Author: Joseph M. Hanna

Joseph M. Hanna is the founder and chair of Goldberg Segalla’s Sports and Entertainment Practice Group and editor of the Sports and Entertainment Law Insider blog. With a national practice and industry-wide reputation for leadership, Joe is consistently ranked among the top 10 attorneys based in Western New York in Business First’s annual Legal Elite, and in 2015, Joe was the youngest honoree ever to be named Lawyer of the Year in the Bar Association of Erie County’s 130-year history. He was named a Rising Star by Law360 in 2014 and is also a member of the Mediator Panel for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.

January 17, 2015 Copyright / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark

Universal Sues Companies for Selling Prison Mix Tape “Contraband”

On Tuesday, January 6, Universal Music Group turned its eye back toward the fight against music piracy by filing a copyright infringement lawsuit in the Central District of California against companies compiling mix tapes for prisoners.

Centric Group and its subsidiary Keefe Group, the named defendants in the suit, are companies that put together “care packages” for prison inmates. The companies have set up a website through which customers can pay the companies to put together packages for delivery to relatives in jail. One popular …

January 16, 2015 Litigation / MLB

Cubs Accused of Bullying Rooftop Club Owners

On Thursday, January 8, several rooftop club owners adjacent to the historic Wrigley Field, home to the Chicago Cubs, filed another lawsuit against the city of Chicago to block proposed renovations to the stadium.

Last July, the Chicago Cubs gained approval of renovations costing $375 million from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to add seven new signs to the ball park’s outfield. The Cubs then altered the placement and shape of the signs and received approval yet again. This lawsuit, brought by the rooftop club …

January 16, 2015 Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / NFL / Trademark

US Gov’t Joins Fight Against “Redskins” Trademark

On Friday, January 9, the United States Department of Justice filed a notice of intervention with the Eastern District of Virginia to intervene in the lawsuit between Washington’s football team and the Native American group, who successfully petitioned to have the team’s trademarks revoked.

The lawsuit stems from a June ruling by the US Patent & Trademark Office that revoked six of the Washington football team’s trademarks as the term “Redskin” was determined to be disparaging to a substantial amount of Native Americans during the …

January 15, 2015 Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark

Football Helmet Maker Riddell Sued Rawlings for Patent Infringements

Sports equipment manufacturer Riddell filed a four-count lawsuit against Rawlings, another sporting goods maker, over five Rawlings helmet models—Tachyon, Impulse, Quantum, Momentum and Force—and shoulder pads that allegedly infringe on Riddell’s technology.

More specifically, the lawsuit involves three patents related to protective helmet designs and one related to shoulder pad design.

At the end of the 2013 season, NFL and Riddell agreed to end a deal that gave Riddell an exclusive right to put its name on the helmet’s nose bumper. For the approximately …

January 15, 2015 NFL

Bears Cornerback Tim Jennings Arrested: DUI, Speeding

Chicago’s Tim Jennings was arrested on Wednesday in Georgia for driving under the influence and speeding as well as reckless driving (you can learn more from Louisiana Speeding Ticket Lawyer and how they handle cases such as this). Initially, he was stopped for driving 99 mph in a 65-mph zone. Jennings reportedly told the officer that he was late for a parent-teacher conference. Then the arresting officer “noticed a strong odor of alcoholic beverages and began a DUI investigation. Ultimately, Jennings was charged with …

January 13, 2015 Advertising

Do You Know Where Your Beer Was Born?: Anheuser-Busch brews litigation with deceptive marketing

Anheuser-Busch, the world’s leader in beer production, is the target of public scorn for its alleged misleading labels and unfair marketing tactics.

In the past two years, consumers have brought as many lawsuits against the brewer for false advertisement. Consumers are claiming that two of Anheuser-Busch’s beers mislead consumers into thinking the beer is imported, though it is actually brewed on American soil with American water and ingredients. The lawsuits name Kirin Ichiban and Beck’s as improperly labeled beer that misleads customers into believing the …

January 13, 2015 NFL

Ethics Complaint Filed Against NJ Gov. Christie over Gifts from Cowboys

American Democracy Legal Fund known for its ties to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton filed a complaint against New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with the State Ethics Commission. Closely associated with American Bridge that conducts opposition research on Republicans, the group urged the commission to investigate if Christie, a Republican, violated ethics rules by accepting gifts from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

The group argued that Christie’s accepting from Cowboys a private jet ride and box tickets to NFL games is a violation of …

January 12, 2015 Litigation / NFL

Electronic Arts Cannot Escape ex-NFL Players’ Lawsuit

On Tuesday, January 6, the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals denied Electronic Arts’ motion seeking dismissal of a lawsuit brought by ex-NFL players who claim EA used their likenesses without permission in ‘Madden NFL’ videogames.

The lawsuit, initiated in April of 2012, is very similar to the lawsuit against Electronic Arts brought by former NCAA players for EA’s unlicensed use of their likenesses in sports videogames. This time, it is ex-NFL players bringing the lawsuit for the use of their likenesses in the ‘Madden …

January 8, 2015 Litigation / NFL

49ers Hit with Age Discrimination Suit by Former Managers

Former 49ers employees, Anthony Lozano and Keith Yanagi, filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that owner Jed York fired them as well as “a lot” of other older employees in an attempt to rebrand the team as a “startup” before its move to the new stadium in Silicon Valley.

According to the court documents, York replaced those older employees with younger workers from tech companies in Santa Clara because they “made a lot of money, they did a lot of cool things before they …

January 5, 2015 TV

Thumb’s Down on Set of Cancelled CBS Show ‘Vegas’

On Thursday December 18, a lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County against two crane companies for injuries arising from an accident on the set of former CBS show ‘Vegas’ last year.

Plaintiff Andrea Krout was working as crane dolly grip on the set of the now canceled ‘Vegas,’ starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis, when her hand was pulled into the belt and pulley drive, crushing and almost severing her left thumb on January 8, 2013. Krout was rushed to the hospital where she …