MediaLawLetter January 2014

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MLRC

2014 MLRC/Southwestern Law School 11th Annual Media and Entertainment Law Conference

BROADCAST

D.C. Circuit Strikes Down FCC’s Open Internet Rules
But the FCC Will Live to Fight Another Day
Verizon v. FCC

PRIOR RESTRAINT

Florida Appeals Court Lifts Prior Restraint In Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Case
Video and Commentary Addressed Matters of Public Concern
Gawker Media, LLC v. Bollea

LIBEL & PRIVACY

9th Cir.: Blogger Entitled to Protection Under Gertz
Reverses $2.5 Million Verdict and Remands for New Trial
Obsidian Finance Group, LLC v. Cox

Michigan Court of Appeals Inches Closer To Dendrite
They Like It, But Won’t Quite Adopt It
Ghanam v John Does

Va. App.: Don’t Like That Bad Yelp! Review? Virginia Court Provides Some Solace
State Statute Applied to Unmask Anonymous Speaker
Yelp!, Inc. v. Hadeed Carpet Cleaning, Inc.

N.Y. Sup.: Reality TV Show Was Not Campaign Donation in Brooklyn D.A. Race
Court Dismisses Novel Claim to Stop Broadcast
George v. Hynes

N.Y. App.: Media Defendants Not Liable for Filming Police Raid
Appeals Court Affirms Summary Judgment in Ride-Along Lawsuit
Rodriguez v. City of New York et al.

Cal. App.: Former Drug Dealer Loses Right of Publicity Suit Against Same Name Rapper
First Amendment a Complete Defense to Claim
Ross v. Roberts

Texas: Cases Test Constitutional Limits on Post-Trial Defamation Injunctions
Are Post-trial Injunctions Against False and Defamatory Statements Illegal Prior Restraints?
Kinney v. Barnes; Burbage v. Burbage

EMPLOYMENT

Cal. App.: Anti-SLAPP Law Applied to Weatherman’s Employment Discrimination Claim
Statute Applies to All Acts in Furtherance of First Amendment Right
Hunter v. CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

INTERNATIONAL

UK: Wall Street Journal Wins UK Access Motion
Phone-hacking Prosecutors Must Supply Exhibits, No Strings Attached

Canada: Researcher-Participant Privilege Is Established in Canada
Court Recognizes Need to Protect Promises of Confidentiality in Academic Research
Parent c. R.

ECHR: MLRC Joins Coalition Seeking Grand Chamber Review in Delfi v. Estonia
ECHR Held News Portal Could Be Liable for User Comments

Singapore Court of Appeal Rejects Request For Pre-Action Disclosure of Journalist’s Sources
Court Took Note of Public Interest in Exposing Corruption
Dorsey v. World Sports Group

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

U.S.: Supreme Court Hears Argument Over Laches Defense to Copyright Claim
MGM Tries to Keep Raging Bull Copyright Plaintiff from Being a Contender
Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

4th Cir.: The NFL Ravens Score Touchdown for Fair Use
Fleeting Use of Logo Fair Use
Bouchat v. Baltimore Ravens Ltd. P’Ship.

ACCESS

Md. Cir.: Maryland Media Coalition Wins Access to Officials’ Email Address Lists
Legislature Did Not Intend to Exclude Email
Douglas Howard, et al. v. Christian Alexandersen, et al.