Entertainment Law Update Blog

For this blog assignment I've taken the time to listen to a couple law podcasts in an attempt to expand my knowledge about different aspects of my business.
For my first podcast I listened to Gordon Firemark's podcast Episode 43- No Copyright Sherlock.  I'll be honest, I was dreading this assignment and thought this was going to be the most boring thing I've ever listened too but I thoroughly enjoyed this podcast.  I think being a former English major helped because Gordon discussed Faulkner and Harper Lee and a couple copyright issues.  The main issue I found interesting was the Faulkner people vs. the Midnight in Paris movie people.  At one point in the Midnight in Paris film George Clooney stands up and proclaims a profound statement about the past that was in the Faulkner piece "A requiem for a nun." Faulkner's folks said the one phrase in the movie violated copyright laws and that they were owed for the quote.  The judge however, cited fair use and said that there was no way this a copyright violation.

I found this 1st case quite helpful because I plan on making tshirts and hats down the road as my brand grows.  And a few of my designs all have common phrases on them.  I will need to ensure that I am protected under fair use for a few of them so that I cannot be sued for violating copyright laws.

For my 2nd case I listened to Entertainment Law Update Episode 36- Einstein, Faulkner, Superman and talent managers. There were some interesting points brought up in this podcast but one point in particular I found insightful.  Gordon discussed in this podcast Fox News vs. the wife of a deceased US Marine.  In this case Fox News used pictures of the family on vacation and pictures of the deceased Marine for their documentary "Afghanistan ER." Gordon discussed the moral issue of using pictures of the family on vacation but legally they didn't do anything wrong. The story proved as a stern warning to hurting your brand's image.  While yes Fox News did not do anything legally wrong they really did severely hurt their public image. For my brand we may never deal with anything this heavy but, we always need to keep our public opinion in the forefront of our minds.