The Evolution of Chick Chat

Chick Chat at the Beginning

Chick Chat Now

Four months ago, four chatty chicks from Professor Evans’ entertainment law class at Widener University School of Law, Harrisburg embarked on a long journey to start a law firm.  As part of the class, each firm was required to maintain a blog about hot topics in entertainment law.

Through this process, the members of Chick Chat tirelessly worked to maintain our blog and the product of our efforts can be seen through the differences from our very first post to our final post.

Feel free to leave us any comments you may have.

Our Firm Disclaimer and Firm Information can be found at this link.

Furry Over “Hell’s Angel” Design

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter

The Hell’s Angels are bring suit against MTV for a trademark violation.  Their claim, dilution of the “Death Head” mark which has been used by the very popular group for well over 50 years.  MTV has allegedly sold the design on t-shirts based on a reality show “Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory” which can damage how the public perceives the mark.

“Death Head is a collective membership mark often seen on jackets and tattoos worn by Hell’s Angels associates. The group says it has ‘acquired very widespread public recognition; consequently they evoke strong and immediate reactions whenever used. The impact of these marks is virtually incomparable, and as a result they have great commercial value.'”

To view the full article follow this link.

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POLL: Tell ChickChat How We’re Doing!

As those familiar with ChickChat, LLC are aware, this blog and fictional law firm are a part of a law school simulation for an Entertainment Law course (the ChickChat Firm Disclaimer can be found at this link).  As the semester comes to a close and half of the members are preparing for graduation, we at ChickChat would like to know how we did!

Please take this opportunity to comment or send messages to the ChickChat staff—both positive attributes and constructive criticism—so we know what you, our audience, liked or disliked.  Comments may alternatively be emailed to ChickChatLLC@gmail.com, or posted on our Facebook page or Twitter account!  Or take our poll and let us know if you enjoyed—and would like to continue enjoying—our blog!

Our aim is to please and to inform, and we hope we have done so… And we hope you’ve enjoyed chatting with these legal chicks as much as we have enjoyed sharing our interests with you!!

Our Firm Disclaimer and Firm Information can be found at this link.

World IP Day 2012

 

Credit: World Intellectual Property Organization

Every year on April 26, World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated.  World IP Day was established by the World Intellectual Property Oganization (WIPO) to increase general understanding of what IP really means.  The day is meant to “raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life” and “to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe.” Visionary Innovators. For World IP Day events in the US, follow this link.  For notable dates in US copyright history, follow this link.To view our Firm Disclaimer, follow this link.

Update: Chinese Court Seeking to Mediate Settlement Between Apple and Proview

Credit: Apple Inc.

Apple’s trademark issues continue in China (see our earlier posts entitled Apple Could Face Fine of $1.6 Billion for iPad Trademark Infringement in China and Update: Battle Over iPad Trademark Continues).  A senior official in China has suggested Apple could risk losing the use of the iPad trademark in China.  A Chinese court is currently seeking to mediate a settlement between Apple and Proview, who is challenging Apple’s use of the iPad name.

New Legal Battle for Google in Germany

Credit: Google, Inc.

Google just can’t seem to catch a break these days.  A court in Hamburg, Germany ordered Google to install filters on the YouTube service in Germany to prevent copyright infringement of the rights of musicians, filmmakers, and others in the entertainment industry.  While Google was not direclty responsible for uploading infringing material, the judge in Hamburg found the company should have done more to stop the violations.

In a statement by the company, it said:  “Today’s ruling confirms that YouTube is a hosting platform and cannot be obliged to control all videos uploaded to the site.  The ruling is a partial success for the music industry in general, for our users as well as artists, composers, YouTube and other Web platforms in Germany.”

An appeal is expected by Google.

To view the full article from The New York Times, follow this link.

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Constitutional Challenges to Record Keeping Requirements Remain in Court

This week, the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed a lower court’s decision made in late 2010 to grant a motion to dismiss constitutional challenges to the latest amendments made to 18 U.S.C. §§ 2257 and 2257A.  These sections include the record keeping, labeling, and inspection requirements placed on producers of adult, sexually-explicit material.

The Free Speech Coalition led a group of plaintiffs in challenging the constitutionality of the law as it currently stands, particularly challenging the constitutionality of the 2004 amendments to the law.  In 2006, the Free Speech Coalition lost in the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit making a similar argument, and were on the same course of failure when the federal district court granted the government’s motion to dismiss in 2010.  However, after appeals and judicial review, the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed this motion to dismiss and remanded to the lower court with instructions.

To learn more, read the full article at XBiz by following this link.

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EVENT: Widener Law Presents IP Law Program

 

Credit: Widener University School of Law

Widener University School of Law, Delaware campus, will host the event “Introduction to Intellectual Property Law”  Thursday, April 19.  This event is designed to introduce entrepreneurs, artists, and inventors to the basics of intellectual property law.

“The program, presented by Widener Law with support from DuPont, is also intended to benefit attorneys with backgrounds outside intellectual property law. It presents an opportunity for the small business community to learn strategies for success that can strengthen the ability to create jobs and grow in a difficult economy. The program is additionally designed to encourage pro bono assistance from seasoned intellectual property professionals to support these innovators.”

To find out more information about this event at Widener Law, follow this link. To view our Firm Disclaimer, follow this link.

New Royalty Rates for Digital Music

Google, Apple Inc., and Amazon reached an agreement last week with record industry representatives to set royalty payments for their cloud services.  Last year the companies started their cloud services  allowing users to access, purchase and store music from the Internet.  These services were not covered by the earlier royalty agreement.  The new proposal would create guidelines for five new types of services, including online “locker” services.

“If you purchase a cell phone and got song as a ringtone, if you pay for a subscription to an on-demand service such as Spotify, if you stream your own collection via a “locker” like Amazon’s Cloud Player or Apple’s iCloud, a new agreement between music industry officials, cell phone companies and digital streaming services will determine how much the copyright holders will make each time you press play.”

Once the proposal is approved by the Copyright Royalty Board, the new terms would go into effect in 2013, and expire in 2017.

To find out more, visit the NPR blog at this link.

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US Band Sues UK’s One Direction

Credit: Reuters

British boy band One Direction has been sued by a small California pop-rock group for trademark infringement.  The California band is seeking an injunction to prevent Simon Cowell’s entertainment joint venture with Sony Music, Sysco Entertainment,  from using the One Direction name in promotional material.

 The California band began using the name One Direction in 2009 and plays local fairs and bars.  An application to register the tradmark was filed by the California band in Feburary 2011.  The British boy band One Direction was discovered in 2010 on Cowell’s show, “The X Factor.”  Since 2010 the British boy band has enjoyed great success with their first single reaching the top of the UK charts.  The band is followed by 4.2 million fans on Facebook and 2.8 million fans on Twitter.  

“The lawsuit said the continued use by both bands of the same name was causing substantial confusion and substantial damage to the goodwill earned by the California group.” 

The full article from The Baltimore Sun, can be found at this link. 

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