Entertainment Law

Sara McDermott Jain | Screenwriter & Author

American Airlines Takes Delta To Court Over Trademark Issue - Simple Flying American Airlines has entered into a legal battle with Delta Air Lines. The carrier has sued its competitor…

The US Copyright Office is proposing raising fees again in 2020, most notably for the basic single author application from $35 to $45. Read more in depth here: https://www.copyright.gov/rulemaking/feestudy2019/

The Music Business Wants to Blow Up Copyright—and the Trump Administration Is On Board Changing the rules would let composers borrow freely to create new hits.

Music Publishers Allege Peloton Used More Songs Without Permission A group of music publishers alleges Peloton’s workout video-streaming service used more than twice as many songs without permission as they had previously claimed, and they are seeking more than $300 million in damages.

Independent contractors vs employees

California Senate Passes Gig Economy Bill That Could 'Gut the Music Industry' The California Senate has passed a bill that would give new wage and benefit protections to workers at so-called gig economy companies like Uber and Lyft. It also raised eyebrows within the music industry, which warned it would bring adverse consequences on musicians in the state.

Virtual Card Catalog | U.S. Copyright Office Virtual Card Catalog

Great news from the US Copyright Office!

U.S. Copyright Office Issues Final Rule Establishing Group Registration for Unpublished Works

As part of its efforts to modernize and improve the registration process, the U.S. Copyright Office has adopted a final rule, effective March 15, 2019, that establishes a group registration option for unpublished works. This new rule will allow copyright owners to register up to ten unpublished works for a single filing fee, provided each work has the same author and claimant and is the same administrative class. The rule replaces the option to register unpublished collections. The rule will facilitate efficient examination of unpublished works for copyrightable authorship, create a more robust record of claims, and improve the overall efficiency of the registration process.
Important note for photographers: Today’s rule does not replace the procedure for registering unpublished photographs. Photographers may continue to register up to 750 photos with one application and one filing fee using the group registration option for photographs. For more information, see Circular 42.

Group Registration for Unpublished Works | U.S. Copyright Office Group Registration for Unpublished Works