The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has rejected an effort by rapper Dr. Dre to stop an OB-GYN named Draion M. Burch from registering his nickname “Dr. Drai”, ruling that gynecology and music are “obviously far removed.”

This emphasizes the limits of trademark law in c...

I get these calls a lot:  "I just had a meeting with a VC, who expressed real interest in a deal at the valuation I want.  Get ready to do the deal."  In the vast majority of cases, this leads to weeks of back and forth, puttering out to nothing other than a lot of was...

The Ninth Circuit recently heard arguments in the "Blurred Lines" litigation.  From the arguments, it seems that the judges are inclined to uphold the verdict, or possibly expand the victory by the Gaye heirs.

For the practicing attorney advising businesses on a day-to-...

A court in New York recently allowed a raunchy, one woman show relaying an alternative universe version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" to go on in the face of a copyright claim by the Dr. Suess estate; with the reasoning that the use of the underlying work was "t...

A photographer recently settled a lawsuit brought by PETA over the copyright ownership of a "selfie" taken by a macaque monkey.  http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/12/550417823/-animal-rights-advocates-photographer-compromise-over-ownership-of-monkey-selfie...

Things are changing in entertainment.  Everyone knows it. Check out the latest write up in Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/why-hollywood-as-we-know-it-is-already-over.   

What's a lawyer to do?  Big ticket productions meant you could...

There is a love/hate relationship between lawyers and business folks.  The need for outstanding legal service is understood, but the combination of cost and the perception that attorneys slow companies down lead many small businesses to "go it alone", with the plan to...