Blogs

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 4 days ago
By Giancarla Sambo Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News: Entertainment Oscars Ban AI in Acting and Writing Categories, Overhaul International Feature Film Rules The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced major rule changes for the 99th Oscars (2027), including a ban on AI-generated performances and scripts. Only roles “demonstrably performed by humans with their consent” are eligible, excluding AI likenesses like Tilly Norwood. The changes also let actors receive multiple nominations in ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 11 days ago
By Jessie Schuster Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Amazon MGM Studios Sued by Producer Over Alleged Pay-to Play Scheme A producer sued Amazon MGM Studios, alleging the company operated a pay-to-play scheme that improperly required financial contributions or incentives tied to production opportunities. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/amazon-mgm-studios-sued-by-producer-1236595069/ Paramount Says It’s All in on Theatrical Distribution as It Aims to Stave Off California Merger Challenge Paramount defended its commitment to theatrical film distribution while responding ...

EASL Blog

By Elissa Hecker posted 18 days ago
By Christine Coleman Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Settle Their Legal Dispute, Mostly Blake Lively has settled her legal claims against Justin Baldoni’s production company, the actors announced in a joint statement, after she had accused him of unleashing an online retaliation campaign against her. The settlement was announced as the actors’ legal teams were gearing up for a contentious and high-profile trial scheduled to start on May 18 in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The joint statement came abruptly, with no hint of settlement talks during a hearing last week, and did ...

Climate Change Blog 62

By Carl Howard posted 21 days ago
Climate Change Blog 62 – Facts on the Ground In mid-March, Hawaii was pounded for over a week by relentless storms with 10 to 14 inches of rain falling on Oahu unleashing severe flooding. The storm moved to Maui, prompting more flash flood warnings. The s evere rainfall caused the largest flooding in Oahu in 20 years prompting the issuance of evacuation orders and the rescue of 196. The torrential rainfall filled the Wahiawa Reservoir, with just a few feet below the top of a dam in in northern Oahu, prompting local officials to declare the dam at “imminent risk of failure.” The cost of the damage caused by the storm was estimated to be over $1 billion in ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 25 days ago
By Haley Lyons Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Trademark (Taylor’s Version): Swift Strikes Back Against Deepfakes by Trademarking Her Voice and Likeness to Combat AI Misuse Taylor Swift filed multiple trademark applications to protect her voice and image, including sound marks of her voice saying “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift,” and “Hey, it’s Taylor,” to guard against unauthorized AI-generated uses of her likeness. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2026/04/27/taylor-swift-trademark-voice-likeness/ ‘Dances With Wolves’ Actor Is Sentenced to Life in Prison Nathan Chasing Horse was sentenced to ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 04-26-2026
By Giancarla Sambo Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News: Entertainment SAG-AFTRA Resumes Talks With AMPTP: AI & Pension Funding Details Need Work as Parties Seek to Close Deal Before DGA Negotiations Actors are returning to negotiations with Hollywood studios after pausing in March for the WGA strike. SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP will resume talks, aiming for a tentative deal before DGA’s May 11 start. Sources say that they are close, but some issues remain, notably AI protections. Executive ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 04-20-2026
By Jessie Schuster Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Live Nation Lost in Court. Here’s What It Means For Concerts A federal jury found that Live Nation Entertainment illegally monopolized parts of the concert industry through its control of venues, promotion, and its ticketing arm Ticketmaster, potentially inflating fees and limiting competition. The ruling does not immediately change ticketing, but it opens a remedies phase where courts could impose penalties, structural changes or even force divestitures that reshape how concerts are sold and promoted in the U.S. https://www.vox.com/today-explained-newsletter/485946/live-nation-monopoly-verdict-tickets ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 04-13-2026
By Christine Coleman Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Universal Music and Believe Reach Settlement in Copyright Infringement Dispute — $500 Million Case Dismissed With Prejudice After 17 months, Universal Music Group and Believe officially resolved their $500 million copyright infringement dispute. Both parties confirmed their lawsuit-ending agreement today, after the presiding judge stayed the case in late December. The litigants have not publicly disclosed the terms at issue, but they did move to dismiss the case with prejudice. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2026/04/03/universal-music-believe-settlement/ ...

Private Tour of Bonhams Auction House new space

By Elissa Hecker posted 04-10-2026
Please join EASL's Fine Arts Committee on Monday, April 20 at 4pm for a private tour of Bonhams auction house at their recently opened New York City flagship location in the magnificent Steinway Building at 111 West 57th Street. On display will be the American Art collection , in anticipation of the upcoming auction. Thank you to Fine Arts Committee member Deborah Hrbeck for making this possible. Limited slots available, RSVP required. RSVP link below Look forward to seeing you. Carol Steinberg Co-Chair Fine Arts Committee forms.office.com/r/UVPZGmpsP0

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 04-06-2026
By Haley Lyons Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Time for Another Supreme Court Battle? Major Labels (and BMG) Move to Take Over Vetter v. Resnick Copyright Recapture Case, Spearhead Appeal Major record labels and BMG moved to take over the Vetter v. Resnik case and plan to seek a higher-court appeal after a Fifth Circuit ruling held that copyright recapture rights apply worldwide. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2026/03/27/vetter-v-resnik-major-labels-appeal/ Blake Lively’s Retaliation Case Heads to Trial Without Harassment Claims A federal judge dismissed Blake Lively’s sexual harassment ...

EASL Blog

By Elissa Hecker posted 03-30-2026
By Giancarla Sambo Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News: Entertainment Bill Cosby Loses Sex Assault Lawsuit and Faces a $59 Million Judgment On March 23, 2026, a Santa Monica jury found Bill Cosby liable for the 1972 drugging and sexual assault of Donna Motsinger, awarding her $59.25 million. This follows years of legal battles, with Cosby's conviction overturned in 2021 on procedural grounds. In a deposition, Cosby described his net worth as declining "like a submarine with no motor" ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 03-23-2026
By Jessie Schuster Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Indie Artist Coalition Files Major Lawsuit Against Google Over AI Copyright Theft–’Broadest, Most Comprehensive Attack’ Against AI Music Models An independent artist coalition filed a sweeping lawsuit against Google, accusing it of using copyrighted music to train AI models without permission. The case is being described as one of the most significant legal challenges to AI in the music industry to date. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2026/03/09/indie-artist-coalition-google-lawsuit-ai/ Live Nation Employees Boast About “Gouging” ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 03-16-2026
By Christine Coleman Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Hip-Hop Icons Tell Justices That Texas Turned Rap Lyrics Into a Death Warrant The Supreme Court received expert assistance from towering figures in the world of hip-hop, including Killer Mike, T.I., Young Thug, Fat Joe, N.O.R.E., and Travis Scott in the form of briefs supporting James Broadnax, a man convicted of two 2008 murders and sentenced to death in Texas. In the original trial, prosecutors introduced lyrics written by Broadnax into evidence, which the jury used to determine whether to sentence him to death. In their briefs, the artists argue that prosecutors ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 03-09-2026
By Haley Lyons Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Live Nation Accused of Hurting Music Fans as Antitrust Trial Begins The Justice Department accused Live Nation, the concert company that owns Ticketmaster, of earning its profits illegally by using monopoly power to stifle competition, dominate the ticketing market, and extract money from fans through high ticket prices and surcharges. Live Nation denied the allegations, arguing that the company has minimal profit margins and fights for every deal in the highly competitive music business. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/arts/music/live-nation-antitrust-trial.html ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 03-02-2026
By Giancarla Sambo Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News: Entertainment U.S. Appeals Court Overturns BMI Rate Hike on Concert Promoters, Ruling Rates Were ‘Unreasonable’ The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that the rates imposed on concert promoters in Judge Louis Stanton’s 2023 decision – which more than doubled the royalty rate songwriters receive from live concerts in the U.S. – were “unreasonable”, and vacated the ruling. BMI had celebrated the original decision as a “massive ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 02-23-2026
By Jessie Schuster Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Netflix Boss Says $83B Warner Bros Takeover Will Benefit Industry Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos defended the company’s $82.8B Bid to Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery assets, saying the deal would spur industry growth and benefit creators and consumers, even as political and competitive scrutiny mounts. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/23/netflix-warner-bros-takeover-ted-sarandos-donald-trump-susan-rice Ryan Reynolds Skips Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni Settlement Conference The ongoing legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 02-16-2026
By Christine Coleman Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Hollywood Braces for New Round of Labor Talks The contracts that ended the actors’ and writers’ strikes in 2023 are nearing their expiration dates. Negotiations begin today between SAG-AFTRA and the leaders of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for a new deal, while negotiations between the Writers’ Guild of America and the studios and directors’ alliance will occur later this spring. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/business/media/hollywood-actors-writers-contract-talks.html Adding “hot takes” to unlicensed music is not ...

United States' Federal Government Adopts New Rules on Foreign Ownership of Broadcast Stations

By Elissa Hecker posted 02-10-2026
by Barry Skidelsky, Esq.* On January 30, 2026, the United States' Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released two separate Reports and Orders in connection with foreign ownership of U.S. radio and television stations. FCC 26-3 One such Report and Order relates to the FCC's recently completed Review of Foreign Ownership for Broadcast Licensees, FCC 26-3 ( https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-3A1.pdf ), and adopts formal rules to codify relevant policies and practices that the federal agency has developed over the last decade which have liberalized the federal government's ...

Week In Review

By Elissa Hecker posted 02-10-2026
By Haley Lyons Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Trump Assails Grammys and Threatens to Sue Trevor Noah Over Epstein Joke President Donald Trump described this year’s Grammys as “virtually unwatchable” and threatened to sue the host Trevor Noah over a joke that implied Trump had been to Jeffery Epstein’s island. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/arts/television/trump-grammys-trevor-noah.html Timothy Busfield Is Indicted on Charges of Child Sexual Abuse A grand jury in New Mexico voted to indict Timothy Busfield, longtime actor and director, on four counts of ...