Law Commons^™

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 …

Revenue Sharing In Major League Baseball: Are Cuba's Political Managers On Their Way Over Too?, Matthew R. Mccarthy

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

In response to a growing disparity amongst the league's best and worst teams, fans, reporters, and even some players have proposed various plans designed to share revenues amongst owners and level the economic playing field. The smaller market teams claim they cannot compete because they have less revenue than the bigger teams, which translates to an inability to pay for high priced players and state-of-the-art facilities. In response to this perceived problem, owners have proposed and implemented some limited forms of revenue sharing and a competitive balance tax...

Part II of this Note examines the history of professional baseball's exemption …

Some Catching Up To Do, Kara M. Wolke

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The analysis begins with a discussion of the purposes behind the WPPT and the international recognition of a general sound recording performance right. Part I discusses Congress' partial implementation of the WPPT through the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) and the digital performance right. Part II explores the value that recognition of the full public performance right under the WPPT would create for the American music industry. Finally, Part III proposes a solution in the form of an amendment to the Copyright Act and the coordination of national and international performance rights organizations.

Tragedy And Triumph In Title Ix, Welch Suggs

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The NCAA is trying to send a stronger message about the importance of the educational goals of college sports, as evidenced by the elevation of academic standards. However, colleges send a powerful message to parents by rewarding them for allowing their children to play a single sport year-round, to the exclusion of other activities. If sport offers a stronger guarantee of college admission than study--and Bowen's work indicates that is true not just at big-time sports powerhouses, but also at the country's most prestigious colleges--who can blame a student or parent from diving into sports? The future of women's athletics …

Copyright Infringement In The Indian Film Industry, Rachana Desai

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note focuses on the largest of these industries: Bollywood, the center of Hindi language cinema. In recent years, nearly eight out of every ten Bollywood scripts have been inspired by one or more Hollywood films. Previously, this widespread problem was not visible to those outside of India. The emergence of the internet and better global communications, however, have made Westerners more aware of the cultural copy situation in India. In 2003, best-selling fiction writer Barbara Taylore-Bradford brought a copyright infringement suit against Sahara Television for allegedly making a television series out of her book "A Woman of Substance." After …

Sola, Perduta, Abbandonata: Are The Copyright Act And Performing Rights Organizations Killing Classical Music?, Amanda Scales

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note first explores the special concerns faced by classical composers and the distinctions that make classical composition inherently different from popular songwriting. The Note also discusses some of the more recent developments under the Copyright Act that affect composers of art music, most notably the Copyright Term Extension Act and the Fairness in Music Licensing Act. The Note then analyzes the adverse effects that the current state of the law has on classical composers. Ultimately, this Note offers suggestions for composers who wish to protect their works while retaining their artistic integrity and continuing the traditions of classical music, …

"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 …

Bring It On: The High-Stakes Battle Over Whether The Courts, Congress Or The Fec Should Muzzle Independent "527" Television Advertising, Christopher G. Johnson

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note analyzes possible FEC actions, pending court decisions, and proposed legislation that could once again dramatically change the landscape of political advertising. Section I of this Note examines the BCRA and the Supreme Court's subsequent ruling in McConnell v. FEC that created the environment that caused 527's to flourish. Section II focuses on FEC enforcement of campaign finance laws and examines a pending court case considering whether the FEC acted arbitrarily by failing to require all 527's to register as political committees. Section III considers whether courts or law-makers should require 527's to register as political committees in light …

Legal And Practical Aspects Of Music Licensing For Motion Pictures, Vad Kushnir

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Most motion pictures contain both original music composed specifically for a particular film and preexisting music (usually popular songs). In order to use preexisting music in a motion picture, the movie studio must obtain the appropriate music licenses from the copyright proprietors. The process of licensing music for use in a motion picture can potentially involve three different types of music licenses. First, the movie producer must obtain a "synchronization license," which will allow the producer to synchronize the musical work with the on-screen visual images and to use the licensed musical work as part of the motion picture in …

Copyright Issues For Sound Recordings Of Volunteer Performers, Stephen Adams

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Is copyright jurisprudence ready to handle a situation where three and four hundred people own a copyright in a single work? The copyright code does provide solutions for this type of situation, but the solution provided may not be the best one. This Note discusses how this situation may arise, and it recommends possible solutions to alleviate it. The first section will present a brief history of copyright law. The second section will explain the purpose of the termination of transfers encoded in section 203 of the Copyright Act. The third section will discuss the importance of the employment relationship …

Upon Further Review: Why The Nfl May Not Be Free After Clarett, And Why Professional Sports May Be Free From Antitrust Law, Darren W. Dummit

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This note begins by reviewing the Jewel Tea line of cases that theoretically serve as the starting point for any non-statutory exemption discussion, followed by brief overviews of the contrasting Wood and Mackey lines of cases. The background section then turns to a summary of Brown--the latest Supreme Court decision relating to the collective bargaining process in professional sports--followed by a brief discussion of the NFL eligibility rule and how it differs from the recently-enacted NBA eligibility rule, which is of unquestioned legality. Finally, both the District Court and Court of Appeals decisions in Clarett are summarized.

The analysis begins …

Representant Les Etats-Unis D'Amerique: Reforming The Usoc Charter, Christopher T. Murray

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Article proposes a reorganization of Olympic and amateur sports in the States not yet entertained by Congress, the USOC, or the legal academy. Congress should revoke the USOC's charter as a patriotic organization. The USOC should be divided and reformed. The Olympic-related functions of the USOC should be recast into a government corporation. Thus, the financial, political, and legal functions of representing the United States in the Olympic movement would be administered like those of a corporation. The governance of amateur sports should be removed from the USOC's charter and privatized into an association of the individual sports.

Part …

Are We Playing By The Rules? A Debate Over The Need For Ncaa Regulation Reform, Katherine Todd, Chris Guthrie, Professor Covington, Linda Bensel-Meyers, Gene Marsh, Mike Slive Commissioner, Len Elmore

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

We welcome all of you here today. The moderator for this morning's panel is Professor Robert Covington. Professor Covington is a senior member of the Vanderbilt faculty, having joined the law school immediately after his graduation from Vanderbilt Law in 1961. Professor Covington did his undergraduate work at Yale. He has established himself as a wide-ranging scholar and teacher, with a recognized expertise in labor law. Professor Covington has also taught sports law classes at the Law School. In recognition of his distinguished service to Vanderbilt, in 1992 he received the university's Thomas Jefferson Award. Professor Covington, I'll turn it …

Digital Music Sampling And Copyright Law, Carlos Ruiz De La Torre

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Copyright law governing digital music sampling is faced with two competing interests: first, the owners of recording and composition copyrights need to be reasonably compensated when their creative works are reused by sampling artists, but secondly, sampling artists should have a reasonable degree of freedom to rework fragments of existing recordings at a reasonable cost. A system needs to balance these interests and reduce the degree of uncertainty that arises when the use of a sample infringes a copyright. This Article will discuss the current state of the law as it relates to digital sampling and will then articulate five …

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 …

Why Is Betamax An Anachronism In The Digital Age?, Jiarui Liu

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Article aims to examine whether, as some courts indicate, the Sony doctrine is largely irrelevant in cyberspace. If the answer is no, how should courts properly apply the Sony doctrine to protect copyright holders' legitimate interests and further the innovation and prosperity of Internet technologies? This Article argues that the Sony doctrine should be given the widest application possible and not be subject to any preconceived formula. In the digital age, the test of "capable of substantial noninfringing uses" is still well suited to advance the ultimate objective of copyright law contemplated by the Supreme Court as well as …

The Needle And The Damage Done: The Pervasive Presence Of Obsolete Mass Media Audience Models In First Amendment Doctrine, Mehmet Konar-Steenberg

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Do audiences need the government's protection from mass media? Or are they capable of choosing media and protecting themselves? For decades, judicial opinion on this issue developed in the form of judicial notice, speculation, and assumption. Yet during that time, a rich social science discipline was emerging that could have helped to address these issues based on empirical research about mass media effects and audiences. Given the renewed importance of this issue, it is time to bridge the gap between the law of mass media content regulation and the social science research into mass media consumption.

To that end, this …

The Reality Of Reality Television: Understanding The Unique Nature Of The Reality Genre In Copyright Infringement Cases, J. Matthew Sharp

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Because copyright law is meant to protect creativity, there must be a means by which the U.S. government can offer some guarantee to the creators of a reality show that their creative output will be guarded against copying which diminishes the show's value. Therefore, this note seeks to answer the question: "what can we do to provide a reasonable level of protection against infringement to the creators of a new concept for a reality show?" Part I of this note provides a brief overview of the law regarding copyright infringement with particular emphasis on the unique protection afforded a compilation …

The Information Black Hole: Managing The Issues Arising From The Increase In Electronic Data Discovery In Litigation, Tracey L. Boyd

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note explores the problems that the increase in electronic data discovery has created in litigation. In particular, this Note centers on the issue of cost-allocation involved when discovery includes electronically stored information. Part II of this Note contains a background discussion of the technical and legal aspects of the discovery of electronic information. It examines the different types of electronically stored data, the innate differences between traditional discovery and electronic discovery, and analyzes the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as they apply to the discovery of electronically stored information. Next, this Note discusses several early cases in which courts …

Protecting The Future: A Strategy For Creating Laws Not Constrained By Technological Obsolescence, Jay Campbell

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This note will examine the obsolescence of laws through the lens of recent cases relating to "wiretapping laws" and propose the creation of laws that protect certain rights independent of technology. Recently, a number of courts have held that laws created in the mid-1980's to protect communications do not apply to Internet-related communications, reasoning that the method of transmission falls outside the language of the statutes. As a result, e-mail and other forms of Internet-based communications are treated differently from older forms of communication such as telephone conversations. This note will propose a broad legislative solution with the aim of …

Navigating Into The New "Safe Harbor": Model Interest Surveys As A New Tool For Title Ix Compliance Programs, John J. Almond, Daniel A. Cohen

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The policy debate and the divergent views expressed in the mainstream media have provided little practical advice regarding the Additional Clarification or the Model Survey to the well-intentioned academic institution seeking to comply with Title IX in a cost-effective manner. This Article is intended to be a source of such practical advice. This Article discusses the Additional Clarification from the perspective of the academic institution and seeks to help it evaluate whether to implement the OCR's recommendations, including the Model Survey, as part of its Title IX compliance program. The Article does not engage in the policy debate regarding the …

The Ncaa's Regulations Related To The Use Of Agents In The Sport Of Baseball: Are The Rules Detrimental To The Best Interest Of The Amateur Athlete?, Richard T. Karcher

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

First, this Article will discuss the NCAA regulations applicable to all sports regarding the use of agents by amateur athletes. Next, this Article will discuss (i) the mechanics of the annual Major League Baseball draft, (ii) the factors that contribute to the necessity and desire for amateur baseball players to retain a competent agent or lawyer before they have extinguished their NCAA eligibility, and (iii) how the NCAA regulations are detrimental to both drafted and draft-eligible amateur baseball players. Finally, this Article will discuss how the NCAA should revise its regulations to better serve the amateur athlete in the sport …

Taking One For The Team: Should Colleges Be Liable For Injuries Occurring During Student Participation In Club Sports?, Nick White

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Since the 1970s, colleges have not been liable for their adult students' actions or injuries, but courts have since delineated many exceptions to this rule. This Note will analyze the effect of college involvement in club sports as to whether it creates a duty for a college to protect its club athletes and those they might injure. This Note will also examine whether such a duty might exist in the future if the current trends in the law and college policy continue unchecked. Finally, this Note will address the effectiveness of the current defenses to liability and the effect of …

An Analysis Of The Recording Industry's Litigation Strategy Against Direct Infringers, Kristina Groennings

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

In the fall of 2003, suing direct infringers may have been the only recourse left to the recording industry. The industry faced a long-term trend of a decrease in sales, due largely to file-sharing. The decline in album sales following the inception of Napster, from 1999 through 2002, had been the most dramatic in the past 30 years. CD sales were down from $13.2 billion in 2000 to $11.2 billion in 2003. The industry's victory in Napster was fleeting, as publicity over the issue increased awareness of peer-to-peer (P2P) technology and users flocked to decentralized networks like Grokster and KaZaa, …

Is The System Flawed? Legal Ramifications Of The Bowl Championship Series And Conference Alignment, Josh Helton, Mike Slive Commissioner, Gary Roberts, Andrew Sorenson

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Vice Chancellor Williams:

Let me start -this is really a discussion, or a panel that deals with the BCS and conference alignment. So why don't we just jump right in it, and I think the first question that I would like to ask is --we'll throw it up, really I think I'd like to go to both Mike and Gary on this --why are we seeing all the movement around of the schools from conference to conference? What is this all about?

Gary Roberts:

That's 95% of it. It is schools trying to reposition themselves better in their industry, which …

Arresting Vaulting Pole Technology, Russ Versteeg

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Generally speaking, sports rules perform at least six functions, many of which overlap. Sports rules: 1) define the game; 2) promote safety; 3) prohibit unfair advantage; 4) promote administrative efficiency; 5) foster good sportsmanship; and, 6) promote fairness. Presumably, as sports evolve, rule makers must seriously consider at least two important questions when deciding how to respond to any given technological innovation that affects a sport. They must consider its potential impact on the integrity of the sport (i.e., how it affects both the definition of the game as well as whether it creates an unfair advantage and/or otherwise hinders …