Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons^™

Intellectual Property In Experience, Madhavi Sunder

Michigan Law Review

In today’s economy, consumers demand experiences. From Star Wars to Harry Potter, fans do not just want to watch or read about their favorite characters— they want to be them. They don the robes of Gryffindor, flick their wands, and drink the butterbeer. The owners of fantasy properties understand this, expanding their offerings from light sabers to the Galaxy’s Edge®, the new Disney Star Wars immersive theme park opening in 2019.Since Star Wars, Congress and the courts have abetted what is now a $262 billion-a-year industry in merchandising, fashioning “merchandising rights” appurtenant to copyrights and trademarks that give fantasy owners …

College Students And Corporate Social Responsibility: An Examination Of Corporate-Social Responsible Behavior In College Athletics From The Students’ Perspective, R. Jacob Gilbert

Theses and Dissertations

Much research has been done on corporate social responsibility in the business world. Additionally, while there are major gaps in research on the sports side of corporate social responsibility, there has been very little - if any - research done into corporate social responsibility in college athletics. With approximately 130 major Division I football programs with operating budgets rivaling major corporations, in addition to a plethora of other revenue sports, the actions of these institutions also need to be studied. Thus, in an effort to understand the socially responsible actions of these institutions, this paper dives into the student perspective …

A Twenty-First-Century Olympic And Amateur Sports Act, Dionne L. Koller

All Faculty Scholarship

Recent scandals involving national governing bodies for sport and allegations of athlete abuse have captured media attention. The most recent, focusing on the actions of USA Gymnastics, prompted Congress to propose legislation to require better protections for Olympic Movement athletes. Signed into law on February 14, 2018, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 designates the United States Center for SafeSport (SafeSport) as the independent organization charged with exercising jurisdiction over the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and sport national governing bodies to safeguard amateur athletes against all forms of abuse. Congress’s instincts …

Intellectual Property As Seen By Barbie And Mickey: The Reciprocal Relationship Of Copyright And Trademark Law, Jane C. Ginsburg

Faculty Scholarship

Some years ago, caselaw on trademark parodies and similar unauthorized “speech” uses of trademarks could have led one to conclude that the law had no sense of humor. Over time, however, courts in the US and elsewhere began to leaven likelihood of confusion analyses with healthy skepticism regarding consumers’ alleged inability to perceive a joke. These decisions did not always expressly cite the copyright fair use defense, but the considerations underlying the copyright doctrine seemed to inform trademark analysis as well. The spillover effect may indeed have been inevitable, as several of the cases in which the fair use defense …

All Quiet In The Western (European Football) Front: Regulation Of Football In The European Continent, Petros C. Mavroidis

Faculty Scholarship

Regulation of football in Europe is, absent some piecemeal interventions (like sharing of TV rights) largely non-existent. This is the case, because the de facto regulator (UEFA, Union Européenne of Football Associations) has no mandate to comprehensively address on its own competitive balance, the focal point of football, and, in more general terms, sports regulation. Various aspects of competitive balance are part and parcel of antitrust law. European Union (EU) law thus, comes into the frame, since this is the body of law regulating antitrust in the European continent. The European Union, nevertheless, has no mandate to regulate football comprehensively, …

Striking Gold - The Case Of The Shropshire Piano, Geoffrey Bennett

Journal Articles

In the more than twenty years since the [Great Britain] Treasure Act 1996 entered into force, there have been many dramatic discoveries of treasure. The media frequently reports the results of remarkable finds, usually made by metal detectorists in infields and open spaces. A unique, not to say bizarre, example, however, is the discovery of a cache of gold coins found concealed in a piano in Shropshire in 2016. It makes the point that the old law of treasure trove still has a twilight existence in circumstances that are prone to recur.

Video Review; Routine Data Sharing Practices Place Video-Streaming Providers In The Crosshairs Of The Video Privacy Protection Act, Jeremiah P. Ledwidge

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

The Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (VPPA) creates a private cause of action for any consumer whose personally identifiable information has been disclosed by a video tape service provider to a third party. The rapid growth of media companies that provide free internet-based video-streaming services, and the technologically-advanced advertising methods employed to fund this business model, have created uncertainty regarding the specific consumer segments the VPPA is designed to protect. The extensive role that third-party providers play in the collection, analysis, and segmentation of user data in the personalized advertising process raises justifiable privacy concerns for consumers. Recent VPPA …

Copyright Infringement In Sound Recording: How Courts And Legislatures Can Get In Vogue In A Post-Ciccone World, Kristen B. Kennedy

Journal of Law and Policy

Music sampling is a legally complex and ambiguous area, with staggeringly high costs attached for copyright infringers. The legality of sampling frequently depends upon what jurisdiction the inquiry into the sampling takes place in, and has been guided by inconsistently applied doctrines of fair use, de minimis, and copyright infringement. The Ninth Circuit’s decision in VMG Salsoul v. Ciccone has dramatically highlighted these inconsistencies. This note suggests a four-part solution to resolve the tensions in copyrightable sound recordings magnified by the recent circuit split created by VMG Salsoul v. Ciccone. It incorporates elements of de minimis and fair use, a …

Mediated Images Of Violence And The First Amendment: From Video Games To The Evening News, Clay Calvert, Robert D. Richards

Maine Law Review

In July 2004, a federal district court struck down, on First Amendment grounds, a Washington state law that restricted minors' access to video games containing “realistic or photographic-like depictions of aggressive conflict in which the player kills, injures, or otherwise causes physical harm to a human form in the game who is depicted, by dress or other recognizable symbols, as a public law enforcement officer.” The decision was anything but surprising. It followed in the footsteps of recent opinions issued by two federal appellate courts that held unconstitutional similar legislation regulating minors' access to fictional images of violence in video …

Usada V. Montgomery: Paving A New Path To Conviction In Olympic Doping Cases, Paul J. Greene

Maine Law Review

In United States Anti-Doping Agency v. Montgomery, a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Tribunal found Olympic track and field gold medalist and former world record holder Tim Montgomery (Montgomery) guilty of doping. The Tribunal determined, after considering the evidence presented by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), that Montgomery had taken THG, a prohibited performance enhancing drug known in colloquial parlance as "the Clear." As punishment, Montgomery was banned from competition for two years, stripped of his on-track achievements dating back to March 200l, and ordered to repay an estimated $1 million in earnings. Montgomery is an extraordinary case …

Rewriting Hockey's Unwritten Rules: Moore V. Bertuzzi, Patrick K. Thornton

Maine Law Review

The word “enforcer” or “hockey goon” does not appear in the 2007–2008 National Hockey League (NHL) rulebook. However, every player and coach knows the meaning of those words. Hockey has always had its share of enforcers or “goons” that have protected star players. Steve Moore, former Harvard captain, and his parents have sued NHL tough-man Todd Bertuzzi, the Vancouver Canucks, and the partnership that owned the Canucks for an on-ice incident that occurred between Moore and Bertuzzi on March 8, 2004. Dedicated hockey fans have followed the lawsuit, but with the “incident” now over four years old many have forgotten …

Conduct Detrimental: Examining The Nfl’S Collective Bargaining Agreement And The Commissioner’S Role Through A Case Study Of Deflategate, David Shyu

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This Note will closely examine whether the NFL, specifically its Commissioner, has exceeded its authority in its handling of the recent incident involving allegations of the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady’s role in deflating footballs during a crucial playoff game. The Note will look at the existing the NFL current Collective Bargaining Agreement, and trace the source of the Commissioner’s power. Then it will delve into the details of the case—including the Wells Report and investigation, the arbitration process, and the District Court opinion. The Note will analyze the District Court’s opinion in anticipation of the Second Circuit’s …

Battle Of The Band: Exploring The Unconstitutionality Of Section 2(A) Of The Lanham Act And The Fate Of Disparaging, Scandalous, And Immoral Trademarks In A Consumer-Driven Market, Tanya Behnam

Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review

In the 2016-2017 term, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Matal v. Tam, holding that the Lanham Act’s section 2(a) ban on disparaging trademarks—which prevents registration of any trademarks that the PTO deems to be disparaging to any groups or institutions—is unconstitutional. Although meant to only apply to section 2(a)’s ban on disparaging trademarks, the Court’s decision increases the likelihood that section 2(a)’s still-standing ban on scandalous and immoral marks are unconstitutional as well.

This Comment first reviews the basic principles of trademark law and the Lanham Act, summarizes Simon Tam’s legal battles, and briefly presents the conflicting …

Frauds & Flakes: An Insight Into The World Of Doping In American Professional Sports And What Congress Can Do To Fix It, Ruth Buchbinder

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note argues that the use of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) to enforce antidoping policies in professional sports is inherently flawed due to the time-consuming negotiation process and conflicting priorities between leagues and players associations. It highlights the need for independent organizations like the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to address doping issues more effectively. The note also emphasizes the challenges posed by legal rulings, such as Williams v. National Football League, which undermine the enforceability of CBA provisions, and calls for federal intervention to establish uniform standards and criminal penalties for performance-enhancing drug (PED) use.

Piracy On Peer-To-Peer File Sharing Networks: Why A Streamlined Online Dispute Resolution System Should Not Be Forgotten In The Shadow Of A Federal Small Claims Tribunal, Naomi Gemmell

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This Article proposes application of an ADR system for resolving online copyright disputes related to P2P file sharing. Section II provides an overview of P2P file sharing networks and associated copyright infringement. Section III explores current approaches that fall short in resolving P2P copyright disputes, namely the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, litigation, and private agreements. Section IV examines the two primary proposed solutions to online copyright disputes: alternative dispute resolution and federal small claims. Section V recommends that a streamlined online dispute resolution system is necessary (even if a federal small claims tribunal is adopted), and concludes.

Three Chords And The Truth: Analyzing Copyright Infringement Claims Against Guitar Tablature Websites, Krist Caldwell

Oklahoma Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

Skidmore V. Led Zeppelin: Extraordinary Circumstances And The Perpetual Statute Of Limitations In Copyright Infringement, Joseph A. Greene

Maine Law Review

This Note addresses [the perpetual copyright limitations period under Federal Law]—specifically, how it came to be, its current application, and what can be done about it. In Part II, this Note gives the background information of the case-in-chief, Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin, and briefly idenitifies its relevant holdings. Part III provides an outline of substantive copyright law, focusing on the subject matter of works protected under the law, the scope of those protections, and the legal basis of musical work infringement claims. Last, in Part III, this Note looks to Skidmore's application of this substantive law. Part IV explores the …

Please Don’T Make Me Pay Taxes: How New Irs Law Helps Art Collectors Avoid Hefty Taxes, Stephanie Dunn

Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary

No abstract provided.

E-Sports: More Than Just A Fad, Michael Mctee

Oklahoma Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

An American Football Team In London: How Tax Consequences For International Athletes Could Affect The Success Of A Potential Nfl Franchise In London, Brett Smith

The Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review

Although the NFL has not announced any definite plans to place a team in London, it has taken significant steps in that direction. By 2022, it could be a reality. As the laws in the U.S. and U.K. currently stand, NFL athletes playing for a team in London would face more income taxes than if they played for a U.S.-based team. The extra tax liability the players would face in the U.K. could prevent players from signing with the London team. If the London franchise struggles to field talent, it will struggle on the field as well. Without reform in …