RECENT POSTS
Music Publisher Caught in Birthday Suit
by Tal Grinblat & Nicholas Kanter 818.990.2120 In 2013, Good Morning to You Productions Corp., Rupa Marya and Robert Siegel (collectively “GMTY”) filed a class action suit against Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., one of the largest music publishing
Pow! Boff! Thwack! Batmobile Wins Copyright Litigation
Intellectual Property Litigation by Nicholas Kanter 818-907-3289 It’s not every day a Ninth Circuit court opinion includes, “Holy copyright law, Batman!,” or “To the Batmobile!” But in affirming a district court’s ruling in a copyright infringement
Rent Control re Former Resident Managers: Good News for Landlords
Real Estate Litigation Attorney by Nicholas Kanter 818-907-3289 Many apartment building landlords utilize a resident manager to manage day-to-day operations. The resident managers are commonly provided rent-free or reduced-rent accommodations in exchange for performance managerial duties.
Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act: California Court of Appeal
Real Estate Litigation Attorney by Nicholas Kanter 818-907-3289 Five years after the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act was passed, the California Court of Appeal recently published its first opinion interpreting the Act in depth. The PTFA,
“She’s Crafty”: GoldieBlox, Beasties, Copyrights and Codicils
by Nicholas Kanter & Robert A. Hull, Esq. November 27, 2013 In 1986, New York hip hoppers the Beastie Boys released Licensed to Ill, the first rap LP to top the Billboard album chart, selling
Lessons in Commercial Lease Charges: Incorrect Estimates Could Lead to Fraud Claims
Real Estate Litigation Attorney by Nicholas Kanter 818-907-3289 A recent decision from the California Court of Appeals should give commercial landlords pause before providing estimated common area maintenance charges (CAM) and other lease expenses to prospective tenants.
Oprah Winfrey’s Fair Use Defense Rejected
IP Litigation Attorney by Nicholas Kanter 818-907-3289 On Friday, the Second Circuit ruled that the owner of a motivation services business (Simone Kelly-Brown) can continue with her trademark infringement lawsuit against media mogul Oprah Winfrey. Kelly-Brown
Why Register a Domain Name? Intellectual Property Protection to Start
Litigation Attorney by Nicholas Kanter 818-907-3289 A political organization recently learned the hard way that possession, including possession of intellectual property, is nine-tenths of the law. In January, after helping President Obama win reelection, Obama for
Five Tips for Developing and Protecting Your Trademarks
by Nicholas Kanter & Tal Grinblat March 13, 2013 A trademark is a word, phrase, design, logo, sound or color used to identify the source of a party’s goods or services. For many companies, their
Another Blow for Property Owners Challenging Foreclosure
Real Estate Litigation Attorney by Nicholas Kanter 818-907-3289 When challenging a foreclosure sale, property owners look to defects or irregularities in the foreclosure process, which is strictly regulated by California’s Civil Code, to have the sale