Law Commons^™

Copyright Co-Ownership In Uncertain Times: How Security Interests Can Save The Day, Evie Whiting, Ashleigh Stanley

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Films and television series are increasingly being created undera co-production model, making copyright co-ownership a common occurrence in the world of Hollywood content creation. So long as each co-owner’s rights are pre-negotiated and specifically delineated in their contracts, the co-owners can rest assured that their rights to the project and any potential derivative works are safe. Or can they?

In the modern entertainment landscape, where tentpole programming and related spinoffs and derivatives are the gold standard of content creation, the proper protection of co-owned copyrights is more important than ever. But tenuous financial outlooks pose a looming, existential threat to …

College Athlete Rights After O'Bannon: Where Do College Athlete Intellectual Property Rights Go From Here?, Victoria Roessler

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The recent O'Bannon v. NCAA decision, which gave student athletes a right in products that exploit their image and likeness, will have a profound impact on college athlete rights. This giant step forward will propel student athletes to fight for more intellectual property rights. Following the footsteps of professional athletes, these rights will likely include copyrighting sports moves, touchdown celebrations, and signature phrases as well as trademarking nicknames and touchdown dances. This Note encourages the adoption of a program giving student athletes these rights and allowing them to receive compensation, uncapped, that they would split evenly with his or her …

The Derivative Right, Or Why Copyright Law Protects Foxes Better Than Hedgehogs, Daniel J. Gervais

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

The derivative right is at the very core of copyright theory. What can and cannot be reused to create a new work impacts freedom of expression but also impacts the value of the markets for works and their various “derivatives.” The derivative right includes forms of derivation and adaptation, such as making a movie from a novel or translating a book. It also covers what this Article refers to as penumbral derivatives, which the US Copyright Act captures using the phrase “based upon” with respect to preexisting works. This leads to indeterminacy about the scope of the derivative right, which …

Drawing A Line In The Sand: Copyright Law And New Museums, Megan M. Carpenter

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Over the last twenty years, audience attendance at museums, galleries, and performing arts institutions in the United States has decreased dramatically. Major museums and galleries are considering ways to add engaging and meaningful value to the user experience with technology, from incorporating user-generated content to creating multimedia installations billed as "collaborative" works.

In 2010, the Dallas Museum of Art's Coastlines: Images of Land and Sea exhibition featured landscapes from 1850 to the present, as well as a sound installation composed by students and faculty at a local university, which played on speakers throughout the show and responded directly to the …

A Winner Is Who? Fair Use And The Online Distribution Of Manga And Video Game Fan Translations, Jaime E. Muscar

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This note examines the legality of fan translations of Japanese comic books, known as manga, and video games distributed over the Internet, with special consideration given to the application of the fair use doctrine. Technology related to the distribution of media online grows exponentially compared to the law governing this technology. Although much recent litigation has limited the online distribution of traditional media, both copyright holders and courts have largely ignored a fringe segment of this distribution. This fringe includes manga and video games. Manga can be easily shared online by scanning images, and video games are now frequently converted …

The Downhill Battle To Copyright Sonic Ideas In Bridgeport Music, Matthew S. Garnett

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note argues that the bright-line rule announced in Bridgeport Music should not apply where the disputed digital sample appropriates only the "sonic" ideas of the original work. The main thrust of this argument is that the Sixth Circuit's holding in Bridgeport Music is inapplicable where the disputed copying is a protected exercise of "fair use" reverse engineering; that is, where copying is necessary to appropriate the "sonic" ideas embodied in the sampled work.

Part II of this Note presents a brief history of digital sampling, including its application in the Hip-Hop musical genre. Part III presents a walkthrough of …

"It's Mine! No, It's Mine! No, It's Mine!" Works-Made-For-Hire, Section 203 Of The Copyright Act, And Sound Recordings, Adam H. Dunst

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Under Section 203 of the 1976 Copyright Act, assignments of copyrights by authors after January 1, 1978, are subject to termination starting 35 years through 40 years after the date of the grant, regardless of any term stated in the agreement. Congress intended that authors have the opportunity to repossess copyrights and enjoy future rewards of their creative works at a point in time when they have a better sense of their works' values and more bargaining power. This "second bite at the apple" protects authors from transfers for which they were inadequately compensated. To protect authors' interests, the Copyright …

Termination Rights And The Real Songwriters, Geoffrey P. Hull

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Collaboration--the act of more than one songwriter writing a song--has seldom, if ever, been more popular or prevalent in popular music. A perusal of a recent Billboard Hot 100 singles chart revealed that 85 of the charted songs had more than one writer in their credits. Of the fifteen with single writer credits, thirteen were by the recording artists. The other two were remakes of decades-old hits. More often than not, especially on the pop charts, some of the co-writers are the recording artists or the producers of the recording. Many times these artist and producer co-writers have actually written …

Chillin' Effect Of Section 506: The Battle Over Digital Sampling In Rap Music, Ronald Gaither

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Digital samples are to rap music as precedent is to the practice of law. Lawyers, mindful of the principle of stare decisis, mine court opinions for arguments to support legal theories. Similarly, rappers use the lyrics and musical arrangements found in previously recorded works to spin out new and creative pieces. But where-as no one worries when a lawyer quotes pieces of old case law to fashion her arguments in a novel case, rappers' heavy reliance on digital sampling routinely puts their community front and center in a debate over copyright infringement...

Considering the severity of most criminal penalties for …

Music, Money, And The Middleman: The Relationship Between The Songwriter And The Publisher, Cornelius Cowles

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Money, along with creative drive and the chance to work in an exciting industry, push the publisher and songwriter both. This article seeks to help the songwriter under-stand the role of the music publisher, an indispensable and unavoidable part of the country music industry. It examines the songwriter-publisher relationship from the perspective of those people active in the industry and examines criticism of the publisher's role. It further analyzes the typically thorny legal and contractual issues faced by the songwriter in negotiating an exclusive songwriting agreement with the publisher. Finally, recognizing the special role of songwriters in Nashville, it addresses …