media In The United States - Resistance And Resurgance, Jerome A. Barron
The Right Of Reply To The Media In The United States - Resistance And Resurgance, Jerome A. Barron
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
What is the present status of rights of reply and access in the United States? Although there is still no formal right of reply to the print media, efforts continue to create a right of reply to defamatory attack and to enact vindication statutes. Recent developments such as television talk shows and call-in radio demonstrate a renewed interest by the public in reply and access. There is a public effort to leap over the media and to participate directly in the opinion process. These developments are exemplified by the presidential campaigns of Ross Perot and Bill Clinton. Finally, the public …
How Valid Are U.S. Criticisms Of The Japanese Patent System, Michael Todd Helfand
How Valid Are U.S. Criticisms Of The Japanese Patent System, Michael Todd Helfand
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
This article reviews and addresses criticisms that have been leveled against the Japanese patent system by U.S. businesses and the government. It begins by exploring the operations, history, and cultural background of the Japanese patent system, and drawing contrasts with the system employed by the United States. From there, it introduces and analyzes the validity or invalidity of the criticisms most commonly raised. While a definitive answer is not possible for all criticisms, this article concludes that a number of criticisms are more selfserving than constructive, and several of the most important criticisms do not address aspects of the patent …
The 1992 Cable Act: Just The Beginning, Nicholas W. Allard
The 1992 Cable Act: Just The Beginning, Nicholas W. Allard
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
The 1992 Cable Act completely overhauls the legal rules governing the television marketplace, and its substantive impact will be felt for many years. The Act's complex, interrelated, and often intentionally vague provisions revise the rules pertaining to cable television, broadcast television, new television technologies such as DBS and wireless cable, the regulatory roles of the FCC and local franchise authorities, and the rates cable customers will pay. Its enactment marks the beginning of a new regulatory era whose legal features will be further defined by several FCC rulemakings, pending lawsuits, and additional legislation in the 103d Congress. The article traces …
Privacy In Telecommunications - A California Perspective, Mary Mack Adu, Gretchen Dumas
Privacy In Telecommunications - A California Perspective, Mary Mack Adu, Gretchen Dumas
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
This article focuses on the policy and legal issues that are before state and federal agencies regarding informational privacy in telecommunications. For example, how does one reconcile the interests of, on the one hand, individuals and businesses who believe they have a right to "informational privacy" and, on the other hand, the demands of business to use this "personal information" to promote commercial activity and the demands of the public that it have full access to information that affects the public good. The article then examines the state of the law of privacy in California and specifically the California Public …
Employee Disclosures To The Media: When Is A Source A Sourcerer, Terry Morehead Dworkin, Elletta Sangrey Callahan
Employee Disclosures To The Media: When Is A Source A Sourcerer, Terry Morehead Dworkin, Elletta Sangrey Callahan
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
Whistleblowing as a form of organizational control is being fostered by the judiciary and legislators. Yet these decisionmakers generally do not view the media as an appropriate whistleblowing recipient. This point was brought into sharp focus when Procter & Gamble persuaded law enforcement agencies to investigate the source of information leaked by "current and former P&G managers" to the Wall Street Journal. Armed with alleged violations of a state trade secrets statute, the corporation and the government effectively bypassed legal protections extended both to whistleblowers and to reporters who refuse to identify their confidential sources. This article evaluates whistleblowing to …
Protein Pharmaceuticals: Altering The Scope Of Product Patents To Accomodate Recombinant Dna Technology, Bret Field
Protein Pharmaceuticals: Altering The Scope Of Product Patents To Accomodate Recombinant Dna Technology, Bret Field
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
As recombinant DNA technology has evolved into a prominent tool to synthesize new products in the pharmaceutical industry, courts have been faced with novel infringement issues involving the scope of patents granted to protein pharmaceuticals. This note analyzes the way courts have interpreted the scope of product patents granted to purified product of nature inventions and recombinantly synthesized products. The note highlights the current problems with the judiciary's interpretation of the Patent Act. The note then discusses a better approach to the infringement issues, an approach based on the Food and Drug Administration's procedure when faced with analogous issues raised …
Copyrights And Background Music: Unplug The Radio Before I Infringe Again, Paul Warenski
Copyrights And Background Music: Unplug The Radio Before I Infringe Again, Paul Warenski
UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal
The 1976 Copyright Act entitles copyright owners of musical works to compensation for public performances of their songs. Congress carved out several exemptions in the 1976 Act, however, one of which is section 110(5). Section 110(5) denies compensation to copyright owners for transmissions made on radio or television equipment that is comparable to equipment used in private homes. Thus, under section 110(5) the small business owner who listens to a portable radio during business hours need not pay copyright licensing fees to every musician featured on the radio. This note examines the origin, content, and legislative history of the section …