Press
Turning the tables: Parody filmmaker sues producers of ‘real’ version
KWIKA partner Jonathan Steinsapir was quoted by the Los Angeles Times in Ryan Faughnder’s article on the lawsuit filed by the parody filmmaker Between the Lines Productions against the producers of Twilight, the first offering in The Twilight Saga film series.
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2nd Circuit rules against Oprah in trademark violation
KWIKA partner Jeremiah Reynolds was quoted by Law360.com in Ryan Davis’s piece on a ruling last Friday by the Second Circuit reversing a district court decision that Oprah Winfrey’s use of the phrase “Own Your Power” was merely fair use.
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Vermont goes after frivolous patent suits
KWIKA partner Jonathan Steinsapir was quoted by Law360.com in Ryan Davis’s article on the state of Vermont’s hardline effort to rein-in patent infringement lawsuits brought in bad faith.
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Supreme Court upholds Monsanto seed patent
against farmer’s challenge
KWIKA partner Jonathan Steinsapir was quoted by Law360.com in its compilation of attorney comments on the U.S. Supreme Court’s May 13, 2013 ruling that an Indiana farmer violated Monsanto Co.’s patent of genetically altered seeds by replanting them.
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What if Boston bombing suspect tries to sell life story?
KWIKA founding/managing partner Larry Iser was quoted in The Hollywood Reporter in Eriq Gardner’s piece that wonders if the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect could profit from a film made about his life.
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YouTube wins in Viacom copyright challenge
KWIKA founding/managing partner Larry Iser was quoted by Billboard in Alex Pham’s article on Viacom’s lawsuit against YouTube for copyright violation stemming from YouTube users’ posting of Viacom content without permission.
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Musicians: We want our songs back!
Copyright Office: Okay, okay!
KWIKA attorney Greg Gabriel was quoted by Variety in Ted Johnson’s article on an obscure provision of the 1976 revision of the Copyright Act that gives authors, including songwriters and other artists, the right to reclaim ownership of their works after 35 years.
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“Used” digital songs not really used, says District Court
KWIKA founding/managing partner Larry Iser was quoted by Billboard.com in Alex Pham’s article on the March 30 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Sullivan, who found that purchasers of digital downloaded music do not have a right to resell their “used” digital songs.
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Supreme Court first-sale copyright ruling could lead to parallel policy for patents
KWIKA partner Jonathan Steinsapir was quoted in Ryan Davis’s piece at Law360.com about the effect that the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision regarding the “first-sale” doctrine in copyright law might have on patent law.
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High court throws wrench into copyright holder worldwide pricing differentials
KWIKA partner Jonathan Steinsapir was quoted by Variety in Ted Johnson’s article on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday that the “first-sale” doctrine applies to foreign-made works. What this means is that a consumer who makes a legal purchase of, say, a DVD in a lower-priced market outside the U.S is not prohibited from reselling it here at higher American prices.
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Apple’s second suit of Samsung to move forward
KWIKA partner Jonathan Steinsapir was quoted in the Daily Journal in Rachel Swan’s column on the continuing battle between technology giants Apple and Samsung. Apple is again suing the South Korean electronics company for patent violations, much like the previous suit in which Apple prevailed. That first case is now on appeal.
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Celebrities’ financial info: Is it illegal to publish?
KWIKA attorney Aaron Liskin was quoted in The Hollywood Reporter in Eriq Gardner’s article about recent hack attacks and subsequent unauthorized publication of the personal financial data of Hollywood stars Jay-Z, Beyonce, Ashton Kutcher, Mel Gibson, Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, plus Vice President Joe Biden and FBI director Robert Mueller.
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A $62,000 misunderstanding?
KWIKA attorney Aaron Liskin was quoted in USA Today in sports reporter Jeffrey Martin’s story about a Florida doctor who purchased the green jacket won by golfer Art Wall in the 1959 Masters golf tournament for $62,000 at auction in 2012.
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Journalistic privilege bolstered in NY’s failed effort to obtain filmmaker’s outtakes
KWIKA partner Jeremiah Reynolds was quoted in “Judge’s ruling a victory for documentarians,” Ted Johnson’s Variety piece on the city of New York’s attempt to obtain the outtakes from filmmaker Ken Burns’ documentary The Central Park Five, a chronicle of the notorious case of the “Central Park Jogger” who was brutally attacked while running in 1989.
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Storm clouds gathering for Yankees, A-Rod
KWIKA attorney Aaron Liskin was quoted in Pete Brush’s article at Law360.com on rumors that the New York Yankees are aggressively looking for a way out of their contract with slugger Alex Rodriguez.
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Cyclist Armstrong likely to face long line of litigants
KWIKA attorney Aaron Liskin was quoted in Dietrich Knauth’s article at Law360.com on Lance Armstrong’s recent doping confession. Armstrong faces potential lawsuits from people and organizations he previously sued for defamation, as well as the U.S. Postal Service, which sponsored him to the tune of $30 million between 2001 and 2004.
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Instagram backtracks on new interpretation of photo ownership
KWIKA partner Jeremiah Reynolds was quoted in Ted Johnson’s article in Variety on photo-sharing service Instagram’s recent announcement that its users would not be compensated for the commercial exploitation of their posted photos.
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Disney ordered to pay $289 million in ‘Millionaire’ dispute
KWIKA partner Chad Fitzgerald was quoted in Ted Johnson’s article in Variety on British production company Celador’s major court victory over the Walt Disney Company, confirmed on appeal, regarding profits from the hit show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
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Universal sues over X-rated version of ‘Fifty Shades’
KWIKA founding/managing partner Larry Iser was quoted in Jean Yung’s Daily Journal article on the lawsuit filed by Universal Studios and author E. L. James against adult film studio Smash Pictures over Smash’s unauthorized adaptation of the wildly popular novel Fifty Shades of Grey.
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Apple softens litigation strategy for smaller competitors
KWIKA partner Jonathan Steinsapir was quoted in the Daily Journal and also on Law360.com’s website regarding Apple Inc.’s patent settlement with Taiwanese electronics manufacturer HTC Corp. read more
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Superman heirs seek to end DC Comics pact
KWIKA partner Jeremiah Reynolds was quoted by Bloomberg News in Edvard Pettersson’s article about the attempt by the heirs of Superman creators Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster to take back the rights to the comic book superhero.
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Big Bird in spotlight over ‘fair use’ in political campaigns
KWIKA founding/managing partner Larry Iser was quoted in Ted Johnson’s article in Variety on the intellectual property issue of “fair use” in the presidential campaign.
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Going to the dogs over pet peeve: Starbucks howls with cease/desist
KWIKA founding/managing partner Larry Iser was quoted by ABC News in a story about Starbucks’ claim that a dog daycare center is infringing the coffee giant’s name and logo.
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Mariah Carey vs. Nicki Minaj: How real is their feud?
KWIKA partner Chad Fitzgerald was quoted by E! Online in Leslie Gornstein’s article about the very public clash between new American Idol judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.
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Copyright claim by actress in anti-Islam film unlikely to succeed, says Greg Korn
KWIKA partner Greg Korn was quoted in Ryan Davis’s article at Law360.com (“Actress in Anti-Muslim Film May Have Flimsy Copyright Case”) on the copyright lawsuit brought by Cindy Lee Garcia, an actress in the film “Innocence of Muslims,” which has gained so much negative attention lately.
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First Amendment trumps ‘Hail Mary’ on YouTube anti-Muslim clip
KWIKA partner Jeremiah Reynolds was quoted in Greg Risling’s Associated Press article on a Los Angeles Superior Court judge’s rejection of a lawsuit by an actress who appeared in the YouTube video “Innocence of Muslims” and was suing to have the video taken down.
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Celebrities gaining ground in image protection from beyond grave
KWIKA partner Jeremiah Reynolds was quoted in the Daily Journal in Jean Yung’s article “Postmortem publicity fights rise” on the right of publicity for deceased celebrities. The problem is that laws vary from state to state, which often leads to great confusion in the sometimes-complex analysis required for estate settlement. read more
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Candidates continue to struggle with campaign music clearances
KWIKA founding/managing partner Larry Iser was again quoted in the media, this time The Hollywood Reporter, about one of his specialties: protecting the copyrights of songwriters from unauthorized use by political candidates.
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Apple’s patent win: Jon Steinsapir’s view
KWIKA partner Jon Steinsapir was quoted in Hadley Robinson’s August 28th Daily Journal article on Apple’s recent patent lawsuit victory over Samsung.
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Apple’s win vs. Samsung likely to chill borrowing of key features, says David Swift
KWIKA attorney David Swift was quoted in Connie Guglielmo’s article at Forbes.com on the patent dispute between Apple and Samsung. The article was published the day before the unanimous verdict for Apple, and David observed that an Apple win would mean “companies will have to be much more careful about where they find inspiration for their new products. If Samsung wins, we will see a lot more of companies borrowing key features from each other—likely leading to a much more homogenous market for phones and tablets.”
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Republicans should tread lightly in music use at convention
KWIKA founding/managing partner Larry Iser was quoted extensively in Dorothy Pomerantz’s article at Forbes.com warning the GOP to get permission from artists before using their songs at the Republican convention. Larry knows this better than most anyone, having successfully represented more than one songwriter in disputes with major political candidates.
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Holograms open new frontier for Tupac, Elvis, Monroe, others
KWIKA partner Jeremiah Reynolds was quoted in Anthony McCartney’s article in The Huffington Post on the advances in digital technology that are enabling filmmakers to use holograms to present departed entertainers once again.
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KWIKA wins for ‘Bold & Beautiful’ producers against soap’s lead stylist
Dale Kinsella, Jeremiah Reynolds and Aaron Liskin have prevailed on summary judgment on behalf of Bell-Phillip Television Productions and the senior supervisors of the popular soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful against the show’s lead hair stylist, who had sued for defamation.
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Howard Weitzman and Larry Iser take on Hollywood blogger Nikki Finke on behalf of ICM Partners
Howard Weitzman and Larry Iser are representing talent agency ICM Partners in matters relating to Nikki Finke of the Deadline Hollywood blog.
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MGM sues LaMotta over unsanctioned ‘Raging Bull’ sequel; Jeremiah Reynolds says original contract appears to favor LaMotta
When asked by Daily Variety‘s Ted Johnson to comment on MGM’s lawsuit against Jake LaMotta over the right to produce a sequel to the studio’s classic “Raging Bull,” KWIKA partner Jeremiah Reynolds said the 1976 contract governing the original production seems to indicate that LaMotta was not willing to give up control of future derivative works.
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Chad Fitzgerald sees ‘new frontier’ in TV revenue-sharing
KWIKA partner Chad Fitzgerald is quoted in The Hollywood Reporter in Eriq Gardner’s article highlighting the issue of compensation to television show creators when their episodes are seen on streaming services like Hulu, Amazon and Netflix.
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Iser: Expect a lawsuit over Dish Network’s commercial-skipping feature
KWIKA Partner Larry Iser is quoted in The Hollywood Reporter by columnist Eriq Gardner in his article on Dish Network’s new “Auto Hop,” which allows subscribers to view programming without the ads. “Commercials are the lifeblood of the broadcast networks,” says Larry, and “would undermine [their] economic underpinnings.”
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Daily Journal: Unique ‘Hawaii Five-O’ contract may bring big payday for former Hollywood agent
KWIKA Partner Jeremiah Reynolds is quoted in Daily Journal columnist Erica E. Phillips’ article on the legal minefield Hollywood TV producers face when remaking old shows and movies.
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Copyright Terminations: Larry Iser weighs in on potential landmark ‘Village People’ case
Bloomberg reporters Edvard Pettersson and Ellen Rosen recently asked Larry and others about what may become precedent-setting litigation pitting the former lead singer of the Village People, Victor Willis, against the 1970s disco group’s music publisher.
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The Hollywood Reporter:
Judge Orders ‘Hurt Locker’ Plaintiff to Pay Attorney Fees
Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver, whose unsuccessful lawsuit against KWIKA clients Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow claimed their film The Hurt Locker was based on Sarver’s personal military experiences, has been ordered to pay the attorney fees of all parties involved. Dale Kinsella and Jeremiah Reynolds represented screenwriter Boal and director Bigelow in the suit, which was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Nguyen two months ago. read more
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Huffington Post:
Jeremiah Reynolds Prevails for ‘Hurt Locker’ Writer, Director
KWIKA partner Jeremiah Reynolds secured dismissal of a lawsuit brought against screenwriter Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow by an Iraq war veteran who had claimed their Oscar-winning film The Hurt Locker was based on his personal war experiences. read more
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USA Today:
Larry Iser Tuning Up for Likely Copyright Violations in 2012 Presidential Campaign
Larry Iser is featured in Catalina Camia’s USA Today piece pointing up the importance of getting permission before using copyrighted music in a political campaign. read more
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Daily Variety:
Sheen, WB to Fight Over Lawsuit Venue
Howard Weitzman, who represents TV’s Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre, was quoted in Daily Variety in a recent article by Jon Weisman on Charlie Sheen’s lawsuit against Lorre and Warner Bros. read more
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Houston Chronicle:
Writer not changing his toon; Katy (Texas) man has bone to pick with Disney about his dog script
Chad Fitzgerald was quoted in the Houston Chronicle in an article about a writer who claims the Walt Disney Company stole his script idea for the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua. read more
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New York Times:
The Web Site Celebrities Fear
Shawn Holley is quoted in the New York Times in article titled “The Web Site Celebrities Fear.” read more
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Inside Counsel Magazine:
Viacom’s Lawsuit Against YouTube
Larry Iser was quoted extensively on the ramifications of Viacom’s lawsuit against YouTube in the June, 2007 issue of Inside Counsel Magazine. read more
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Information Week:
Viacom Demands YouTube Pull 100,000 Videos
Larry Iser is quoted in the Article “Viacom Demands YouTube Pull 100,000 Videos” read more
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Information Week:
MySpace Announcement
Greg Gabriel discussed the announcement by MySpace of new tools to identify copyright infringement in the November 19, 2006 edition of Information Week. read more
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Los Angeles Times:
Universal Music Group Files Suit Against Grouper Networks Inc. and Bolt Inc.
Greg Korn was quoted in the October 18, 2006 Los Angeles Times commenting on the lawsuit filed by Universal Music Group against Grouper Networks Inc. and Bolt Inc. read more
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