Author: Victoria Carthorn

Federal judge answers Cartoon Network’s legal prayer for relief, strikes down $75-million ‘Black Jesus’ infringement claim by ‘Saint Solomon’

Federal judge answers Cartoon Network’s legal prayer for relief, strikes down $75-million ‘Black Jesus’ infringement claim by ‘Saint Solomon’

Posted by | Dec 14, 2017 | , , , , , |

Praise be, the folks at the Cartoon Network may be saying under their breath. That’s because a federal judge in New York recently dismissed a copyright infringement case against them over their late night show, Black Jesus on Adult Swim. This comedy series wasn’t for Sunday, church-going souls. It offered more timely and acrid satire from Aaron McGruder and Mike Clattenburg, creators of The Boondocks.  For insomniacs and those up to foolishness at hours of the night and morning when working stiffs were eagerly snoring into their pillows, Black Jesus aimed to get into its viewers’ grills and under their skins with...

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Alex Hunter isn’t the real thing. He’s virtual. And Coke has made this star an endorsement pioneer. (Take note Entertainment Law practitioners)

Posted by | Dec 1, 2017 | , , , , , , , |

He’s a popular soccer player, a star in the English Premier League with millions of followers. Alex Hunter also is neither human nor absolutely real. But he has become the first virtual athlete to ink an endorsement deal with a global brand behemoth: Coca-Cola. Hunter, thus, becomes a brand ambassador for a conglomerate that long has been a superstar in the endorsement game a long time. Several generations have grown up watching Coke commercials on broadcasts or at the movies or hearing its ads and jingles on the radio. These spots have been just part of Coke’s multi-channel advertising...

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When ’empires’ clash, the First Amendment rules. And a Fox TV show comes out on top in a trademark name tiff

When ’empires’ clash, the First Amendment rules. And a Fox TV show comes out on top in a trademark name tiff

Posted by | Nov 27, 2017 | , , , |

Empire — say the word aloud and it conjures multiple pop-culture references, many from the movies. Just think Star Wars Episode IV: The Empire Strikes Back, Atlantis the Lost Empire, and Empire Records. Empire also is the name of a Fox prime-time television hit. And its creators also now are part of an empire that has struck back. That’s because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has affirmed a lower court’s finding that the racy TV drama did not infringe on trademarks owned by Empire Distribution Inc. That’s a San Francisco-based record label, which has worked with urban artists like Kendrick...

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‘Oh, really?:’ TV’s ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ creates fictional mayhem with the law, legal education. But it also speaks hard truths about justice

Posted by | Nov 16, 2017 | , , , |

 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. How To Get Away With Murder, the prime-time ratings smash by executive producer Shondra Rhimes, has hit its fourth huge season — all while giving many lawyers plenty of reasons, little and big, to scratch their heads in wonder. Fair warning this post contains spoilers for the current season, so proceed at your own risk! The possible reward? Maybe a little insight...

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New Hollywood theater brings out the dead. Now what legal specters might haunt post-mortem, holographic performances?

Posted by | Nov 6, 2017 | , , , , , , , , , |

Sadly, they’re long gone — but, no wait, they’re back! Some pop musical legends have taken to the stage anew, post-mortem. And this will happen even more frequently than ever. That’s because a controversial, tech-oriented billionaire has sunk part of his fortune into opening what’s described as the planet’s first Hologram Theater  in Hollywood. Can’t quite bring into focus why this might be a hot entertainment, costing $20 to $40 or so per ticket? Think back on the appearance — or shall we say, re-appearance — of Tupac Shakur at Coachella in 2012 or of Michael Jackson at the 2014...

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