Law in the Limelight
Entertainment law and business podcast. New episodes air every Wednesday afternoon. One World Trade Center, Suite 8500, New York, New York 10007
212-603-9918
Just because you have an idea for a film, doesn't mean you own the copyright to it. And just because you write a script, doesn't mean you have exclusive dominion over every tiny detail in the script. Copyright case law dating back to the 1920s has shaped the parameters of what a scriptwriter can and cannot protect. In this episode, we get into the specifics of what makes a character protectable, and the importance of the "expression" element of copyright protection.
https://youtu.be/MmrZiqMq2kE
17/11/2021
A little over a week ago, the world was rocked by news of multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries at Travis Scott's annual concert/festival, Astroworld, in Houston, TX. While there are still many details unfolding, preliminary reports indicate that over a dozen lawsuits have been filed against Scott, Live Nation, and others who were involved in the production of the event. There may also be criminal and other investigations ongoing. In a very early attempt at analysis, the Law in the Limelight team takes this opportunity to talk about what kinds of liability the producers might be facing, recap similar events that have occurred over the years, and discuss why this kind of situation highlights the need for artists and performers to have business entities.
Do you have questions about setting up an LLC or a corporation? Contact the LIL team today at [email protected].
Find more information about Wynton Yates, Maria Jose Rivera, Esq., Peter J. Speroni, Esq., and Max Hass, Attorney at Law at http://www.parlatorelawgroup.com
https://youtu.be/ypY_VSmC93g
Astroworld Disaster: Potential Liability? A little over a week ago, the world was rocked by news of multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries at Travis Scott's annual concert/festival, Astroworld, in ...
Between pre-existing copyrighted content (music, TV shows that characters watch in the background, books they're reading on-screen), trademark-protected products, and the privacy rights of people who appear on camera, there are a LOT of things that a producer needs to clear from third-party rights owners before they'll be legally ready to release a new film. This is true whether you're woking in narrative or documentary. In this episode, we're joined by our fellow PLG entertainment attorney based in Miami, Maria Jose Rivera, to discuss these clearance issues that a screenwriter and/or producer needs to be thinking about as they get ready to make a film.
https://youtu.be/IeE5ek612Dg
09/11/2021
The film world was rocked a few weeks ago when the news broke that Alec Baldwin had shot - and killed - the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, for the film "RUST" in the New Mexico desert. Since then, reports have come out about various safety concerns, questionable track record of the assistant director, and more. In this episode, we break down what Baldwin's liability could look like from both a criminal and civil standpoint, with the perspective of Parlatore Law Group managing partner and experienced criminal defense attorney Timothy C Parlatore.
https://youtu.be/1yJp4vPox98
Max Hass, Attorney at Law Peter J. Speroni, Esq.
Wynton Yates Peter Speroni Max Hass
Shooting on the Set of RUST The film world was rocked a few weeks ago when the news broke that Alec Baldwin had shot - and killed - the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, for the film "R...
Fair use is one of the most confusing (and thus misunderstood) areas of copyright law. To help break it down, we bring in Maria Jose Rivera, another Parlatore Law Group Entertainment Attorney, who explains the basics of how fair use works, and what happened in the April 2021 lawsuit between the Andy Warhol Estate and the photographer who composed this plaintive image of Prince.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4LRY4-Lma8
If you have more questions about fair use, or wonder how it might apply to you, get in touch with us at lawinthelimelight@parlatorelawgroup or send us a message here.
More NFT updates! There have been some big moves from major players in the entertainment space lately - are the music and TV industries finally warming up to the potential that NFTs have to create new and unique revenue streams? Watch this week's episode of Law in the Limelight to learn more!
https://youtu.be/1g5N1omSrVo
Earlier this month, Marvel Studios received "termination notices" from a number of artists who created some of the company's most iconic characters, including Ironman, Black Widow, and others. Termination of transfer is a relatively "new" concept in U.S. copyright law, as it was only added to the law in the 1976 Copyright Act, and allows *authors* to terminate assignments starting 30 years from the date of original transfer. In response to these terminations, Marvel initiated a number of lawsuits against these artists, arguing that the company is the "author" because the characters were created as works made for hire - if true, this would make the termination notices invalid. In this video, we breakdown the difference between authorship and work-for-hire, and why this distinction is SO important in all areas of creative https://youtu.be/z1zRZCIIDII
If you're an artist, musician, filmmaker, writer, designer, or other creator, work for hire may affect you and your work. Reach out to the Law in the Limelight hosts at [email protected], and check out parlatorelawgroup.com for more information about how Parlatore Law Group can assist you with your legal questions, documents, and/or issues.
We're back with a new episode that steps away from current events and brings it back to some basics. Each of us individually gets a TON of questions about copyright, and how it works for artists. So Wynton and Max take this opportunity to walk you through copyright basics: authorship, ownership, registration, and duration. This is *definitely* one to save and keep coming back to as a resource!
If you have questions about copyright or need to speak with an attorney to help protect your art, music, designs, writing, etc., don't hesitate to send us an email at [email protected]!
https://youtu.be/rf050Tg_yOM
You might have seen the headline that Olivia Rodrigo gave up millions in royalties to Hayley Williams and Josh Farro of Paramore, Taylor Swift, and Jack Antonoff. Why did she do this? Tune in to our next to find out!
P.S. Olivia still got to keep millions in royalties too. So don't shed any tears for her. We actually think this was a smart move!
Parlatore Law Group Max Hass, Attorney at Law Peter J. Speroni, Esq. Wynton Yates
https://youtu.be/uaEzzc_6WfQ
22/09/2021
Our next is about a very interesting story from Hollywood: Zendaya and John David Washington, the stars and co-producers of Malcolm & Marie, opted to share equity in the film with each and every crewmember who worked on the film. When the film was later sold to Netflix, everyone - not just the stars - got to bring home a nice bonus. Tune in to learn more about this story and why it's potentially going to set a new trend in independent film production!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAl5tmg7yJQ
Zendaya Shares Equity With Crew of "Malcolm & Marie" Earlier in 2021, Zendaya made headlines when she announced that she and co-star/co-producer John David Washington were sharing equity in their new film "Malc...
22/09/2021
Our newest episode of Parlatore Law Group LLP Presents Law in the Limelight:
***Zendaya Shares Equity With Crew of "Malcolm and Marie".***
Earlier in 2021, Zendaya made headlines when she announced that she and co-star/co-producer John David Washington were sharing equity in their new "Malcolm & Marie" with every single one of their crew members.
One percentage point of equity was given to each crew member, in addition to their regular compensation for working on the film. A few months later, when the film was sold to for $30 million, that 1% translated to a $300,000 bonus for each crew member.
In this "Lime Slice," Max Hass, Attorney at Law, Wynton Yates Esq.,and Peter Speroni and talk about why this is so groundbreaking, and how it might change the way independent/major films are made in the future.
Contact us if you have any questions about film financing, equity, crew deal memos, , or anything else related to business!
https://youtu.be/MAl5tmg7yJQ
Zendaya Shares Equity With Crew of "Malcolm & Marie" Earlier in 2021, Zendaya made headlines when she announced that she and co-star/co-producer John David Washington were sharing equity in their new film "Malc...
15/09/2021
Hurricanes and internet outages might slow us down, but they'll never stop us! We have new Lime Slices coming out this week for your viewing pleasure. First up: De La Soul get their masters back! This made headlines a few weeks ago, so we took a few minutes to unpack this story and explain why it's so important. Check it out on Youtube, and please get in touch if you have any questions about owning - or reclaiming - *your* masters!
Parlatore Law Group: parlatorelawgroup.com
Peter J. Speroni, Esq. Max Hass, Attorney at Law Wynton Yates
https://youtu.be/JjrZbDE_M5M
De La Soul Get Their Masters Back After a long time waiting, and then a drawn-out legal wrangle with their former label, De La Soul has successfully reclaimed ownership of their copyrights in...
27/08/2021
This week's music-biz headline: a lawsuit that probably never should have been filed. Get our hot takes on today's : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTf_dvIDZAo
Parlatore Law Group
Peter J. Speroni, Esq.
Max Hass, Attorney at Law
Wynton Yates
Why the Baby on Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ Album Is Suing Now? Spencer Elden was 4 months old when he was photographed by a family friend in 1991 in a pool at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena, Calif.That photo w...
We have a lot of new content for you! We're slowly shifting to shorter, more digestible episodes we're calling "Lime Slices." First up this week: more NFT updates! Did you hear about the 12-year old kid in the UK who made $160,000 selling his own line of NFTs in only 9 hours?
If you're a creator and you'd like to know how YOU can create and monetize NFTs, get in touch with Parlatore Law Group - Peter, Max, and Wynton from our Entertainment Law team would be happy to help.
Peter J. Speroni, Esq. Max Hass, Attorney at Law Wynton Yates
14/08/2021
Saturday morning talk. Why not?
Three entertainment attorneys discuss the future of NFTs:
Wynton Yates, Esq., Peter J. Speroni, Esq., and Max Hass, Attorney at Law.
(Subscribe on YouTube for more NFT content)
https://youtu.be/1cek3wQP3xI
The Future of NFTs Let's talk about some of the new updates we've recently seen surrounding the future of NFTs. Our links: https://linktr.ee/lawinthelimelight
10/08/2021
Parlatore Law Group Presents Law in the Limelight's newest episode: Billboard's Highest Paid Musicians for 2020-21.
Tune in as Wynton Yates, Esq., Peter J. Speroni, Esq. and Max Hass, Attorney at Law discuss the musicians who made the list, and the types of revenue streams that were included in the calculation, (streaming, publishing, touring and sales).
Our hosts also discuss the many alternative revenue streams that did not make the list, but may be available to musicians.
https://youtu.be/96FovpBesmE
Billboards Highest Paid Music artists EXPLAINED! The Law in the Limelight crew decided to comb through Billboards recently released list of the top 40 highest paid music artists. It's a great chance for us ...
31/07/2021
Breaking news: Scarlett Johansson sued Disney three days ago over the release of . Evidently, her contract called for the film to receive a theatrical-only release first, before the film went to Disney+ for streaming. But Disney had other ideas, and sent the film to streaming anyway. Now, Johansson is suing for breach of contract because she is owed a bonus based on box-office numbers, which, predictably, were very poor in light of the simultaneous release.
Are you a filmmaker with questions about how to handle contingent compensation? Curious about distribution windows and how they affect talent pay? We talk about all of that in our latest news update, which we're now calling . Post your questions and thoughts in the comments!
Wynton Yates Max Hass, Attorney at Law Peter J. Speroni, Esq.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIWgobIHOKc
Why is Scarlett Johansson Suing Disney? Scarlett Johansson, star of the latest Marvel movie “Black Widow,” filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Disney, alleging her contract was br...
29/07/2021
Parlatore Law Group Presents Law in the Limelight's newest episode, featuring one of Billboard's Top Music Lawyers 2021, David L. Hecht.
Hecht represents JaQuel Knight choreographer to the stars and the creator of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" dance.
Working together, these two secured the very first registration for a stand-alone choreographic work with the U.S. Copyright Office. Previously, only choreography that followed a "narrative" (i.e. ballet) was eligible.
David also represented Alfonso Ribeiro in his efforts to protect the Carlton dance (also known as just "the dance"), and the band Too Many Zooz when their likenesses showed up without authorization in Fortnite.
Max Hass, Attorney at Law , Wynton Yates and Peter J. Speroni, Esq. talk to David about the fascinating intersection of and , the history of legal protection in this space, (of course), and much more.
Tune in to the Law in the Limelight YouTube channel (here: https://lnkd.in/dY3dJfF). SUBSCRIBE!
https://youtu.be/DhUdlgRgKbs
Law in the Limelight - YouTube Three entertainment attorneys talk entertainment news & emerging copyright markets. Tune in every Wednesday @ 2pm for new content uploaded across all major p...
26/07/2021
Law in the Limelight has a very exciting episode coming up this Wednesday! Make sure to tune in and see how JaQuel Knight, the choreographer for Beyoncé "Single Ladies", fought, (and won) for copyright protection for his iconic dance moves!
We sit down with Knight's attorney, David Hecht to discuss the details of this historic legal victory!
Peter J. Speroni, Esq. Max Hass, Attorney at Law Wynton Yates
JaQuel Knight Is Paving The Way For The Future Of Copyrighting Dance JaQuel Knight’s creative direction and choreography have been seen in culture-shifting projects such as Beyonce’s Homecoming & Black Is King, the JLo & Shakira’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, and Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” video. Now he is paving the way for the future of dance.
23/07/2021
Parlatore Law Group Presents Law in the Limelight's Newest Episode: NCAA/NIL Athletes and the right to financially gain from their Name/likeness/publicity.
Tune in as Wynton Yates and Max Hass break down this recent SCOTUS decision and discuss the impacts it will have on college athletes, the schools they attend, and the companies that offer branding and sponsorship opportunities!
Peter Speroni
NCAA/NIL Deals Best thing for College Athletes With the recent unanimous decision from the Supreme Court that the NCAA's rule restricting college athletes from financially capitalizing on their name, imag...
19/07/2021
14/07/2021
Parlatore Law Group presents Law in the Limelight Mini Episode :
JAY-Z v. Damon Dash - The dispute over the Reasonable Doubt Album NFT heats up!
Tune in, as three entertainment attorneys, Max Hass, Attorney at Law, Peter J. Speroni, Esq., and Wynton Yates, discuss this recent court case, and the interplay between music copyrights and non-fungible tokens. .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOH_60_zch4
Jay Z vs. Damon Dash - The Reasonable Doubt Album NFT dispute heats up. Jay Z was recently granted a temporary restraining order enjoining Damon Dash from selling Reasonable Doubt Album as an NFT.
Taylor Swift's decision to rerecord her masters was a good one. Our new mini-episodes will continue to provide updates as this story progresses. If you want to know copyright basics, explained by three entertainment attorneys, Max Hass, Attorney at Law, Wynton Yates and Peter J. Speroni, Esq., and would like an analysis on how Taylor's decision may impact your songwriting, record label & music publishing agreements, tune in below! And subscribe on YouTube for additional content.
07/07/2021
Parlatore Law Group Presents Law in the Limelight Episode 7 - The Hidden Legal Side of Reality TV Shows
Three entertainment attorneys Wynton Yates Peter J. Speroni, Esq. Max Hass, Attorney at Law discuss reality tv show contracts.
https://youtu.be/-DXaiguiDcU
The Hidden Legal Side of Reality Shows When people sign up to appear on reality shows, sometimes they sign away more than just the right to their image and likeness!https://linktr.ee/lawinthelimel...
05/07/2021
Lawsuit alert: Damon Dash v. Jay-Z . “Reasonable Doubt” NFT Max Hass, Attorney at Law Wynton Yates, Esq. Peter J. Speroni, Esq. Parlatore Law Group
You asked and Law in the Limelight answered ! (Thanks for the feedback!)
WE NOW PROVIDE NEW MINI EPISODES !!! TUNE IN AS THREE ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEYS DISCUSS NEWSWORTHY ENTERTAINMENT LAW CASES!!
We will also provide live updates as the case progresses throughout the court system and make predictions on how those court decisions may impact your record label , publishing and music investment contracts .
Dame Dash tried to sell Ownership of Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt as an NFT Roc-A-Fella Records has sued its co-founder, Damon Dash, for allegedly trying to mint and sell the copyright ownership for Jay-Z’s 1996 debut album Reasonabl...
02/07/2021
Aliya Janell sits down with Law in the Limelight to discuss the importance of having entertainment attorneys as you build your media empire. Max Hass, Attorney at Law Wynton Yates, Esq. Peter J. Speroni, Esq.
https://youtu.be/oPXMn_b0g-8
Keep these guys around Aliya Janell talks with Law in the Limelight about the importance of having entertainment attorneys by your side as you build your entertainment empire.
30/06/2021
This week's episode of Law in the Limelight featuring Aliya Janellis live now! Check it out at the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOEbJVfgPEI
We're speaking with Aliya Janell, choreographer to major pop stars like Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown , Jennifer Lopez, and many others. And now, she's the behind Queens N' Lettos, a worldwide dance-class brand. On this episode, our hosts, three entertainment attorneys Max Hass, Attorney at Law Peter J. Speroni, Esq. and Wynton Yates talk to Aliya about her early career and how she has built her passion of dancing into 2.5 million instagram followers. Aliya is a success story you must hear! Listen in as she covers her background, how she leveraged into bigger ventures, intellectual property, social media, and a lot more!
Aliya Janell Shares the business lessons she's learned on her road to success is our special guest on this week's episode of ! Tune in to our channel Wednesday to hear all about how Aliya got ...
30/06/2021
Aliyah Janell Co-Hosts today . 3 PM EST . Wynton Yates, Esq. Peter Speroni Parlatore Law Group Aliya Janell Max Hass, Attorney at Law
29/06/2021
Law in the Limelight predicted the inevitable crash between Copyrights and NFT's (Non-Fungible Tokens). Jay-Z sues Damon Dash over "Reasonable Doubt" NFT and wins a temporary restraining order. Then turns around and sells the NFT of "Reasonable Doubt" Artwork on Sotheby's auction platform. This case is far from over! We will be providing shorter episodes in the coming weeks (see below). Make sure to tune in as Wynton Yates Peter Speroni and Max Hass, Attorney at Law cover this case as it unfolds. For an update, check out our video below:
Dame Dash tried to sell Ownership of Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt as an NFT Roc-A-Fella Records has sued its co-founder, Damon Dash, for allegedly trying to mint and sell the copyright ownership for Jay-Z’s 1996 debut album Reasonabl...
Parlatore Law Group Presents Law in the Limelight, Episode 5: with Guest Host Aliya Janell. After choreographing world wide tours, music videos and other performances for music stars like Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown and Tank, Aliya Janell has built a 2.5 million-strong social media empire, an entire apparel line, and a nation-wide dance class tour. Want to know more about how she did it? Tune in on Wednesday where we interview Aliya about her career, and discuss some of the industry growing pains she has felt as a choreographer and a social media influencer.
Tune in with Max Hass, Attorney at Law Peter J. Speroni, Esq.Wynton Yates on Wednesday!
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