Law Commons^™

College Athlete Employment Model: An “Amateur” Attempt To Resolve The Exploitation Created By The Ncaa, Ryan Brida

University of Miami Business Law Review

The college sports industry is deeply rooted within the culture of the United States. Its popularity has only grown, which has led to business opportunities and vast economic wealth for many within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”). This wealth is mainly distributed among, but not limited to, NCAA executives, conference commissioners, university presidents, coaches, and athletic directors. The individuals actually taking part in the athletic contests, the college athletes, are excluded from this list. Specifically, looking at Division I college athletes, the harsh reality is that these young men and women are participating in a billion-dollar industry and not …

Copyright And Political Campaigns: How Much Control Should A Copyright Owner Have Over The Use Of Their Musical Work In A Political Campaign, Jared Zim

University of Miami Business Law Review

Music often tells a powerful story, driving emotional connections. As a result, politicians rely on music in every aspect of their political campaigns from political advertisements to campaign rallies. There is a long history of such political uses of music, often without an artist’s permission. While most disputes over such uses have ended in either settlement or the campaign stopping use of the infringed work, former President Donald Trump’s unauthorized use of music on the campaign trail sparked countless artist complaints. The complaining musicians feared any implication that they endorsed Trump and did not want any association with a political …

Hip Hop Turns 50: The End Of A Criminal Cartel, J. Christopher Hamilton

University of Miami Business Law Review

Most people are familiar with superstar rappers like Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, and Drake, who continue to anchor hip-hop in a competitive culture of braggadocio, high fashion, and lethal lyrics. Many are also familiar with the recent deaths of rising stars like King Von, Pop Smoke, PnB Rock, and Takeoff due to gun violence. However, beyond the megastars, melodic music, and the high-profile murders, hip-hop represents a global marketplace valued at over $15 billion, which is shocking considering the poverty surrounding its birth. On the eve of its 50th anniversary in 2023, hip-hop’s position as the dominant form of contemporary …

Now Streaming: How Streaming Services Are Following In The Antitrust Footsteps Of Hollywood’S Golden Age, Megan Elizabeth Norris

University of Miami Business Law Review

The entertainment industry is undergoing quite the transformation following the recent termination of the Paramount Consent Decrees, which effectively regulated the industry to prevent monopolization and promote competition for almost a century. The industry now faces a drastic surge in the utilization of streaming services and a new wave of antitrust issues.

“With great power comes great responsibility;” however, the dominant streaming companies in the industry have raised suspicion about emerging anticompetitive concerns. While long overdue, the termination of the Paramount Consent Decrees leaves a gaping hole in antitrust policy regarding the nuanced business practice of streaming platforms. Existing antitrust …

The Demise Of The Hub-And-Spoke Cartel And The Rise Of The Student Athlete: A Significant Step Toward A New Era Of Conferences In Ncaa V. Alston, Brandon Posivak

University of Miami Business Law Review

The NCAA is not above the law. On June 21, 2021, the Supreme Court unanimously held in NCAA v. Alston that the NCAA’s student-athlete compensation restrictions violated § 1 of the Sherman Act, and student athletes may now obtain education-related benefits from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The Court’s holding marked the first time the NCAA’s compensation restrictions failed antitrust scrutiny under the Rule of Reason analysis, but by limiting its holding to education-related benefits, the Court refused to open the floodgates to all forms of NIL compensation. Within its holding, the Court notably rejected the NCAA’s procompetitive argument …

“Sorry,” But I Didn’T Release It: How The Court’S Analysis Of The Fair Use Doctrine In Chapman V. Maraj Protects Innovation And Creativity In The Music Industry, Samantha Ross

University of Miami Business Law Review

The fair use doctrine is an important affirmative defense to copyright infringement when a particular use does not interfere with copyright law’s primary goal of promoting creativity for the public good. Artists and songwriters frequently experiment with copyrighted music without permission before seeking licensing approval from the original rights holders to “sample” or “replay” the work. In Chapman v. Maraj—a copyright infringement suit brought by Tracy Chapman against Nicki Minaj—the United States District Court for the Central District of California held that experimenting with a copyrighted musical composition for the purpose of creating a new work with an intent to …

Sound Familiar? Digital Sampling Is Taking Center Stage, Logan Zucchino

University of Miami Business Law Review

In 2018, Kendrick Duckworth, better known by his stage-name Kendrick Lamar, became the first non-classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music. Equally as surprising, the album contained a magnitude of digital sampling. As digital sampling has become more prevalent since the 1980’s, courts have differed on how to handle the issue. By 2016, the Sixth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals established a circuit split on the issue, with one holding that unlicensed digital sampling is per se unlawful, and the other holding that a more lenient test is needed. Courts have continued to struggle with …

Rock The Cash-Bah! How Alston Presents A New Challenge To The Amateurism Justification And Ways The Ncaa Can Modernize To Remain Afloat, John Y. Doty

University of Miami Business Law Review

During the last decade, antitrust litigation involving Division I athletes and the NCAA has resulted in changes to the NCAA’s rules, presenting a threat to amateurism. As athletes have voiced concerns about their likeness being used without permission in video games, the difficulty of balancing sports and academics, and going to bed hungry when millions of dollars in profits are being made off of them, the NCAA has allowed conferences and schools to provide student-athletes with stipends for cost of attendance expenses. However, even though the NCAA has modified its rules, athletes continue to ask for more, and courts have …

Assessing The Unethical Phenomenon Behind Hollywood’S Handshake Agreements, Daniel Rico

University of Miami Business Law Review

The Hollywood Film Industry has maintained a unique characteristic of allowing substantial capital investments to regularly proceed on the basis of oral (“handshake”) agreements.1 These handshake agreements result in an uncertain threat of legal enforcement and an increased exposure to contract liability. Nevertheless, handshake contracts have become so prevalent in Hollywood’s entertainment industry that no matter one’s opinion on the merits of using these contracts, attorneys have conformed to this longstanding tradition in order to stay competitive.

As a result, this longstanding practice of conducting business through handshake agreements has contributed to another time-honored Hollywood tradition: contract disputes. Hollywood’s flexible …

The Safest Bet: A Comprehensive Review Of The Fall Of Paspa And The Rise Of Sports Betting, Daniel Boswell

University of Miami Business Law Review

In May of 2018, the United States Supreme Court held in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association that a federal prohibition on sports gambling was in violation of the anti-commandeering doctrine of the Tenth Amendment. In the wake of the decision, many commentators have opined that the opinion, authored by Justice Alito, may have serious implications on contentious political issues ranging from marijuana legalization to sanctuary cities. While the decision left state legislatures with the authority to permit sports gambling, it did not affirmatively close the door on federal oversight—a topic of much recent debate. This note will explore potential …

The Sample Solution: How Blockchain Technology Can Clarify A Divided Copyright Doctrine On Music Sampling, Angelo Massagli

University of Miami Business Law Review

This article will examine how blockchain technology can clarify the complex and inconsistent judicial approach to the copyright doctrine regarding music sampling. As it stands today, circuit courts are divided over how to handle copyright infringement stemming from unlicensed music sampling. The first approach is simple: if you want to sample, get a license. The second approach is more lenient and applies a de minimis standard that forces courts to make fact sensitive, case–by–case decisions regarding whether or not the sample of the original work is sufficient enough to be defined as an infringement. The reason for this split in …

The Rearden Problem: Defining Ownership In A Changing Landscape, Jake Altobello

University of Miami Business Law Review

This paper will address the problem that is currently being confronted by the Walt Disney World Company; who owns the creative works made from software stolen from the original creator? Furthermore, does the court’s application of the “lion’s share” theory effectively further the Constitution’s intent to promote the growth of arts and sciences? By looking at the historical progression of intellectual property law and the holdings of key cases in copyright law, this paper will distill into a summary of key concerns the jurisprudence regarding associating property rights in intellectual property. By narrowing the key considerations of the court, this …

“Wake Up, Mr. West!”: Distinguishing Albums And Compilations For Statutory Damages In Copyright Within A Streaming–Centric Music Economy, Tyler Laurence

University of Miami Business Law Review

The concept of the music album has been a vital cornerstone of the recorded music industry since its adoption in the form of the long–play vinyl record in 1948. For over sixty years, the ability for artists to package a cohesive collection of performances has remained of paramount priority and an art within itself, notwithstanding the flurry of technological innovations that have altered the album’s size, shape, length, and interactivity. These collections of songs have even withstood the so–called “era of unbundilization,” as digital music services declared a new piecemeal distribution standard of albums through the turn of the century. …

Pensions Or Paintings? The Detroit Institute Of Arts From Bankruptcy To Grand Bargain, Maureen B. Collins

University of Miami Business Law Review

This article examines the issues faced by the City of Detroit and the Detroit Institute of Arts when Detroit filed for municipal bankruptcy. Creditors called for the sale of the highly esteemed DIA art collection to pay outstanding municipal pension obligations. The DIA and the Michigan Attorney General viewed the collection not as an asset, but as a charitable public trust. Simply put, the City faced the question of what mattered most – pensions or paintings? Along the way, the parties and courts struggled with valuation of the art collection, a history of judicial decisions and lawmaking regarding charitable trusts …

Molly And The Crack House Statute: Vulnerabilities Of A Recuperating Music Industry, Jacob A. Epstein

University of Miami Business Law Review

The normalcy of “club drug” use in today’s live music culture makes concert promoters and venue managers particularly vulnerable to prosecution under the “crack-house statute,” 21 U.S.C. § 856. Section 856(a)(2) makes it illegal for a promoter or venue manager to “manage any place . . . and knowingly and intentionally . . . profit from, or make available for use . . . the place for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing, storing, distributing, or using a controlled substance.” In United States v. Tebeau, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals held that third parties could satisfy the statute’s “intent” requirement. …

Breaking Bad: An Examination Of The Ncaa's Investigation Practices Over The Last Forty Years, Ryan Appel

University of Miami Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Throwing The Red Flag: Why The Nfl Should Challenge The Ruling On The Field That Player Decertification Lowers The Antitrust Shield, Alexandra Hayes

University of Miami Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Indecency, A La Carte, And The Fcc's Approval Of The Sirius Xm Satellite Radio Merger: How The Fcc Indirectly Regulated Indecent Content On Satellite Radio At The Expense Of The "Public Interest", Elizabeth A. Pike

University of Miami Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Museums And Self-Regulation: Assessing The Impact Of Newly Promulgated Guidelines On The Litigation Of Cultural Property, Rachel Dubin

University of Miami Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Mixed Signals: How Mixtapes Have Blurred The Changing Legal Landscape In The Music Industry, Meredith L. Schantz

University of Miami Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Just A Concern For Good Manners: The Second Circuit Strikes Down The Fcc's Broadcast Indecency Regime, Michael Strocko

University of Miami Business Law Review

No abstract provided.