DACA and John Lennon, a Dreamer
Music legend John Lennon, former Beatles star, once sung the words “you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”[1] These words, which make up the chorus for one of his most famous songs, Imagine, have a…
The Legal Issues Surrounding #Not-So-Chilla
Let’s face it – it is nearly impossible to scroll through any form of social media during the weekends of April 14-23 without seeing floods of content surrounding “one of the most critically acclaimed”[1] music and arts festivals in the…
Taxstone and the American Justice System’s War Against Hip-Hop
The well-known podcast personality Daryl Campbell a.k.a. Taxstone was recently arrested on January 16, 2017 on federal charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon and Receipt of a Firearm in Interstate Commerce.[1] The arrest is related to…
DOJ v. BMI: The Fight over Consent Decrees and Fractional Licensing
In continuation of an ongoing battle, the Department of Justice has filed a notice that it will appeal the September 2016 decision by Judge Stanton which concluded that fractional licensing is allowed under the current Broadcast Music, Inc. (“BMI”) consent decree.[1] Back…
New Jersey’s Appeal to Legalize Sports Betting Await SCOTUS Approval
The state of New Jersey continues to push for the legalization of sports betting within its borders in the case Governor Christopher J. Christie, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al. The latest appeal by New Jersey currently…
Is China The Next Bollywood?
For those English language lovers, the word “synecdoche” (pronounced si-NEK-də-kee) is a figure of speech in which a word is used to represent the whole of something else. Thus, the city of Hollywood, California represents, figuratively, the whole of the…
Will the Real Miss America Please Stand Up? Copyright Considerations in Recent Comics News
Diversity in comics is always important but currently it is a hot topic in the comic book industry and broader pop culture fandom discourse.[1] In the vein of a modern legacy of reintroducing characters of color in their own titles,[2]…
Video Game Studios: Be Mindful of What You Say at E3
No Man’s Sky is an action-adventure survival video game in which a player is free to explore an uncharted universe comprised of 18 quintillion planets, nearly each one unique with procedurally generated terrain, flora, and fauna.[1] The game, published by…
Making Music Accessible: Closed Captions in Light of California Court Ruling on The Duties of Film Studios
Is it unreasonable for deaf moviegoers to expect that song lyrics might be included in film captions and subtitles? On Wednesday, September 28, 2016, a California District court found that it was, when it granted summary judgment to a group…
SCOTUS to Determine If “THE SLANTS” Is Offensive to Asians
On September 29, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to revisit a controversial issue surrounding the federal government’s ban on offensive trademarks, specifically whether this ban violates free speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Federal…
Second Circuit Halts Appeal Against World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
On Friday, September 23, 2016, the Second Circuit denied an appeal by former World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) wrestler, William Albert Haynes III (professionally known as Billy Jack) alleging that the corporation intentionally hid the risks of traumatic brain injuries…
Not Happy Together: The Turtles’ Epic Quest for Performance Royalties & the Case for Federalizing Pre-1972 Sound Recordings
Tatsuya Adachi is Editor-in-Chief of the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal, Vol. 34, and J.D. Candidate, 2016, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Introduction Flo & Eddie—performers of the Turtles’ hit record “Happy Together”—have recently been engaging in…