Author: Natalie Reynoso

‘Oh, really?:’ Legal ethics get flipped aside by smarmy lawer in comedic ‘Bob’s Burgers’

Posted by | May 12, 2018 | , , , |

In our ‘Oh, Really?’  feature, the Biederman Blog’s editors — voracious consumers of all matters pop culture — cast a curious, skeptical, fanciful, fun, and smart end-of-the-week eye on popular productions, sharing their keen observations about legal matters these raise. Bob’s Burgers, Fox’s facetious American sitcom created by Loren Bouchard,  continues to be one of TV’s funniest animated shows, even now in its eighth season. The show revolves around the Blecher family — parents Bob and Linda, and their three children: Tina, Gene, and Louise. The clan owns and manages a burger joint on Ocean Avenue. Despite enjoying a...

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Seeking the skinny on copyrights for NBA stars’ phat tattoos, federal judge keeps alive suit that pits ink artist against video game maker

Seeking the skinny on copyrights for NBA stars’ phat tattoos, federal judge keeps alive suit that pits ink artist against video game maker

Posted by | Apr 17, 2018 | , , , , , |

While legions of fans will focus with zeal and dread to see if LeBron James can lead the Cleveland Cavaliers through the NBA playoffs and back to a championship, agents, lawyers, and others representing the basketball superstar   — as well as those who play similar roles for a host of celebrities and athletes — may be fixating, instead, on his super-sized guns, and most specifically the ink on them. That’s because a federal judge in Manhattan has kept alive a lawsuit advancing the idea that tattoos, like the many that King James boasts, can be copyright protected. Modern tech-based...

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Give it up, divided appellate judges tell Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams about hopes to overturn controversial ‘Blurred Lines’ infringement case

Posted by | Apr 3, 2018 | , , , |

There are far fewer blurred lines now for Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth District told the talented duo they’ve got to give it up and concede that they infringed on copyrights held by heirs to the soul legend Marvin Gaye. After more than 4.5 years of litigation, the divided appellate panel upheld the lower court ruling that Thicke and Williams were in the wrong with their 2013 international chart-topper Blurred Lines and how it dealt with material from Gaye’s song Got to Give It Up. In 2015, jurors found that...

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Even as stars rip Hollywood on its brightest night for its sexism and racism, IMDb site, a judge rules, can post thespian ages, a practice that women say harms careers

Even as stars rip Hollywood on its brightest night for its sexism and racism, IMDb site, a judge rules, can post thespian ages, a practice that women say harms careers

Posted by | Mar 7, 2018 | , , , |

Although Hollywood gave full-throated cry at the Academy Awards over the weekend to its aspiration to be much more inclusive, less sexist and racist, some legal matters and hard numbers may belie any premature celebrations of progress in the industry for women and people of color. Let’s start with a tough data point for a business that lives and dies by what its fans do: The 90th Oscars were the least-watched in at least a decade, with viewership of the prime-time Sunday broadcast dipping 20 percent to 26.5 million viewers. Combine that stat — yes, it was affected by streaming and...

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Calif. appeals court sees ‘Simpsons’ mob lampoon as protected satire, sends out character actor’s beef with cartoon show for a shine boxing

Posted by | Feb 28, 2018 | , , , |

The notorious criminal Henry Hill, as played by actor Ray Liotta, once summarized a key wiseguy ethos, observing in a scene in the film Goodfellas: “If anyone complained twice, they got hit so bad, believe me, they never complained again.” So will Frank Sivero, the actor known for his portrayals of organized crime family members like Genco Abbandando  (Godfather II) and Frankie Carbone (Goodfellas), take a cue and leave off his beef over the legendary Fox Television cartoon show The Simpsons — this after just receiving a second hard legal anti-SLAPP from a California appellate court? Sivero had sued Fox in 2014, asserting The...

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The Biederman Blog is now ranked NUMBER ONE on Feedspot's Top 20 Entertainment Law blogs (May 2018). It is very exciting to top this list. We are extra proud of number six - Entertainment Law Offices of Gordon P. Firemark. Mr. Firemark graduated from Southwestern in 1992, and is a top entertainment blogger and webinar presenter in addition to being a world class entertainment attorney!

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