Law Office of Ama N. Appiah

“We might want to think twice about something that almost all of us never do, but we pretend we do anyway: Read the long, sometimes complicated clickwrap agreements when we sign up for all kinds of online things.” ⚖️📄

It Took 80 Days, but Disney Just Made a Big Announcement About a Surprising Decision They say hard cases make bad law. And sometimes just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

🎥🎞 “Chick-fil-A has plans to launch a handful of original shows, especially unscripted ones, on its own streaming platform, Deadline reported Wednesday. Major production companies are said to be involved, with one of the projects expected to be a 10-episode game show. …

Meanwhile, Northwell Health -- which runs hospitals and clinics around New York City and Long Island -- has established its own production company to make shows and movies set in its facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported.” 🍗🏨

Why a Sandwich Brand and a Hospital Chain Are Trying to Break Into Showbiz Is film production a good pivot for Chick-fil-A and other companies far removed from Hollywood?

“Collaborating with multiple licensing partners means juggling multiple contracts and constant negotiation, Simonson explains. Universal and Warner Bros will provide Honav with art of the characters the brand can use, and then Honav will craft designs that could be used by Team USA. Honav will ask the entertainment brands for approval first, and then once the designs are green-lit, it submits the designs to the U.S. Olympic Committee. Typically changes need to be made and artists will have to tweak designs, and then start the process over. From there, Honav will create samples of the physical pin to see how the design looks on metal. All parties must approve of the pin for it to go on sale.” 🥇🥈🥉

This Company Partnered With Bugs Bunny to Produce Collectible Pins for the Olympics Exchanging pins is a time-honored tradition at the Games.

⭐️ Check out our latest blog on why performing a comprehensive trademark search is a good idea before submitting an application for trademark registration.

Why Do a Comprehensive Trademark Search? — Law Office of Ama N. Appiah, P.A. Photo by Patrik Michalicka https://unsplash.com/ . Applying for a trademark registration can be easy or a minefield depending on the uniqueness, or lack thereof, of your proposed mark. Before applying for a trademark registration, I would highly recommend that you have a compr

“On Wednesday, the State Board of Education ratified name, image and likeness legislation approved in June by the Florida High School Athletic Association. While the law comes with a series of restrictions (i.e. collectives are prohibited; student-athletes can’t promote alcohol or to***co products), it still creates potentially fresh revenue streams for prep athletes.” 🤩

Prep coaches sound off on name, image and likeness, which is now law The State Board of Education ratified NIL legislation for high schools on Wednesday.

“Their arrests were the first by DeSantis’ newly created Office of Election Crimes and Security. But judges in Miami-Dade and Broward counties tossed the cases against Miller and Hubbard, ruling that the attorney general’s statewide prosecutors didn’t have jurisdiction to bring the charges.

The decisions prompted the Republican-led Legislature to change the state law clarifying that statewide prosecutors could handle the cases.

In Miller’s case Wednesday, two out of three judges ruled that he could be charged. In Hubbard’s case, two out of three judges ruled that the new law could be applied retroactively to bring charges against him.”

DeSantis’ voter fraud suspects can be charged after all, judges say The arrests were part of the governor’s high-profile voter fraud efforts.

“Central to our country’s success has been a stable legal system based on constitutional principles and the rule of law. Yet, as with other institutions, recent decisions by the Supreme Court are undermining that success. Instead, the Court has recently become a witting or unwitting facilitator of Project 2025’s dystopian agenda for the future. …

Project 2025 is premised on contempt for constitutional norms and the rule of law. It seeks to reshape American government, law and society for a generation. To achieve that, it must rely on extraordinary actions and a willingness to defy the law.” 🔥 👀

How the Supreme Court Bolstered Project 2025 From Marc | The Supreme Court has recently become a witting or unwitting facilitator of Project 2025’s dystopian agenda for the future.

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“The Court handed the case back down to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine the line between Trump’s official and unofficial acts charged in the indictment. The future hearing to determine where to draw that line has been likened to a potential mini-trial, whose contours have become clearer with the Supreme Court’s ruling.

‘Presidents cannot be indicted based on conduct for which they are immune from prosecution,’ Roberts wrote. He added:

On remand, the District Court must carefully analyze the indictment’s remaining allegations to determine whether they too involve conduct for which a President must be immune from prosecution. And the parties and the District Court must ensure that sufficient allegations support the indictment’s charges without such conduct.

Prosecutors may not admit testimony or private records of the president or his advisers probing such conduct at trial, the majority added.”

Divided Supreme Court Hands Trump Broad Immunity for Prosecution for Official Acts Discussion of the major takeaways in June 21, 2024 Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity from prosecution in United States v Trump.

“The Supreme Court overruled a key administrative law ruling Friday, tossing out four decades of precedent and limiting the government’s ability to interpret federal laws.

‘Chevron is overruled,’ Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the conservative supermajority. ‘Courts must exercise their independent judgment in deciding whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority, as the APA requires.’” ⚖️

Supreme Court overrules landmark precedent on government authority The high court’s ruling shifts how judges weigh federal government deference when interpreting the country’s laws.

“A group of major record labels is suing two AI startups, alleging they wrongfully used popular artists’ work to train their systems to produce copyrighted music without their consent.” 🎵🎶

AI company behind viral ‘BBL Drizzy’ fake Drake diss track gets sued | CNN Business A group of major record labels is suing two AI startups, alleging they wrongfully used popular artists’ work to train their systems to produce copyrighted music without their content.

🎉🥳🌈 Yesterday’s St. Pete Pride Parade was great and vibrant as always! There was even a rainbow before the festivities as a sign of good luck, good fortune and positive vibrations. Check out the views from the float!

🥳🎉 Looking forward to tomorrow’s St. Pete Pride parade! Proud to be a sponsor! 🌈

⭐️ The Law Office of Ama N Appiah is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers PRIDE Parade float! 🌈

👀 I often get asked if big companies are seriously going to notice a small business’ slight or inadvertent copyright or trademark infringement. Here’s a local example of a large company protecting its trademark from what they consider to be an infringement, and likely to cause confusion to the general public.

Outback issued this St. Pete vegan restaurant a cease and desist for its Bloomin’ Onion knockoff Bloomin’ Brands, the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, said a Good Intentions dish and artwork were in violation of the chain restaurant’s trademark.

⭐️ I’m back to blogging about creative arts & entertainment law after a brief hiatus! Check out my latest blog on why creatives need to read the terms of service agreements before installing or updating programs.

Read the Terms of Service BEFORE You Install/Update. — Law Office of Ama N. Appiah, P.A. My apologies for the long time since my last post! It’s been a pretty busy few months full of deadlines and projects. Anyway, picking up where I left off, I wanted to talk about the latest trend where some companies are requiring users of their software to grant them ownership of the intellectua

“[Back in] 1978 when [Sonny and Cher] divorced, [Sonny] agreed Cher would retain a 50% stake [from the Sonny & Cher catalog]…

In 2016, Mary Bono [Sonny’s widow] took advantage of ‘termination rights’ in the Copyright Act, which allows songwriters and their heirs to claim the U.S. publishing rights of their songs after 35 years. By 2021, Mary claimed she could stop paying royalties due to those termination rights, forcing Cher to sue [over royalty payments owed to her]. Mary returned fire by claiming the termination rights overruled the divorce agreement…

Judge Kronstadt disagreed, writing that Sonny gave Cher a ‘contractual right to receive financial compensation,’ and that ‘a right to receive royalties is distinct from a grant of copyright.’ According to the ruling, obtained by Billboard, Cher is owed approximately $418,000 in royalties.” 🎶💰

Cher Wins Royalties Fight in Court With Sonny Bono’s Widow Cher and Mary Bono had been duking it out for years over payments for such classic hits like, “I Got You Babe”.

⭐️ The Law Office of Ama N Appiah is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s Pinellas County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers PRIDE Parade float! 🌈

“The documentary film, which first premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will debut in 2025 first on television on CNN and OWN before it lands on Max.” 🎉🥳🎞

Dawn Porter’s Luther Vandross Documentary ‘Never Too Much’ Acquired by CNN Films and OWN Exclusive: Dawn Porter's 'Luther: Never Too Much' on the life of Luther Vandross, premiered at Sundance this year and will air on CNN and OWN in 2025.

🥳🎉 Internet and phone outage has been resolved! Thank you for your patience! 😊

‼️We’ve been experience an internet outage yesterday and today, which is causing our phone system to be down. Please reach out to my office by email at: [email protected] or [email protected] until further notice.

“[T]he companies will put their combined efforts toward ensuring that AI development across the music industry will protect human artistry and payments for artists and songwriters. TikTok will also work with UMG to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, as well as on tools to improve artist and songwriter attribution.”

Artists from Universal Music Group are heading back to TikTok as a new licensing deal is reached Artists from Universal Music Group, which include Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, will be returning to TikTok as the two parties have struck a new licensing agreement following an approximately three-month long dispute.

⭐️ Thank you Adriana Dinis Kay Mack Immigration Law Group of Florida, P.A. for a fabulous party, for your 10 years of dedicated legal service to the immigrant community, and for your friendship for way more than 10 years! Bravo!! 🥳🎉🍾🎈I’m extremely proud of both of you! ❤️

⭐️🤩 As an entertainment lawyer, having an opportunity to network with talented producers, directors, writers, and actors about their projects at the Sunscreen Film Festival awards night was an awe-inspiring experience.

⭐️ Attended the “Chicks Making Flicks” brunch and panel discussion today at Ruth's Chris Steak House. Interesting discussion with an experienced panel of women filmmakers. 🚺🎞 Part of the Sunscreen Film Festival.

⭐️ Really enjoyed opening night of the Sunscreen Film Festival here in St Pete. Great networking and exceptional opening night movie, “Bau: Artist at War.” Look for it in theaters this fall! 🎞

“The appeal court ruling came on the same day Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills into law that aim to “protect police.’ One bill curtails citizen oversight boards, which allowed members of the public to investigate cases of police misconduct. The other bill requires people to stay 25 feet away from officers while they conduct their official duties in public.”

Calls with Florida police can be recorded without consent, appeal court rules A Florida appeals court ruled in favor of a Floral City man in a years-long dispute with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, bringing new insight into how the state’s wiretapping law ap…

⭐️ Check out my latest blog post on why it’s a good idea to go to film festivals if you have any interest in being in entertainment industry.

What’s the Deal with Film Festivals - Should I Go or Not? — Law Office of Ama N. Appiah, P.A. If you are an independent filmmaker, or looking for work in the film industry, the short answer to this question is yes (if you can afford the costs of travel, lodging, festival tickets, workshops, and food). Film festivals are a great way for film industry veterans and independents to connect an

🎤Join us for our ULS speaker of the semester: Giancarlo Esposito! Giancarlo will be discussing topics related to his work in the entertainment industry and his journey embracing his bi-racial identity! 🎬🎞️

Students will have the opportunity to ask questions relating to Giancarlo’s career and achievements!

It’ll be located in the Marshall Student Center Ballroom at 8pm! 🤘

Today, the Florida Supreme Court has granted final approval regarding the wording of a citizen-led ballot initiative entitled “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion.” This approval ensures that the initiative will be placed in front of Florida voters as Amendment 4 in the 2024 general election.

The amendment requires 60% of favorable support to pass. The League of Women Voters of Florida celebrates this approval and is committed to doing everything possible to see the initiative succeed. Simultaneously, the Court issued a ruling that undermines freedom to bodily autonomy by triggering a six-week abortion ban that will go into effect in the coming weeks.

➡️ Press release: bit.ly/3U166Td

‼️Tweet from the Florida Supreme Court 3/28/24. (The high profile cases are for abortion and cannabis initiatives to be allowed on the November ballot for voters to decide.)