| Area | Case Description | Add to Cart |
|
Who's Doing What
|
Director Sydney Pollack dies after battling cancer; Tropicana Entertainment files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; Mark Greenberg heads new premium cable programming venture; R&B singer Bo Diddley dies from heart failure.
|
|
|
In Brief
|
Boy-band mogul Lou Pearlman pleads guilty to swindling investors out of more than $300 million; Motion Picture Association of America wins copyright ruling against ShowStash and Cinematube; Paris court fines actress Brigitte Bardot for discriminatory comments; Hulk Hogan’s speed-racing son ends stint in solitary confinement.
|
|
|
Other
|
Yoko Ono Lennon v. Premise Media Corp. Judge allows filmmakers’ use of John Lennon’s song “Imagine” in the pro-intelligent design film “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.”
|
|
|
Other
|
Jerry Greenberg v. National Geographic Society. National Geographic wins copyright ruling over republication of four copyrighted photos in “The Complete National Geographic” 30-disc CD-ROM set.
|
|
|
Other
|
Bernard Parrish v. National Football League Players Association. Court certifies class of retired NFL players seeking licensing fees from the football league’s labor union.
|
|
|
Film/Television
|
Jack Bunick v. UPN. Writer loses claim that UPN based the television drama “South Beach” on his screenplay, “South Beach: Miami.”
|
|
|
Film
|
Filia Kourtis v. James Cameron. Judge awards attorney fees to “Terminator 2” producer Carolco Pictures for costs of defending an Australian couple’s copyright infringement case against writer-director James Cameron.
|
|
|
Film/Television
|
Carsey-Werner Distribution v. Telewizja Polsat S.A. Judge orders Polish broadcasters to pay Carsey-Werner almost $575,000 for failure to pay licensing fees on television programming, including “That ‘70’s Show.”
|
|
|
Other
|
Kim Baryluk v. Warner Bros. Entertainment. Canadian band loses bid to stop Warner Bros. from showing a fictional band in the movie “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” that’s allegedly based on real-life band The Wyrd Sisters.
|
|
|
Other
|
Verne Troyer v. TMZ Productions. “Mini Me” actor Verne Troyer sues celebrity blog and DVD distributor to stop the copy, promotion and sale of his sex tape.
|
|
|
Film/Publishing
|
George Arthur Kent v. Universal Studios. Journalist claims producers of “Charlie Wilson’s War” violated copyright and tarnished his reputation by using his news clip without permission in the “inaccurate film.”
|
|
|
Film
|
Philip Buchbinder v. Paramount Pictures Corp. Two Los Angeles screenwriters say the movie “Tropic Thunder” is based on their screenplay, but producers never gave them credit or compensation.
|
|
|
Other
|
Ashley Dupré v. Joseph Francis. Infamous call girl of former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer voluntarily drops her $10 million lawsuit accusing “Girls Gone Wild” producers of exploiting footage of her in order to cash in on her newfound notoriety.
|
|
|
Celebrity
|
Brenda Song v. Vibe Media. Disney star claims an adult escort advertising company used her photograph to promote an escort service in the LA Weekly without her permission.
|
|
|
Film/Television
|
David Goodman v. Twentieth Century Fox Television. “Family Guy” writers claim Fox stiffed them on royalties and credit for their work on a scene used in a “Family Guy” DVD spinoff.
|
|
|
Film
|
Worldwide Subsidy Group v. Motion Picture Association of America. Worldwide claims MPAA settled a royalty dispute with individuals who lacked authority to negotiate on Worldwide’s behalf.
|
|
|
Celebrity
|
Masha Makova v. Lindsay Lohan. Student wants Lindsay Lohan to pay at least $10,000 for allegedly lifting a mink coat from a New York nightclub, keeping it for three weeks and wearing it in public.
|
|
|
Celebrity
|
Mark Spitz v. All One Faith. Olympic gold medalist accuses California company of exploiting his name to help hawk new-age products called Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.
|
|
|
Celebrity
|
Joan Stanton v. Kenneth Starr. Actress who played the original Lois Lane claims Ken Starr took control of her fortune, sunk her money into risky investments and made personal loans to friends without her permission.
|
|
|
Television/Photography
|
X17 v. Hollywood.TV. Paparazzi agency claims rival Hollywood.TV stole five of its copyrighted photographs of actress Lindsay Lohan.
|
|
|
Film/Television
|
Sonny Barger Productions v. Michael Tolkin. Hell’s Angels founder wants to stop production of a television series purportedly based on his rogue motorcycle club.
|
|
|
Other
|
Don Kalant Sr. v. Benny the Bull. Chicago Bulls fan claims Benny the Bull, the team’s mascot, injured him while trying to slap him a high-five at a basketball game.
|
|
|
Film/Publishing
|
David Duncan v. Hammermark Productions. Novelist accuses independent publisher of trying to shut him out of a deal to sell movie rights to his book, “The River Why.”
|
|
|
Other
|
Global Capital Ventures v. Rodney Omanoff. Group trying to launch a musical based on “American Bandstand” says investors lied to Dick Clark Productions in order to cut a secret licensing deal for the trademarks.
|
|
|
Celebrity
|
Amanda Beard v. Penta Water Company. Olympic swimmers contend they never gave Penta Water Co. permission to use their names, images and testimonials to advertise bottled water.
|
|
|
Film
|
Sheri Gilbert v. New Line Productions. Screenwriter says New Line producers swiped her screenplay, “When Mom’s the Other Woman,” and transformed it into the box-office hit “Monster-in-Law.”
|
|
|
Internet
|
Roger Lis v. Comcast of Chicago. Class action accuses Comcast of censoring peer-to-peer file sharing without customers’ knowledge and compares the company’s tactics to “those used by totalitarian governments to censor the Internet.”
|
|
|
Other
|
Sofa Entertainment v. Dodger Productions. Production company is accused of using an unlicensed video clip of The Four Seasons on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in the Broadway musical “Jersey Boys.”
|
|
|
Music/Film
|
Elite Entertainment v. Himesh Reshammiya. Bollywood music promoter says Indian artist Himesh Reshammiya owes him $10 million for a movie they co-produced.
|
|
|
Film
|
Universal City Studios v. Lionsgate Entertainment. Lionsgate claims Universal City Studios copied an FBI character from “Midnight Run” and dropped him into the “inane” comedy “Witless Protection.”
|
|
|
Other
|
Gianni Nunnari v. Cecchi Gori Pictures. Producer claims Cecchi Gori Pictures and its agents launched a malicious campaign to destroy his career and ruin his company, Hollywood Gang Productions.
|
|
|
Film/Television
|
David Grant v. Fox Television Studios. Fired executive wants Fox Television Studios to pay him bonuses and other allegedly unpaid compensation.
|
|
|
Film
|
Joseph Davis v. DreamWorks Animation SKG. Illustrator says DreamWorks based the animated film “Madagascar” on his children’s book called “Animal’s Night Out.”
|
|
|
Other
|
Joseph Montana Jr. v. Kim Moses. Athlete Joe Montana demands punitive damages from an auction house that allegedly violated his privacy rights by selling his personal items without permission, including love letters wrote to a girlfriend in the 1970s.
|
|
|
Celebrity
|
Virgie Arthur v. Howard K. Stern. Anna Nicole Smith’s mother says her late daughter’s former boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, and his co-conspirators fed lies about her to celebrity blog TMZ.com.
|
|
|
Film/Television
|
David Moravee v. Carl Comer. Star of A&E’s “Family Plots” claims he was fired for exposing illegal embalming practices at the funeral home featured on the show.
|
|
|
Film
|
Mustafa Abuelhija v. David Chappelle. Former manager says comedian Dave Chappelle owes him 10 percent of the profits from the film “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.”
|
|
|
Other
|
Sludikoff Gaming Tournaments v. Hall of Fame World Poker Championship. Nevada poker tournament organizer claims the Hall of Fame World Poker Championship spread lies about the company to avoid paying for help in organizing a celebrity poker tournament.
|
|
|
Film/Television
|
Evgeni Petrosyan v. The DirecTV Group. Russian comedian alleges that DirecTV used his image to promote a Russian-language programming package without his consent.
|
|
|
Internet/Music
|
Chime Entertainment v. Hevient. Chime Entertainment says Hevient sabotaged a cross-promotional deal with band Jupiter Rising and clothing retailer Wet Seal.
|
|
|
Other
|
Philadelphia Eagles v. Terrell Owens. Philadelphia Eagles seek a court order forcing wide receiver Terrell Owens to pay a nearly $770,000 arbitration award after his suspension from the team in 2005.
|
|
|
Celebrity
|
Liv International USA v. Walgreens. Company claims Walgreens breached its promise to promote and sell Olivia Newton John’s breast-health kits and to develop a brand for the former “Grease” star.
|
|
|
Film
|
Image Entertainment v. Relativity Media. DVD supplier accuses Relativity Media of reneging on a 10-year contract to provide dozens of major movies for home distribution.
|
|
|
Internet/Music
|
Romeo Entertainment Group v. SHARK. Promoter says it lost $100,000 when animal-rights activists convinced high-profile musicians to drop out of their scheduled performances at a rodeo in Wyoming.
|
|
|
Film/Television
|
Toho Co. Ltd. v. Subway. Godzilla trademark owner says Subway did not have permission to use the iconic monster in a television commercial touting the “$5 foot-long sandwich.”
|
|
|
Internet/Music
|
William Harper v. William Smith Productions. Minnesota man says he was duped into investing $50,000 in an up-and-coming hip-hop artist who flopped and failed to make him a millionaire.
|
|
|
Other
|
Blue Man Vegas v. National Labor Relations Board. The D.C. Circuit says Blue Man Vegas must recognize and bargain with a stage-crew union, despite the company’s claim that the union improperly excluded musical instrument technicians.
|
|