Blogs

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted yesterday
By Celine Kiara Agard Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment UMG, SONY, and Warner Strike Licensing Deals with New AI Music Platform Klay Los Angeles-based music technology company KLAY Vision Inc. has secured AI licensing agreements with major music companies, including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group, along with their publishing arms. These deals allow KLAY to develop its AI music platform, powered by its Large Music Model trained entirely on licensed music, to create immersive, interactive listening experiences while protecting the rights of artists and songwriters. The company ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 7 days ago
By Christine Coleman Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Lubbock Will Remove Buddy Holly-Themed Crosswalk After Federal Crackdown The Buddy Holly themed crosswalks at an intersection in Lubbock, Texas will be removed as a result of the Trump administration’s crackdown on artistic displays on the nations roadways. In July, Transportation secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to governors urging them to keep roads “free of distractions” as part of a roadway safety initiative and Texas state officials warned that state funding could be withheld if municipalities refused to remove artwork on their streets. Lubbock’s interim ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 14 days ago
By Seth Nguyen Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News. Entertainment The No. 1 Country Song in America Is AI-Generated AI-created country artist Breaking Rust hit No. 1 on Billboard’s digital chart with "Walk My Walk," marking a first for AI music. Experts warn about AI floods on streaming platforms that are challenging human artists. Spotify is introducing measures to manage AI’s growing role in music. https://www.newsweek.com/breaking-rust-ai-music-country-digital-sales-11022040 ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 22 days ago
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 Cox Again Fires Back Against Label Claims Ahead of High-Stakes Supreme Court Argument, Insists It ‘Has No Fondness for Copyright Infringement’ Now less than a month since an argument before the Supreme Court, Cox Communications is once again firing back against the major labels in their high-stakes copyright infringement showdown. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2025/11/07/cox-v-sony-music-supreme-court-case/ ...

EASL Blog

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 28 days ago
The Week In Review is available at https://communities.nysba.org/blogs/elissa-hecker/2025/11/03/week-in-review

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 28 days ago
By Lorena Guzmán-Díaz Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News. Entertainment UMG and Udio Settle Lawsuit and Enter Licensing Agreement Universal Music Group (UMG) announced that it had settled its AI copyright infringement lawsuit against Udio. In addition to the compensatory legal settlement, the parties entered into license agreements for UMG’s recorded music and publishing catalogues. They will work on launching a new subscription service in 2026 for a generative AI technology trained on fully authorized ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 10-27-2025
By Jessie Schuster Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Lizzo Sued for Alleged Copyright Violation in Unreleased Song Snippet Referencing Sydney Sweeny Jeans Ad The owner of the 1970s song “Win or Lose (We Tried)” by Sam Dees is suing Lizzo after her release of a 13 second snippet of a new song, alleging that the snippet included an unauthorized sample of the Dees song. The suit seeks an injunction to prevent further distribution. https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/lizzo-sued-for-alleged-copyright-violation-in-unreleased-song-snippet-referencing-sydney-sweeney-jeans-ad/ Sean Combs Will Appeal His Conviction ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 10-20-2025
By Celine Agard Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Broadway Actors Reach Deal, but Musicians Still Threaten Strike Broadway’s Actors’ Equity Association reached a tentative three-year agreement with the Broadway League, securing health fund protections and progress on issues like scheduling and physical therapy access, though union members must still vote on ratification. The deal comes after the previous contract expired on Sept. 28 and negotiations had raised the threat of a strike. While actors and stage managers may now avoid labor disruption, the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 has yet ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 10-13-2025
By Christine Coleman Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Judge Dismisses Drake’s Lawsuit Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Drake’s court battle with his own record label for releasing a diss track by Kendrick Lamar that accused him of pedophilia has met a premature end. Federal judge Jeannette A. Vargas in New York dismissed the defamation and harassment lawsuit brought by Drake, calling “Not Like Us” the “metaphorical killing blow” in “perhaps the most infamous rap battle in the genre’s history,” while ruling that its lyrics constituted “nonactionable opinion,” meaning that it could not be found as defamatory. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/arts/music/drake-kendrick-lamar-not-like-us-lawsuit-dismissed.html?searchResultPosition=1 ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 10-05-2025
By Seth Nguyen Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News. Entertainment U.S. government set to side with Cox in court to overturn billion dollar damages judgement Not only is the government backing Cox Communications as it tries to overturn the billion dollar ruling in its long-running copyright battle with the major labels, but Solicitor General D. John Sauer now wants ten minutes to tell Supreme Court judges directly why they should side with the ISP. https://completemusicupdate.com/us-government-set-to-side-with-cox-in-court-to-overturn-billion-dollar-damages-judgement/ ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 09-29-2025
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 Disney Sued After Enforcing Rights to Mickey Mouse in the Public Domain The lawsuit seeks clarity around whether companies can exploit the earliest depiction of Mickey Mouse from a 1928 animated short. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disney-sued-enforcing-rights-mickey-mouse-public-domain-1236378997/ Martin Shkreli Can Be Sued for Copying Unique Wu-Tang Clan Album, Judge Rules 'Pharma Bro' ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 09-22-2025
By Lorena Guzmán-Díaz Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News. Entertainment U.S. Sues Ticketmaster Over Claims of Illegal Resale Tactics The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), along with seven states, has initiated a lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, alleging the company engaged in illegal practices that mislead both consumers and artists. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of California, accuses the companies of allowing ticket brokers to purchase ...

Climate Change Blog 60

By Carl Howard posted 09-18-2025
Climate Change Blog 60 Facts on the Ground In Tennessee in mid-August, a family of three was killed outside Chattanooga and emergency crews conducted water rescues as a deluge engulfed the state. Six inches of rain fell within a few hours at the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, prompting flash flood warnings for Hamilton County and Bradley County. In Juneau, Alaska, an overflowing glacial lake caused the Mendenhall River to rise to a record height in mid-August, inundating homes and streets in parts of the state capital. Flooding has been an intermittent problem in Juneau since 2011, but recent years have seen historic upsurges as rising temperatures ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 09-15-2025
By Jessie Schuster Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Judge Slashes Napster Class Action Settlement That Paid Songwriters 30x Less Than Lawyers A judge sharply reduced a $1.7 million award to a team of lawyers who secured only a "measly" $53,000 for their clients in a class action against Napster. https://www.billboard.com/pro/judge-slashes-napster-settlement-paid-songwriters-30x-less/ Bad Bunny Says He Opted Out of U.S. Tour Dates Due To ICE Raid Concerns Bad Bunny revealed that he excluded the U.S. from his upcoming world tour because he’s worried that ICE could stage raids outside ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 09-08-2025
By Celine Agard Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Sting Is Sued by His Former Bandmates in the Police Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, drummer and guitarist of the Police, have filed a lawsuit claiming that frontman Sting has underpaid them for royalties from the “digital exploitation” of the band’s hits, including “Every Breath You Take,” estimating he owes them over $2 million. The dispute centers on longstanding agreements in which Sting, who wrote most of the band’s songs, promised to share 15% of publishing income with his bandmates. Sting’s lawyers argue that all payments were properly made and point to a 2016 agreement ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 09-01-2025
By Christine Coleman Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Entertainment Kneecap Cancels U.S. Tour, Calling U.K. Terrorism Charge a ‘Witch Hunt’ The Northern Irish rap group Kneecap, which frequently makes anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian comments onstage, canceled its 15-concert tour of the United States amid a legal dispute in Britain. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, a member of the group who goes by the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offense in May. He is accused of displaying a flag in support of the Hezbollah militant group at a concert in November. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/arts/music/kneecap-cancels-us-tour.html ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 08-25-2025
By Seth Nguyen Edited by Elissa D. Hecker Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News. Entertainment Court Blocks Expedited Subpoenas to Identify Digital Pirates, Dealing Blow to Copyright Holders The Ninth Circuit blocked copyright holders from using DMCA subpoenas to identify internet users when providers merely act as conduits for infringing material. The ruling limits a tool often criticized for abuse, aligning with past circuit decisions, although studios and trade groups warn that it could hinder ...

This Week in New York Gambling News

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 08-24-2025
By Bennett Liebman Mamdani on Casinos, Mamdani, Skeptical of Casinos, Won’t Try to Block Them in New York City - The New York Times Mamdani on Casinos, Zohran Mamdani Talks NYC Casinos Beauty Pageant Reaches an Inflection Point, NY’s casinos ‘beauty pageant’ reaches an inflection point. Local panels set to weigh in. - Gothamist Community Support for Resorts World, First public hearing on Resorts World’s casino gaming license bid draws community support – QNS Unanimous Support for Resort World, 1st NYC Hearing for Resorts World Sees Unanimous Support Good Shot for Steve Cohen Casino, Citi Field casino ...

This Week in Theater News

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 08-24-2025
By Bennett Liebman Gypsy Jumps in Final Week, Grosses analysis: ‘Gypsy’ jumps 35% in final week, as overall summer box office softens Hamilton Is No. 1 Again, Hamilton Is No. 1 on Broadway Again After Hitting 10-Year Milestone, and More From Last Week's Broadway Grosses | Playbill The Downstate Tax Credit, Here’s what’s going on with the downstate tax credit Sherie Rene Scott Joins Queen of Versailles, Sherie Rene Scott joins ‘The Queen of Versailles’ on Broadway The Muppets Are Coming to Broadway, The Muppets are coming to Broadway with illusionist Rob Lake Carrie Coon Will Star in Bug, Carrie Coon Will Star in Broadway ...

Week In Review

By Elissa D. Hecker posted 08-18-2025
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 Federal Court Tosses SiriusXM Unpaid-Royalties Suit — SoundExchange Fires Back Against the ‘Unfortunate and Incorrect Ruling’ In August 2023, SoundExchange sued SiriusXM for unpaid royalties. A federal judge dismissed the case, citing a lack of statutory authority. The lengthy process involved a venue transfer, settlement talks, and withdrawn counterclaims. In October 2024, SiriusXM sought dismissal, arguing SoundExchange ...