- What will the “Endgame” be for the lawsuit between Walt Disney Company and former Marvel comic book creators? In the spring of this year, a host of famed artists and illustrators of Marvel characters such as Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Falcon and Thor, has filed notices of copyright termination citing a provision of copyright law that grants full rights back to the authors of the work after a set period of time. Disney, who owns Marvel Entertainment, responded with a defense of “made-for-hire” workers and lawsuits seeking to invalidate the notices. So, could Disney potentially lose full ownership of the characters?
- Does Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act protect social media sites such as Facebook from liability over misuse of user content? Maybe not so in the case of Karen Hepp vs. Facebook, which involves an unauthorized use of a Philadelphia Fox 29 co-anchor Karen Hepp's photo on Facebook's dating site. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Court revived the case, ruling that Section 230 does not shield Facebook from intellectual-property related claims, such as right of publicity.
- In a memorandum issued on Wednesday to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional directors and officials, NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo expressed her view that college athletes have statutory rights similar to employee rights recognized under the NLRB. Although this isn't officially converting college athletes into employees of their schools, is this a sign of things to come?
Endorsement Deals, Sponsorships & Investments
Richard Branson, Who Never Liked Cruising,
Looks to Disrupt the Industry With Virgin
Voyages
September 29, 2021 via CNBC
From Virgin Atlantic in the skies to Virgin Galactic in space,
Richard Branson has now set his sights on the high seas. The
business tycoon who started Virgin Group, the company behind dozens
of Virgin-branded ventures, is looking to disrupt the $100 billion
cruise industry — at a time when the major established
operators are still figuring out how to manage Covid.
Bojangles Keeps Marketing Focus on College
Sports, NASCAR — But With a Twist
September 28, 2021 via Biz Journal - Media &
Marketing
Bojangles is putting a slight twist on two of its sports marketing
mainstays: college football and NASCAR. In recent months, the
Charlotte-based fast-food company has signed 70 college athletes
— many of them are football and men's basketball
players — to promote the company's tailgate-friendly
chicken and biscuits menu.
Creative Artists Agency to Acquire ICM
Partners
September 27, 2021 via Business Wire - Communications
News
Leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency
(CAA) announced today (September 27) the execution of a definitive
agreement to acquire ICM Partners (ICM), one of the world's
premier entertainment and sports agencies, to drive broader and
more inclusive representation as their clients, their work, and
their brands shape culture.
Kyline Alcantara Takes on a New and
Exciting Journey of Being the Newest Face of Ever
Bilena!
September 25, 2021 via Lemon Green Tea
A multi-talented star who's up for any role life throws at her,
Kyline Alcantara takes on a new and exciting journey of being the
newest face of Ever Bilena! Charming, beautiful, and hardworking,
Kyline represents the ideal Ever Bilena woman.
Federer-Backed Laver Cup Brings in
Sponsors Despite Missing Stars on Court
September 24, 2021 via Sportico Business (subscription may be
required)
The Laver Cup, Roger Federer's latest contribution to tennis,
is enjoying much of the same sponsorship success as the man who
founded it. Named after the Australian tennis legend Rod Laver, the
only tennis player to win the calendar-year Grand Slam twice, the
tournament was created by Federer and his agent Tony Godsick, the
president and CEO of TEAM8, back in 2017. This Davis
Cup-meets-Ryder Cup event has quickly gained both fan and brand
interest.
Excel Sign Tom Leese From Hashtag United
for a Transfer Fee in FIFA Esports First
September 24, 2021 via Mirror
Excel Esports have completed the signing of Tom Leese from Hashtag
United, who becomes the first-ever professional FIFA player to
command a significant transfer fee. Leese has been ranked as the
number one ranked professional FIFA player in the world for the
past two years.
New Team! Michael Smith Signs on for 30
Mountain Mike's
September 23, 2021 via Franchising - News &
Announcements
Michael Smith, the former NBA and European professional basketball
player and later television commentator, is now a multi-unit
franchisee for Mountain Mike's Pizza. He made news earlier
this year when he signed a 30-unit development agreement with the
brand.
First Arab-American Female NASCAR Racer
Paves Way for Next Generation of Women Drivers, Lands Major
Sponsor
September 23, 2021 via Forbes - Leadership
Earlier this year, Toni Breidinger became the first Arab-American
female race car driver to join the NASCAR family, at only 22. In
July, Triller, an AI-powered social media company, announced its
partnership with Breidinger, adding to her growing list of
sponsors.
Why South Korean Food Company Bibigo Just
Signed a $100 Million Deal With the Lakers
September 22, 2021 via Mashed
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers announced that
Bibigo signed a five-year sponsorship contract worth $100 million
with the basketball team, and the brand's name now appears on
team jerseys. The sponsorship marks a major moment for the team
— this is the first international partnership in Lakers'
history, and the team now plans to promote Bibigo in courtside
advertisements, on social media and through virtual fan
campaigns.
Celebrity Endorsement Weighs Heavily for
U.S. Crypto Investors – Survey
September 22, 2021 via Crypto News
Crypto owners differ from other investors in how they gather
information about potential investments, a survey conducted by the
business intelligence firm Morning Consult has revealed. In
particular, celebrity endorsement of cryptoassets appears to weigh
heavily when crypto holders make their investment decisions.
Jaiden Fields Won't be Paying Extra
for Guac. UGA Softball Player Signs Deal With
Chipotle
September 22, 2021 via Online Athens
Georgia softball's Jaiden Fields has struck a deal with a
fast-casual chain to become one of its first “college athlete
ambassadors.” The outfielder has a name, image and likeness
deal with Chipotle Mexican Grill as part of its “Real Food
for Real Athletes,” campaign.
Film & TV
Thanos Snap: Could Disney Lose Avengers?
What Investors Should Know About Comic Book
Lawsuit
September 28, 2021 via Benzinga
Lawsuits between Marvel comic book creators and Disney could change
the outlook of the superhero movie universe. The family of Stan
Ditko filed a notice of termination of Spider-Man, a character that
first appeared in comic books in 1962.
Entertainment Company “Hunt a
Killer” Joins Forces With Agatha Christie Limited on
Immersive Whodunit
September 28, 2021 via Ellensburg Daily Record -
News
Today (September 28), Hunt A Killer, the leading immersive
entertainment company and purveyor of exquisite mystery stories and
games, announced their new partnership with Agatha Christie
Limited, who manage the literary and media rights to the Queen of
Mystery's works around the world.
Walmart Collaborates With Rachael Ray on
Livestream Shopping Event
September 28, 2021 via Pymnts
Walmart is once again dipping its toes into the social commerce
waters, hosting a shoppable livestream event on Facebook this week
with TV personality Rachael Ray to promote the celebrity cook and
author's line of dog food and other products.
Sony Music Publishing's Visual + Media
Rights Unveils Major Upgrades to SCORE Portal
September 27, 2021 via Yahoo Finance - Top Stories
Sony Music Publishing's newly rebranded Visual + Media Rights
division (formerly known as Broadcast & Media Rights) today
(September 27) announced a series of major enhancements to the
company's copyright and royalty portal SCORE to bring
state-of-the-art service, insight and transparency to its
songwriters, composers and film and television studio clients.
'These Are Really Hard Calls':
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts Talks Media Rights Deals With NFL,
Premier League
September 24, 2021 via Biz Journal – Sports (subscription
may be required)
Comcast Corp. has been scaling its sports and entertainment
offerings, but CEO Brian Roberts said the company has had to
“pick and choose” which opportunities to go after to
balance the cost of sports broadcast rights with the value they
bring.
Music Biz
Lil Peep's Mom Says His Record Label
Owes Her $4 Million
September 29, 2021 via Greenwich Time
Lil Peep's mother Liza Womack claims her late son's
music label is refusing to pay a whopping $4 million owed to his
estate — and that it's all part of a
“transparent” attempt to stymie her wrongful death and
business lawsuit against the company and its top boss. The label,
First Access Entertainment, disputed the allegation at a court
hearing Tuesday, saying the emo rapper's mom is the one to
blame for any delay.
Celebrity Podcasts Fueling Rise of Music
Streaming Subscriptions in Australia
September 27, 2021 via The Music Network
The total number of audio streaming subscriptions in Australia
reached 13.5 million at the end of June 2021 — up 13 percent
from a year ago. According to technology analyst firm Telsyte about
a quarter signed on to listen to “celebrity” podcasts
and broadcasts.
ASCAP - American Society of Composers
Authors and Publishers ASCAP Expands Royalty Premium Payment Plan
for Music in Top Streamed Shows on Online Streaming
Services
September 23, 2021 via Public Now - Public Announcements - Top
Stories
As more and more consumers subscribe to online, direct-to-consumer
audio-visual platforms, ASCAP is immediately expanding its existing
TV Premium payment plan to include eligibility for top streamed
shows on major "over-the-top" (OTT) streaming
services.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
NFT Platform Dapper Labs Tackles New Sport
With NFL Partnership
September 29, 2021 via Bloomberg – News (subscription may
be required)
Dapper Labs Inc., the creator of the highly popular NBA Top Shot
platform for NFTs, is tackling a new sport: Football. The company
and the National Football League, as well as its players
association, on Wednesday (September 29) announced a partnership to
create non-fungible tokens of digital-video highlights from
games.
A 27-Year-Old Bohemian Prince Jumps Into
NFTs
September 29, 2021 via Bloomberg – News (subscription may
be required)
A 600-year-old Bohemian noble family is embracing the latest craze
sweeping the crypto and art worlds, hoping that NFTs will help pay
for the restoration of its artwork collection and an ancestral
castle.
Axis Technologies Group, Inc. Announces
Upcoming Launch of NFT Entertainment Channel, NFTtoday.tv and NFT
Documentary Titled "NFT Revolution"
September 27, 2021 via MarketWatch - All Company Press Releases
News & Commentary
AXIS TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, INC. (OTC: AXTG) ("AXTG" or the
"Company"), a holding company that promotes decentralized
finance businesses, and supports the development of blockchain and
decentralized finance (DeFi) projects, is proud to announce the
upcoming launch of NFTtoday.tv, a channel dedicated for NFT
entertainment with game tutorials, resources, reviews, movies,
music videos and all forms of media that pertain to NFTs, DeFi,
digital assets and the overall cryptocurrency space.
Nolan Bushnell, the Man Behind Atari and
Chuck E. Cheese, Is Releasing an NFT
September 27, 2021 via Bloomberg – News (subscription may
be required)
For the so-called father of the video game industry, perhaps it was
only a matter of time. On a recent afternoon in Los Angeles, Nolan
Bushnell, co-founder of Atari and, perhaps importantly, the man who
brought the world Chuck E. Cheese restaurants, is set to soon
release a new NFT.
Right of Publicity
College Athletes Are Employees, NLRB
Counsel Says
September 29, 2021 via Sportico Law (subscription may be
required)
In a memorandum to National Labor Relations Board regional
directors and other agency officials on Wednesday, NLRB general
counsel Jennifer Abruzzo announced her view that college athletes
have statutory rights consistent with employee recognition under
the National Labor Relations Act. While not of itself a change in
law that allows athletes to be paid wages for playing sports in
college, the memo is another step on the road of treating college
athletes as actual laborers and not mere amateur students.
Handbag Co. Beats TM Suit From Estate of
Kerouac's First Wife
September 28, 2021 via Law360 - Retail & E-commerce
(subscription may be required)
A Michigan federal judge has tossed a lawsuit claiming Edie Parker
LLC wrongly used the name of Frankie Edith Kerouac Parker —
the first wife of writer Jack Kerouac — without permission,
finding the handbag company's trademarks torpedoed the
case.
Facebook Ruling Splits Courts Over
Liability Shield Limits for IP
September 28, 2021 via Bloomberg Law - News Top Stories
(subscription may be required)
A Third Circuit ruling reviving a right of publicity lawsuit
against Facebook Inc. raises fundamental questions about a federal
liability shield for social media platforms.
Disney Dodges Evel Knievel Trademark Suit
Over ‘Toy Story 4' Character
September 27, 2021 via Courthouse News
A stuntman character from the 2019 animated film “Toy Story
4” did not infringe on the trademarks of daredevil Evel
Knievel, a Nevada federal court ruled. K&K Productions, the
company of Knievel's son, sued Disney claiming the character
Duke Caboom violated their intellectual property and publicity
rights to the daredevil stunt performer who rose to prominence in
the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
The Conversation | Colleges Must Choose
Whether to Let Athletes Wear School Gear for Paid
Promotions
September 26, 2021 via News-Gazette
Since the NCAA permitted college athletes to monetize their own
name, image and likeness — often abbreviated as
“NIL” — athletic departments have been trying to
craft policies to govern the practice. While many schools were
reluctant to allow athletes access to university logos, other
schools have been permissive in creating policies that allow easier
access to school intellectual property.
Philly News Anchor Overcomes Tech
Industry's Favorite Legal Shield in Appellate
Twist
September 24, 2021 via News Break - Top Stories
For the last few years, Section 230 of the Communications Decency
Act has saved social media sites like Facebook and YouTube from
facing most legal claims over user content. On Thursday, however, a
TV journalist in Philadelphia scored a significant legal victory
that will allow her to blow past Section 230 and take on Facebook
in a lawsuit over the misappropriation of her right of
publicity.
Athliance, Leading NCAA NIL Compliance
& Protection Software, Launches “PlayItSafe” Brand
Consulting Service
September 23, 2021 via Business Wire - Communications
News
Athliance, a premier Sports Management and NCAA Software company
launches, ‘PlayItSafe,' a Name Image Likeness (NIL)
compliance consulting service to assist brands, group media buying
agencies and social media marketers in navigating the complex
federal, state, and university/college regulations in this
burgeoning arena.
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