Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons^™

“Meet Me Halfway”: Arm Wrestling And The Law, Thomas M. Byron

Pace Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment Law Forum

Most law review articles are very serious, and with good reason. They discuss important, world-changing matters like the role and magnitude of executive power, the limits of Constitutional rights, the boundaries of international law, and the vagaries of civil procedure. This Article has no such world-changing or reverent pretentions; it instead takes a light-hearted view of a fairly marginal legal topic: arm wrestling. To provide a spine for the discussion, the Article leans heavily on the 1980s movie Over the Top – a movie about arm wrestling, trucking, and child custody - to provide examples of arm wrestling content with …

Don’T Get Slammed Into Nefer Nefer Land: Complaints In The Civil Forfeiture Of Cultural Property, Victoria A. Russell

Pace Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment Law Forum

The Saint Louis Art Museum, known as SLAM, acquired the mask of Ka-Nefer-Nefer in 1998. Eight years later, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities called for its return on the grounds that it had been stolen from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. SLAM refused. In 2011, the case went before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to determine the ownership of the mask. Perhaps to the surprise of many, the court decided that the mask belongs in Saint Louis.

This Article will explain how this case was properly decided, albeit on a legal technicality. It …

Shutting Down The Pharmacy On Wheels: Will Lance Armstrong’S Admission Impact The Practice Of Doping In Professional Cycling?, Kristina Fretwell

Pace Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment Law Forum

Lance Armstrong was one of the sport’s greatest heroes and his doping admission shook the American public to its core. Although professional cyclists are sanctioned for violating anti-doping rules on an almost regular basis, the investigation and lifetime ban of Lance Armstrong highlighted the serious problems facing the sport. Increased efforts to police drug use in cycling appear to be ineffective; however, as Armstrong’s situation may reveal, private law-suits have the potential to serve as a new and additional deterrent to cheating in the future.

The aftermath of Armstrong’s admission has led to bickering of the major regulatory agencies, leading …

I’M The One Making The Money, Now Where’S My Cut? Revisiting The Student-Athlete As An “Employee” Under The National Labor Relations Act, John J. Leppler

Pace Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment Law Forum

This Article argues why the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Big-Time Division I College Football and Men’s Basketball student-athletes are legally “employees” and why these student-athletes are inadequately compensated for their revenue-producing skills.

Part II of this Article sets forth the common law “right of control” test and the National Labor Relation Act’s (NLRA) special statutory test for students in a university setting, and shows how the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the judiciary determine whether a particular person, specifically a university student, meets these standards and is legally an “employee”. Moreover, the NCAA asserts it does not have …

New York’S Taxable Lap Dancing …At A Strip Club Near You!, Harvey Gilmore

Pace Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment Law Forum

In today’s difficult economic times, state governments are more hard pressed than ever to come up with new sources of revenue to at least stay revenue neutral. Leave it to the perpetually money-hungry State of New York to come up with this gem of an idea for generating tax revenues: In 2005, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance attempted to impose sales tax on a nightclub’s offering of exotic dancing to its customers. This resulted in one nightclub instigating a legal challenge to the state’s attempt to impose sales taxes on exotic dancing. This resulted in the …

Pace Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment Law Forum, Volume 4, Issue 1, Winter 2014

Pace Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment Law Forum

Thank you for downloading the first digital edition of the Pace Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment Law Forum. As you scroll through the pages of this issue, you may notice the Forum has a new look. Recognizing the significant advancements in technology that have revolutionized the legal field in the past few years, the Volume 4 Editorial Board sought to update and adapt the Forum to be accessible digitally, formatting the issue for tablets and e-readers. As you read, take advantage of clickable Tables of Contents and links to online sources throughout the issue.

Title Ix And The Dear Colleague Letter: An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure, Nick Rammell

Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Modding: Amateur Authorship And How The Video Game Industry Is Actually Getting It Right, Ryan Wallace

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Conception To Distribution: Vertical Integration In The Television Production And Isp Industry , Megan Sieffert

The Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & the Law

The intersecting regulations of agencies, stemming from the duties of the FCC, the FTC, and the DOJ to protect competition and television consumers, have been innovative in permitting two goals. First, allowing companies to pursue these integrations and, second, placing conditions on integrations to prevent potential harms that could come from developing media giants. As the market continues to consolidate, with companies having more access to the ability to distribute through alternative middlemen, and as they have the opportunity to gain popularity through social media networks and word of mouth, the healthy competition seen in the former entertainment industry is …

Rereading A Canonical Copyright Case: The Nonexistent Right To Hoard In Fox Film Corp. V. Doyal, Shane D. Valenzi

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Do copyright owners have the right to hoard their creative works? The right to exclude on an individual basis is the keystone of copyright law, yet using copyright protection to prevent all public access to a work runs counter to the very premises upon which copyright law is based. This right to exclude the world from use of a creative work-referred to as the right to "hoard" by Justice O'Connor in Stewart v. Abend, is commonly traced to a Lochner-era tax case: Fox Film Corp. v. Doyal. This article examines the right to hoard and its origins in Fox Film, …

Function Over Form: Bringing The Fixation Requirement Into The Modern Era, Megan M. Carpenter, Steven Hetcher

Law Faculty Scholarship

This Article examines the ways that contemporary creativity challenges copyright’s fixation requirement. In this Article, we identify concrete problems with the fixation requirement, both practically and in light of the fundamental purpose and policy behind copyright law, and argue for a change that would amend the fixation requirement to better function in the modern era.

Specifically, we conclude that a fair appraisal of the justifications for the fixation requirement provides little, if any, rationale for fixation except to the extent that fixation helps to separate idea from expression in determining the “metes and bounds” of creative expression. Recent case law …

Says Who?: The Futility Of Authenticating Art In The Courtroom, Valerie Medelyan

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In a 1993 case involving the authenticity of a mobile by sculptor Alexander Calder, Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer bitterly conceded that if a prominent art expert testified that a work was a forgery, it would become so in the eyes of the market and its value would be destroyed. However, the judge went on to say, "this is not the market, but a court of law, in which the trier of fact must make a decision based upon a preponderance of the evidence." While acknowledging that the opinion of the more respected expert (that the Calder mobile was a fake) …

Buckle Your Chinstrap: Why Youth, High School, And College Football Should Adopt The Nfl’S Concussion Management Policies And Procedures, Josh Hunsucker

McGeorge Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Sound Recording Performance Rights At A Crossroads: Will Market Rates Prevail?, Jeffrey A. Eisenach

CommLaw Conspectus: Journal of Communications Law and Technology Policy (1993-2015)

Starting in the 1990s, Federal policy has moved in the direction of a market-oriented approach towards sound recording rights, beginning with Congress’ decision to create a sound recording performance copyright in 1995. In 1998, Congress provided that most statutory royalty rates, including the rates paid by webcasters like Pandora Radio, would be set using a market-based “willing buyer, willing seller” (“WBWS”) standard. Since then, the WBWS standard has been applied in several rate setting proceedings, but complaints from webcasters that the rates were “too high” have led to Congressional intervention and, ultimately, to adoption of rates below market levels. Now, …

League Ownership Of Teams, Conflicts Of Interest, And Personnel Exchanges, Lewis Kurlantzick, B.J. Pivonka

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Copyright Cowboys: Bringing Online Television To The Digital Frontier, Daniela Cassorla

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Chapter 438: Giving California A Competitive Edge As A Breeders’ Cup Venue, Jacquelyn Loyd

McGeorge Law Review

No abstract provided.

Chapter 653: Tackling Players’ End-Around The Laws Of Their Home States: Restricting Professional Athlete Access To California’S Workers’ Compensation System, Robert Binning

McGeorge Law Review

No abstract provided.

Food Art: Protecting "Food Presentation" Under U.S. Intellectual Property Law, 14 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 1 (2014), Cathay Smith

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

In 2006, a scandal broke in the culinary world. It was alleged that Robin Wickens, chef at (now closed) Interlude restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, had copied dishes by renowned American chefs Wylie Dufresne, Jose Andres, and Grant Achatz. It is not uncommon for chefs to borrow recipes from other chefs, and there has been a long culture of sharing in the cuisine industry. However, what made Wickens’ actions scandalous was that he had purportedly copied the artistic presentation and plating of other chefs’ dishes, not just their recipes.

This Article examines whether chefs can protect the artistic presentation or plating …

Do You Believe He Can Fly? Royce White And Reasonable Accommodations Under The Americans With Disabilities Act For Nba Players With Anxiety Disorder And Fear Of Flying, Michael Mccann

Law Faculty Scholarship

This Article examines the legal ramifications of Royce White, a basketball player with general anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, playing in the NBA. White's conditions cause him to have a fear of flying, thus making it difficult to play in the NBA. This subject is without precedent in sports law and, because of the unique aspects of an NBA playing career, lacks clear analogy to other employment circumstances. This dispute also illuminates broader legal and policy issues in the relationship between employment and mental illness.

This Article argues that White would likely fail in a lawsuit against an NBA …

Pinterest's Secondary Liability: The Dmca Implications Of Holding Pinterest Responsible And What Pinterest Can Do To Avoid Liability, Monica Yun

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This note explores Pinterest's possible liabilities for copyright infringement and what it can possibly do to shield itself from prosecution. Part II will address the basics of Pinterest and how it relates to other social media and online service providers. Part III will delve into the legal background of the Copyright Act of 1976, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, secondary liability, the fair use defense, and legislation that has already been proposed to address this issue. Part IV will analyze Pinterest's indirect liability and how it may use the fair use defense. And finally, Part V will propose …

Rediscovering Cumulative Creativity From The Oral Formulaic Tradition To Digital Remix: Can I Get A Witness?, 13 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 341 (2014), Giancarlo F. Frosio

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

For most of human history, the essential nature of creativity was understood to be cumulative and collective. This notion has been largely forgotten by modern policies that regulate creativity and speech. As hard as it may be to believe, the most valuable components of our immortal culture were created under a fully open regime with regard to access to pre-existing expressions and re-use. From the Platonic mimesis to Shakespeare’s “borrowed feathers,” the largest part of our culture has been produced under a paradigm in which imitation—even plagiarism—and social authorship formed constitutive elements of the creative moment. Pre-modern creativity spread from …

An Evolving Ncaa Leading To An Expanding Client List, 13 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 463 (2014), Frank Battaglia

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

On the heels of the popular March Madness National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) Basketball tournament, and following Northwestern University student-athletes’ success in unionizing, the extent of student-athlete publicity rights is now more contentious than ever. The divide between an ever-profiting NCAA and exploited NCAA student-athletes has sparked an evolving class-action lawsuit by former student-athletes, who challenge the licensing of their images and likenesses. This lawsuit has become a landmark test of the NCAA’s governance and notions about amateurism in college athletics. The outcome of this case will be a possible sign that compensation for both current and former student-athletes may …

The Consistently Inconsistent "Instance And Expense" Test: An Injustice To Comic Books, 14 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 91 (2014), Thomas Deahl Ii

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Joe Simon once said that “we always felt, we wuz robbed.” He is not alone. This article will discuss Jack Kirby’s estate’s case against Marvel and how the current state of the law robs creators of the rights to their own works. The evaluation of case law will show that the application of the ‘instance and expense’ test creates an injustice of inconsistent results in litigation, where creators attempt to regain control of their works. If the court continues to inconsistently apply the law to these work-for-hire cases, then the Supreme Court or Congress needs to address the intended purpose …

Political Broadcasting Fairness In The Twenty-First Century: Putting Candidates And The Public On Equal First Amendment Footing, Mark R. Arbuckle

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

There is a fundamental inconsistency in the current political fairness and access rules for U.S. broadcasting. While political candidates enjoy a long-standing right of access to broadcast stations to express their views and attack and answer attacks from opponents, stations have no obligation to be fair to noncandidate citizens who may be personally attacked, nor to make any good-faith effort to present opposing views on controversial public issues. However, this has not always been the case. Under the Fairness Doctrine, in place from 1949 to 1987, broadcasters were expected to present controversial issues of public importance and provide reasonable opportunity …

Lost In Translation: The Obstacles Of Streaming Digital Media And The Future Of Transnational Licensing, Jasmine A. Braxton

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This note examines the possibility of a unified transnational licensing system for digital streaming services. The note reviews the development of current streaming services and their individual struggles with domestic copyright law as a barrier to entry to new markets. The note draws a connection between the rise of streaming services and the reduction in piracy in certain regional markets. Finally, the note analyzes previous approaches to multinational licensing and uses these current streaming services in case studies to exemplify how successful a global licensing syndicate would be.

A Possibility Of The Korean Wave Renaissance Construction Through K-Pop: Sustainable Development Of The Korean Wave As A Cultural Industry, Yeojin Kim

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

In the era of the "digital road," Korean popular music ("K-Pop") has disseminated into every part of the world. In fact, South America, the farthest continent from Korea, goes wild for K-Pop, and the craze moves on to other continents naturally. Without Koreans having to recommend K-Pop, if listeners of K-Pop around the world believe that K-Pop has some charm, they absorb the trend and pass the music on to others. It has now come to the point where government agencies, the press, and entertainment management companies do not need to promote K-Pop because foreigners are consuming K-Pop feverishly on …

Copyright And Choreography: The Negative Costs Of The Current Framework For Licensing Choreography And A Proposal For An Alternative Licensing Model, Matt Kovac

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Although approaches rooted in copyright law are available, choreographers tend to rely instead on contract law in order to control distribution of their work; choreographers license their ballets to dance companies via contracts which are typically negotiated on an ad hoc basis. This relatively conservative approach allows choreographers to maintain tight artistic control over subsequent reproductions of their ballets, but it comes at a cost to both the dance community and the general public. This conservative approach to distribution means that a choreographic work may be performed infrequently or not at all, and it also forecloses the possibility for transformative …

Blurred Lines - Where Copyright Ends And Cultural Appropriation Begins - The Case Of Robin Thicke Versus Bridgeport Music And The Estate Of Marvin Gaye, Toni Lester

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

Were Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams perpetuating perceptions of misappropriation when they filed their declaratory judgment claim against the estate of Marvin Gaye? Or were they legitimately contributing to the evolving genre of R&B and soul music originated by black greats like Gaye and others? This article will answer these questions by first exploring the extent to which the song "Blurred Lines" constitutes illegal copyright infringement of "Gotta Give It Up" under the U.S. Copyright Act and traditional judicial interpretations thereof. It will then make some predictions about the outcome of the declaratory judgment claim currently under consideration in California.

The Fcc And Ancillary Power: What Can It Truly Regulate, Matthew Eller

UC Law SF Communications and Entertainment Journal

This article will examine the turbulent history of section 629 of the Telecommunications Act, including its adoption and amendments, its claims as to "plug & play" devices, and the effects of the recent EchoStar Satellite LLC v. FFC holding. This article will begin with a brief history of section 629 and its proposed purpose, then discuss the industry's first attempt at industry-wide standards-first with CableCARD technology, then its successor, AllVid technology. This article will then analyze the purpose and history of the FCC's ancillary jurisdiction, the holding in the newly decided EchoStar Satellite LLC v. FCC, and the possible future …