A group of television station owners has filed a class-action antitrust lawsuit against SESAC and its affiliated composers and music publishers. SESAC is a for-profit company that licenses public performance rights to copyrighted music compositions. The complaint (“Complaint”) filed in a United States District Court in New York alleges that SESAC has engaged in anti-competitive behavior in violation of federal antitrust laws. Continue reading “Television Broadcasters File Class-Action Lawsuit Against SESAC”
Whoomp! (There It Is): The Importance of Contract Drafting
People often assume lawyers just use “form books” for contracts. I’m sometimes asked questions like: Don’t you just have a form for that? Can’t you just send me the standard form agreement? Can you quickly look over this agreement I did myself on the internet?
The fact is that virtually every contract involves unique circumstances. In the case of copyright transfers and licensing, contractual language can be critical. Under the Copyright Act, a written and signed document is required to transfer ownership of a copyright or to transfer exclusive rights to a copyright.
A recent case from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals demonstrates the pitfalls of an ambiguously drafted copyright transfer. Continue reading “Whoomp! (There It Is): The Importance of Contract Drafting”