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SAG responded sharply to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by opponents seeking to derail the SAG/AFTRA merger referendum, blasting the suit as “completely without merit (and a) preposterous . . . attempt at circumventing the will of the membership.” Anti-Merger Lawsuit Filed Against SAG and Officers•Labor The statement called the litigation “a public relations stunt that [...]
Continue Reading SAG Slams Anti-Merger Lawsuit
Over the last few months, the music industry has been rocked by multiple lawsuits alleging that artists such as Kenny Rogers, Sister Sledge, Rob Zombie and others have been cheated out of substantial money from the improper calculation of revenues from digital music. The plaintiffs in these cases assert that the music giants have been [...]
Continue Reading Leaked Audit in Eminem Royalty Suit Highlights Huge Stakes for Record Industry
Next month, Disney will release the big-budget sci-fi epic John Carter, based on the early 20th century action adventure stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The film tells the story of a former Confederate captain who is transported to Mars and captured by 12-foot tall barbarians before escaping to find a princess in need of a [...]
Continue Reading ‘John Carter’ Author’s Estate Sues Over ‘Pornographic’ Comic Book Knockoffs
The last few years of Michael Jackson‘s life are the subject of dueling lawsuits filed Friday on the part of both the Michael Jackson estate and the late singer’s former manager, Tohme Tohme, against each other. Both sides present different pictures about how the “King of Pop” attempted to get his career back on track. [...]
Continue Reading Why Michael Jackson’s Former Manager Is Fighting With the Estate
Paramount Pictures is demanding that the estate of author Mario Puzo not license any more literary sequels to The Godfather. The studio has filed a lawsuit against Anthony Ruzzo, the son and executor of his late father’s estate, and is seeking an injunction precluding any further alleged copyright and trademark infringement. Madonna Mocks Hydrangeas to ‘Godfather’ [...]
Continue Reading Paramount Sues to Stop New ‘Godfather’ Book From Mario Puzo Estate
Federal prosecutors have sharpened their charges against Megaupload’s leaders with a new superseding indictment that aims to show how Kim Dotcom and others allegedly aided and abetted massive copyright infringement. Megaupload Founder Kim Dotcom Denied BailMegaupload Co-Founder Kim Dotcom Remanded in Custody After Dramatic New Zealand ArrestMegaupload: 4 Questions Answered About the File-Sharing WebsiteMegaupload Drops [...]
Continue Reading Prosecutors Add New Charges to Megaupload Indictment
A federal judge in Illinois has rejected a $1 billion (yes, $1 billion) class action lawsuit alleging the Travel Channel violated the publicity rights of individuals shown at a popular Chicago hot dog restaurant. The plaintiffs claimed that the the show, Extreme Fast Food, never obtained consent to show the Wiener’s Circle customers on the [...]
Continue Reading Travel Channel Wins Lawsuit Over Filming at Racy Hot Dog Stand
This story first appeared in the Feb. 24 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Charlie Sheen’s ‘Anger Management’ Casts Shawnee Smith and Selma BlairCharlie Sheen’s New Comedy: ‘An Absolute F—in’ Rocket Ship to the Moon’Chuck Lorre Reveals Talks with Ashton Kutcher for Another Year of ‘Men’ and Whether He’ll Watch Charlie Sheen’s ‘Anger Management’ (QA)CBS’ [...]
Continue Reading Warner Bros. Lawyers Send Cease-and-Desist Letter to Charlie Sheen (Exclusive)
It’s now EMI’s time to fret about the percentage of royalties that need to be handed over to music artists on digital downloads. On Monday, Capitol Records, a subsidiary of EMI, was sued by Kenny Rogers, who claims he’s entitled to 50 percent of net royalites from digital sales and ringtones. Academy of Country Music [...]
Continue Reading Kenny Rogers Gambles on Digital Music Royalties Lawsuit
A federal judge has dismissed Warner Bros. as a defendant in a long-running case that alleges that the script for the 2003 Tom Cruise film The Last Samurai was stolen from writers Aaron and Matthew Benay. In his ruling, Judge Philip Gutierrez has determined that the plaintiffs have not established sufficient “privity” to show that the studio shared knowledge of the writers’ screenplay. Warner [...]
Continue Reading Warner Bros. Wins ‘Last Samurai’ Lawsuit (Exclusive)
