By Giancarla Sambo
Edited by Elissa D. Hecker
Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News:
Entertainment
‘Road House’ Brawl: Amazon Used AI to Replicate Actors’ Voices During strike, Lawsuit Alleges
R. Lance Hill, who wrote the screenplay for the 1989 cult movie, sued Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its parent, Amazon Studios, for copyright infringement and is seeking declaratory relief.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2024-02-27/amazon-sued-over-roadhouse-copyright-jake-gyllenhaal
‘Dark Secrets,’ ‘Psychological Warfare,’ and Cocaine
A New York City housewife speaks about a new lawsuit against Andy Cohen and Bravo in which she alleges that all of these things (and more) created a “rotted workplace culture.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/01/style/leah-mcsweeney-lawsuit.html
Rachel Leviss Sues ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Co-stars Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix for Revenge Porn and More
The complaint alleges revenge porn, invasion of privacy, eavesdropping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and names Sandoval and Madix as the defendants.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/entertainment/rachel-leviss-sues-tom-sandoval-ariana-madix/index.html
Sean Combs Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Music Producer
Rodney Jones Jr. filed a federal lawsuit that says the hip-hop mogul made unwanted sexual contact while they worked on an album. A lawyer for Sean Combs denied the allegations.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/arts/music/rodney-jones-sean-diddy-combs-lawsuit.html
Kanye West: Rapper Ye sued by Donna Summer's estate over copyright
Court documents show that the Queen of Disco's estate denied Kanye's request to sample the 1977 hit I Feel Love.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68412158
Two Men Are Convicted in 2002 Killing of Run-DMC D.J. Jam Master Jay
Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were convicted of fatally shooting the hip-hop D.J., born Jason Mizell, in his Queens recording studio.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/nyregion/run-dmc-jam-master-jay-conviction.html
Songwriters And Publishers to Receive Nearly $400 Million Payout After Streaming Royalty Ruling
The windfall stems from the Copyright Royalty Board’s Phonorecord III determination in August 2023, which established higher royalty rates for music streamed between 2021 and 2022.
https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/songwriters-and-publishers-to-receive-nearly-400m-payout-after-streaming-royalty-ruling/
Arts
Investigators Say Chicago’s Art Institute Is Holding onto ‘Looted Art’
The museum asserts it is the rightful owner of an Egon Schiele drawing that New York investigators say in a new court filing was stolen by the Nazis.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/arts/investigators-say-chicagos-art-institute-is-holding-onto-looted-art.html
Frieze Los Angeles Opens Amid Attention to Asian Artists
Spurred by population growth and new patron support, artists from China, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines are getting more recognition from museums and the market.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/arts/design/frieze-los-angeles-asian-artists.html
Publishing Pledged to Diversify. Change Has Been Slow.
A new survey shows that more people of color are working in the book business, but the industry remains overwhelmingly white.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/books/publishing-books-poc-dei.html
Spanish Court Sides with Mango in Copyright Lawsuit Over NFTs
In a recent decision, Barcelona’s Ninth Mercantile Court sided with Mango in a lawsuit waged against it by the Spanish copyright society, VEGAP, over the creation of non-fungible tokens based on the works of three well-known Catalan artists, finding that the Spanish fast fashion retailer could rely on available defenses, including the doctrine of harmless use.
https://www.thefashionlaw.com/spanish-court-sides-with-mango-in-copyright-lawsuit-over-nfts/
Sports
‘What NIL stands for: Now it’s legal': Ruling Frees Booster-Backed Groups to Negotiate With Recruits
Forced into yet another courtroom to defend its amateur model of athletics, the NCAA insisted that shelving its rules against name, image, and likeness compensation being offered to recruits would make a difficult situation across the country even more chaotic.
https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-nil-collectives-382eb4a40ff7f7e4666ecbdf212db28a
U.S. Tennis Association Tries to Persuade Judge to Prohibit Key Evidence in Sexual Abuse Lawsuit
As a lawsuit from a young player who was found to have been sexually assaulted while training at the United States Tennis Association’s Florida headquarters steams toward a likely trial this spring, the organization is making a last-ditch attempt to convince the judge to prohibit key evidence and testimony at the heart of the player’s case.
https://theathletic.com/5308772/2024/03/02/mckenzie-us-tennis-sexual-abuse-lawsuit-shriver/
Lawsuit Says Tyreek Hill Injured Woman in Football Drill, His Lawyer Calls it “Baseless”
The plaintiff is Sophie Hall, an Instagram influencer with more than 2 million followers. Hall claims that Hill flew her to South Florida to stay with him at his home, and that what started as some friendly football drills on Hill’s property ended with Hill getting angry and hurting her.
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/lawsuit-says-tyreek-hill-injured-woman-in-football-drill-his-lawyer-calls-it-baseless
Spanish Court Dismisses Lawsuit Over LaLiga's $2.1 Billion Deal
The Madrid court's ruling found nothing unlawful in the "LaLiga Boost" deal, in which 38 Spanish clubs voted to receive cash in return for handing an 8.2% stake to CVC Capital Partners.
https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/spanish-court-dismisses-lawsuit-over-laligas-21-bln-deal-2024-02-27/
In Latin America, a New Frontier for Women: Professional Softball in Mexico
For the first time, women professional softball players in Latin America have a league of their own, another gain for women seeking more opportunities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/25/world/americas/softball-mexico-womens-sports.html
Technology/Media
Digital Media Outlets Sue OpenAI for Copyright Infringement
Raw Story, AlterNet, and The Intercept sued for copyright infringement over the way the ChatGPT creator trains its technology.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/technology/openai-copyright-suit-media.html
OpenAI Seeks to Dismiss Parts of The New York Times’s Lawsuit
The artificial intelligence start-up argued that its online chatbot, ChatGPT, is not a substitute for a New York Times subscription.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/technology/openai-new-york-times-lawsuit.html
Google Hit with $2.3 Billion Lawsuit by 32 Media Groups Over Digital Ad Practices
Google was slapped with a $2.3 billion lawsuit by media giant Axel Springer and 31 other publishers, alleging that they suffered heavy losses due to the search giant’s practices in digital advertising.
https://nypost.com/2024/02/28/business/google-hit-with-2-3b-lawsuit-by-32-media-groups/
Biden Acts to Stop Sales of Sensitive Personal Data to China and Russia
In an attempt to limit blackmail and other harm, he issued an Executive Order asking the Justice Department to write rules restricting sales to six countries.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/technology/biden-data-sales-china-russia.html#:~:text=President%20Biden%20issued%20an%20executive,blackmail%2C%20scams%20or%20other%20harm.
Elon Musk Sues OpenAI and Sam Altman for Violating the Company’s Principles
Musk said the prominent A.I. start-up had put profits and commercial interests ahead of seeking to benefit humanity.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/01/technology/elon-musk-openai-sam-altman-lawsuit.html
The Big Questions Raised by Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Against OpenAI
Experts say the case against the start-up and its chief executive, Sam Altman, raises unusual legal issues that do not have a clear precedent.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/business/dealbook/the-big-questions-raised-by-elon-musks-lawsuit-against-openai.html
Lawsuits Threaten to Delay Trump Media’s Merger
Lawsuits could stall Trump Media’s long-delayed merger, which would provide the social media company with cash to fund Donald J. Trump’s Truth Social.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/01/business/trump-media-digital-world-merger.html
Judge Fines Ex-Fox News Reporter for Not Revealing Sources
The journalist, Catherine Herridge, had reported on an F.B.I. investigation of a scientist’s Chinese ties. She was held in contempt of court.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/business/catherine-herridge-fox-news-sources.html
PornHub Parent Company Sued by Texas AG for Failing to Verify Users' Ages
Aylo Global Entertainment is facing a fine of $1.6M with an additional $10K per day since September of last year.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pornhub-parent-company-sued-texas-ag-failing-verify-users-ages
LG Electronics Hit With Lawsuit Over Media Distribution Patent
LG Electronics USA Inc. is facing a lawsuit in the Western District of Texas alleging that it is infringing on a patent for a system for updating media content, by means of an application, installed on the end user’s computer or other electronic device.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/lg-electronics-hit-with-lawsuit-over-media-distribution-patent
Behind the A.I. Robocall That Impersonated Biden: A Democratic Consultant and a Magician
The two men are disputing how the call, which urged New Hampshire Democrats not to vote in the primary, came to be.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/us/politics/ai-robocall-biden-new-hampshire.html
Disney to Step Back From India in Mega-Deal with Reliance Industries
Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries will control what is left of Disney’s grasp at India’s burgeoning media market.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/business/disney-reliance-industries.html
General News
McConnell to Step Down as Leader at the End of the Year
The long-serving Republican leader said he would step aside from the role at the end of his term but remain in the Senate, acknowledging that his views on national security had put him out of step with his party.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/us/politics/mitch-mcconnell-senate.html
Trump Rebuffed After Asking a Judge to Delay His $454 Million Penalty
The former president, who is appealing the penalty in his civil fraud case, offered a bond of only $100 million to pause the judgment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/nyregion/trump-bond-civil-fraud.html
Citing Progress at Rikers, Judge Says New York Is No Longer in Contempt
The Corrections Department has improved its tracking of use-of-force cases at Rikers Island and is working more effectively with the monitor who oversees the jail, a judge found.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/nyregion/rikers-island-jail-contempt-order.html
In Trump Criminal Case, Manhattan D.A. Asks for Gag Order Before Trial
Lawyers for Alvin L. Bragg, the district attorney, are seeking to protect jurors and witnesses in the first criminal prosecution of a former president.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/nyregion/trump-gag-order-hush-money-trial.html
Prosecutors Reject Claims of Unfairness in Trump Classified Documents Case
Jack Smith, the special counsel, said in a court filing that never before had a former official “engaged in conduct remotely similar to Trump’s.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/us/politics/prosecutors-trump-classified-documents.html
Judge Orders Trump Removed From Illinois Primary Ballot
The judge, a Democrat, stayed her ruling until Friday, leaving Donald J. Trump’s team time to appeal the decision.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/us/trump-removal-illinois-primary-ballot.html
University of Florida Eliminates All D.E.I.-Related Positions
The move complies with a state law that barred public universities from using government funds for initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/us/university-florida-dei.html
Jack Teixeira Expected to Plead Guilty in Leak of Trove of Secrets
Airman Teixeira is accused of posting national defense information and classified documents to a gaming chat group and has been in custody since being arrested in the spring.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/us/politics/jack-teixeira-military-classified-documents.html
Texts Show Witness Readily Helped Build a Case to Disqualify Trump Prosecutors
Terrence Bradley was a reluctant witness in court, but text messages show he was eager to help an effort to disqualify Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/us/trump-georgia-fani-willis-texts.html
C.D.C. Shortens Isolation Period for People With Covid
Americans with Covid or other respiratory infections may return to daily activities if they don’t have a fever and their symptoms are improving.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/01/health/covid-isolation-cdc.html
The Crisis in Teaching Constitutional Law
If you attended law school at any time over the past half-century, your course in constitutional law likely followed a well-worn path. The premise no longer holds today.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/26/opinion/constitutional-law-crisis-supreme-court.html