Beastie Boys Trial Against Monster Energy Drinks Begins

In 2012, the Beastie Boys brought suit against Monster Energy Drink, claiming both copyright infringement and unfair competition resulting from Monster’s use of their songs in an online promotional video.  The Beastie Boys are seeking $2 Million in damages.

The controversy stems from a promotional video about a snowboarding competition in Canada called “Ruckus in the Rockies,” which is organized and sponsored by Monster.  After the event, Monster posted a video online of the competition and the after-party, including a mash-up mix performed by DJ …

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NCAA Separation Order

The NCAA is currently facing two related antitrust lawsuits regarding their ban on student-athlete compensation.  The first case, brought by former student-athlete and professional athlete Ed O’Bannon, is now set for trial on June 9, 2014.  The second case, brought by former student-athlete Sam Keller, is set for March of 2015.

Ed O’Bannon brought his case in 2009, 10 years after his retirement, when he saw his name and likeness being broadcasted by the NCAA during a basketball tournament.  O’Bannon is not seeking a monetary …

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NCAA Fights Consolidation in Anti-trust Scholarship Cases

The NCAA, facing legal battles on several fronts regarding student-athlete compensation, is fighting to keep multiple class action suits from being centralized.

Former student-athlete, Shawne Alston, filed a lawsuit in Oakland, CA, back in March, 2014, claiming the NCAA has violated federal anti-trust laws by fixing scholarship awards below the actual full cost of attendance.  Many students, including Alston, need to take out loans in addition to their scholarships to cover their actual full cost of attendance because registration fees and other daily living expenses …

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Steve Ballmer Pays $2 Billion for Clippers

The biggest deal ever in the NBA history was announced: Steve Ballmer has signed a binding contract to sell the Clippers with Shelly Sterling for $2 billion.  While the sale is subject to an approval from the NBA, Donald Sterling’s attorneys argue that as a co-owner of the team, he must consent to the deal and he does not plan to do so.

Maxwell Blecher, one of Donald Sterling’s lawyers, had conveyed earlier that his client intends to keep the team in his family and …

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What Are the Potential Effects of the Northwestern NLRB Decision on New York Compensation Claims?

Prior entries to Goldberg Segalla’s Sports and Entertainment Law Insider blog have discussed in detail some of the legal and practical issues for college football programs made by the recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision regarding Northwestern University football players. (Recent blog entries have analyzed the ramifications on university athletic programs and student-athletes, as well as the responses of coaches and players.)

In addition to the civil liability issues discussed in those articles, particularized problems would arise in the workers’ compensation context …

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Dan Marino Pulls Out From Concussion Lawsuit

Only a day after reports of filing a concussion lawsuit, Marino announced a withdrawal from the suit.   In his statement to Sports Illustrated, he said, “Within the last year I authorized a claim to be filed on my behalf just in case I needed future medical coverage to protect me and my family in the event I later suffered from the effects of head trauma.”  He further said he was unaware that his name would be “automatically” attached to the suit when he authorized the …

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Reporter Attacks Brad Pitt at the “Maleficent” Premiere

Brad Pitt allegedly got struck by a former Ukrainian TV reporter on the red carpet in Los Angeles.  The 25 year-old reporter Vitalii Sediuk jumped over the rope and struck Pitt in his face while he was signing autographs for the fans.  Sediuk was immediately handcuffed by LAPD and is currently held at the Hollywood jail for suspicion of battery.

Sediuk  is infamous for playing pranks on celebrities. His pranks reportedly started at the Venice Film Festival in 2011 when he gave Madonna a hydrangea …

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Dan Marino Files Concussion Lawsuit Against the NFL

On May 28, Dan Marino with 14 other former players filed a lawsuit against the NFL who allegedly misled the players about the long-term effects of concussions.  The suit accuses the NFL’s “carelessness, negligence, intentional misconduct” related to the dangers of concussions.  However, according to USA Today, Marino does not have “significant history of documented concussions” but suffered a neck injury.  The suit does not provide any details on Marino’s current health.  Eric Dickerson, Tony Dorsett, Bob Little, Randy White, and the estate of …

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Michael Jackson Performs at Billboard Awards via Hologram with Assistance of Federal Judge

On May 16, 2014, U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson issued a ruling permitting the Billboard Music Awards to use a hologram performance featuring the deceased music icon Michael Jackson in an upcoming awards show.

The legal dispute over Jackson’s upcoming “performance” began after Hologram USA Inc. and Musion Das Hologram Ltd. (the “Plaintiffs”) sued the Estate of Michael Jackson and dick clark productions,  alleging that the planned spectacle  infringed on patents the Plaintiff’s held in 3-D image projection technologies.  The Plaintiffs are most well known …

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NFL Hurting From New Suit by Former Players Over Painkillers

The NFL’s litigation woes continue.  On May 20, 2014, the league was hit with a lawsuit brought by a group of retired former players claiming that the NFL illegally supplied them with narcotics and other painkillers to mask their injuries and keep them on the playing field, intentionally ignoring the risks these drugs had on the players’ long-term health.  The filing insists that the actions by team doctors and trainers were illegal because team medical personnel never obtained prescriptions, failed to keep drug records, and …

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