| Area | Case Description | Page |
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Who's Doing What
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Justice Department approves merger of Ticketmaster and LiveNation; Sony announces layoffs; Air America to cut live programming; New York governor proposes extending tax credit for film industry; Dan Glickman announces resignation from Motion Picture Association.
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1
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In Brief
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Annie Leibovitz settles copyright case with Italian photographer; Farrah Fawcett’s son heads back to rehab; personal assistant faces trial for death of former Ramones manager; talk-show host found guilty of assault; U.K. jury clears computer programmer of music sharing charges; judge nixes dismissal bid from man accused of trying to extort David Letterman; Michael Douglas’ son pleads guilty to drug charges; judge upholds charges against deputy accused of accepting bribes from “Girls Gone Wild” founder; brother of former Olympic skater accused of assault leading to death of father; Beijing court clears Chinese search engines of copyright infringement.
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2
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Antitrust
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Kevin Starr v. Sony BMG Music Entertainment et al. The 2nd Circuit revives class action antitrust case against world’s four biggest record labels.
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3
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Free Speech
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Entertainment Software Association v. Chicago Transit Authority. Illinois federal judge bars Chicago Transit Authority from banning “adult” ads.
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3
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Property Rights
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Marei Von Saher v. Norton Simon Museum of Art at Pasadena. The 9th Circuit refuses to rehear decision on painting allegedly looted by Nazis.
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4
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Property Rights
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United States v. The Painting Known as “Le Marche.” New York federal jury sends Pissarro painting, seized from Sotheby’s, back to French museum.
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4
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Family Law
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Nadya Suleman v. The Superior Court of Orange County. “Octomom” wins California guardianship appeal.
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5
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Patent/Trademark
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The University of South Carolina v. The University of Southern California. Gamecocks lose logo battle in federal court.
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5
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Property Rights
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Susan Shaer v. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc. Collector accuses Andy Warhol’s estate of defacing Warhol paintings.
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6
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Copyright
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Marvel Worldwide Inc. v. Lisa Kirby. Marvel sues to stop “X-Men” writer’s children from taking over copyrights.
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7
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Libel
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Jane Doe v. Dirty World Entertainment Recordings. Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader says gossip Web site falsely accused her of sleeping with the whole team.
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7
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Publicity Rights
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Richard Francis, trustee for the Fawcett Living Trust v. Craig Nevius. Farrah Fawcett’s estate accuses filmmaker of leaking the dying star’s documentary about her battle with cancer and blabbing about her to tabloids.
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8
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Class Actions
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Brianna Greene v. DirecTV Inc. Class accuses DirecTV of setting up accounts without permission.
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9
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Copyright
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Legacy Productions Limited v. U2 Home Entertainment Inc. Distributor claims company sold thousands of pirated Bruce Lee DVDs.
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9
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Copyright
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The Knight Descendants’ Trust v. Telemundo Network Group. Celia Cruz’s estate claims Telemundo sold DVDs of a performance by the late “Salsa Queen” without permission.
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10
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Employment Discrimination
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Jennifer Lewis v. Playboy Enterprises Inc. Former Playboy Mansion party supervisor accuses Playboy of sex, age discrimination.
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10
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Libel
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Ahmed Sharif v. Jasmine Sharif. Family members say relative’s book defamed them.
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11
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Patent/Trademark
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Creative Arts by Calloway v. Christopher Brooks. Cab Calloway’s heirs accuse musician of stealing the Calloway name.
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12
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Property
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Kim Webster v. Donald Sterling. “West Wing” star sues Los Angeles Clippers owner over apartment fire.
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13
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Copyright
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UMG Recordings Inc. v. Escape Media Group Inc. UMG claims Web site distributed UMG’s music for free.
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13
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Patent/Trademark
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Jeff Clark v. Mavericks Surf Ventures Inc. Founder of the Mavericks big-wave surf competition says ex-pals stole the contest.
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14
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Debt Collection
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Red Curb Investments v. Nicolas Cage. Creditor demands $3 million from Nicolas Cage and his manager.
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15
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Copyright
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F. Marc Schafel Productions v. Fox News. Fox broadcast interview with Michael Jackson’s ex-wife in wake of superstar’s death without permission, interviewer claims.
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15
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Libel
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William Peterson v. John Grisham. 10th Circuit dismisses libel lawsuit against crime novelist.
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16
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