Freeplay Music Sues Disney’s Maker Studios and Other MCNs for Copyright Infringement

Freeplay Music, a music licensing company that owns rights to 50, 000 works by various composers, is suing separately four YouTube multi-channel networks (MCNs) Disney’s Maker Studios, DreamWorks Animation’s Awesomeness, Big Frame and BroadbandTV Corp., alleging the defendants misappropriated its licensed music in YouTube videos.

More specifically, Freeplay claims Maker infringed over 45 copyrights, AwesomenessTV and Big Frame together infringed on 14 copyrights, and BroadbandTV infringed on more than 70 copyrights.

It was only last week that Freeplay was in the news when two …

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Lance Armstrong Owes $10 million According to Arbitrators

Last week, Lance Armstrong lost an arbitration battle in the amount of $10 million over a fraud dispute with a Dallas based promotions company.

Armstrong and former team owner Tailwind Sports Corp. were on the losing end of a 2-1 arbitration decision that ruled in favor of promotions company SCA Promotions.  SCA Promotions had previously paid Armstrong bonuses for victories in the Tour de France, but then took legal action to recover them once doping allegations arose.  The parties originally agreed in 2005 to a …

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NHL Hit Again With a Concussion Lawsuit

On Monday, February 9,  yet another concussion related lawsuit was aimed at the NHL by former players seeking damages for the NHL’s alleged failure to protect and warn players about the long-term effects of head trauma.

The lawsuit, filed in Minnesota District Court, joins several other previously filed lawsuits alleging similar claims against the NHL.  The 29 plaintiffs in the new complaint, including Manny Legace and Butch Goring, is set to become part of the multidistrict litigation before Judge Sue Nelson that consolidated the previous …

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NCAA Says District Court Got It Wrong

Citing NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma where the Supreme Court found the NCAA’s amateurism rules were procompetitive, the NCAA claimed the district court erred in finding such rules anti-competitive and “embracing an analysis that conflicts with fundamental antitrust principles.”  The NCAA emphasized that the Supreme Court held that amateurism rules were valid because they

“enable[] a product to be marketed which might otherwise be unavailable.”

In a filing submitted on February 11, the organization criticized the plaintiffs’ argument that the …

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NCAA to Disclose Documents Related to Former USC Coach’s Defamation Action

A California appeals court denied on Friday the NCAA’s attempt to seal hundreds of documents in connection with a defamation suit brought by a former University of Southern California (USC) assistant football coach Todd McNair who was sanctioned for his part in the Reggie Bush scandal.

Previously, the trial court blocked the NCAA’s bid to seal hundreds of pages of internal emails and other documents in the lawsuit where McNair asserted breach of contract and defamation claims among others.

Although the NCAA argued disclosing the …

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NCAA Urges Court to Toss Student-Athletes’ Sexual Discrimination Claims

The NCAA filed a motion to dismiss the sexual discrimination action brought against it by former soccer players at Kean University, citing the action is time barred and the complaint contained no specific discrimination allegation by the NCAA.

The motion argued that Shannon Pedersen, Emily Cristaldi, and Jaclyn Janicky failed to specifically allege that the association discriminated female athletes differently when it sent a notice informing the university of a possible rule violation by the school in 2011.  Additionally, several claims stated in the original …

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NCAA Says Athletes Counsel Overcharged It for Attorney Fees

The NCAA wants more than 80% discount on the bill presented by the lawyers who represented the student-athlete plaintiffs in the O’Bannon case pursuant to a judgment in that case.

In a court filing, the NCAA argued that since the court’s decision in the O’Bannon case was a “limited success” as it only allowed players to share licensing revenue but awarded no damages, $9.1 million was more reasonable than the plaintiffs lawyers’ demand of $51 million.  Further, it accused the plaintiffs legal team …

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Oakland Raiders Victorious in Age Discrimination Lawsuit

On Wednesday, February 4, the Oakland Raiders were named victor in an age discrimination lawsuit brought by two former scouts claiming they were fired  with discriminatory intent.

Oakland Raiders national scout Bruce Kebric and director of college scouting Jon Kingdon brought the age discrimination lawsuit after they were fired back in 2012.  When longtime owner Al Davis died in late 2011, his son, Mark Davis, took control of the franchise.  Davis hired Reggie McKenzie as general manager, and the two set their sights on ending …

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“Left Shark” Replica Vendor has Perry’s Attorneys Circling

On Wednesday, February 4, Katy Perry’s attorneys preyed on an Orlando-based 3-D printer who allegedly infringed Perry’s copyrights by printing and selling replicas of the internet-famous “Left Shark” from her halftime show performance at this year’s Super Bowl.

Fernando Sosa is a 3-D artwork printer who normally creates controversial political pieces for sale and distribution.  After the dancing “Left Shark” from Katy Perry’s Super Bowl halftime show became an overnight  media sensation, even being named  Super Bowl MVP by SB Nation, Sosa …

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New Study Heightens Conversation on Concussions and the Danger of Youth Football

A Boston University study released last week provides scientific data to suggest what many parents across the nation have grown to believe, that youth football is too dangerous.  The findings show that NFL players who began  playing football before the age of 12 express more cognitive difficulties than colleagues who began playing football later.  Studies like this one have contributed to a national stigma attributed to the visibly violent though increasingly popular sport, leaving parents uncertain as to how they feel about their children participating.…

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