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Areas of Interest
June 6th, 2022
Drag Queens Traverse Trademark Law: ‘I Don’t Think We’re Safe’
Advertising and Intellectual Property Partner Brian G. Murphy is quoted in the article, “Drag Queens Traverse Trademark Law: ‘I Don’t Think We’re Safe’” published by Bloomberg Law. The article discusses that while drag has gone mainstream, intellectual property laws have not kept up with the shifting landscape leaving some performers in copyright disputes over performances and stage names. For example, with their growing popularity drag queens must take music copyrights into consideration. Brian is quoted saying, “Anytime you play a song—and to anyone other than, like, your friends in your own living room—that requires a license.” He explains, “When performing in a club, most drag queens are covered by the establishment’s music licenses. If they incorporate the music into an act in a different setting, however, they might need additional rights.”
Lastly, Brian says there are many rights holders to specific songs which make obtaining music licenses more complex. “When it comes to music, you know, there’s multiple rights holders,” and “There’s the songwriters, and these days just about any song is written by not one person but multiple people. And each of those is a different rights holder.”
Read the full article here.
Other Quoted
The Television Academy’s Second Annual AI Summit Pushed Calm—and Concern
IndieWire quotes Andrew Folks who spoke on a panel of legal experts at the Television Academy’s AI Summit at the Saban Media Center in North Hollywood. The speakers addressed AI's impact on the industry and talent. Mr. Folks stated that privacy and copyright laws “are grappling” to address AI. He explained regulatory actions, and the application of copyright law. He also discussed litigation, including how OpenAI and Google in a government proposal argued that fair use protections apply to all copyrighted material used for AI purposes. The article noted, "over 400 A-List Hollywood power players condemned such an action." View Article
March 21 2025
ICAS Announces Winners of the 2025 Global Awards at Annual Meetings in Mumbai
ICAS quotes Jeffrey A. Greenbaum on the importance of advertising self-regulation in protecting consumers and guiding brands on best practices in advertising. An international independent jury of self-regulatory experts chaired by Jeff chose six winners that contribute to responsible marketing practices and a more effective and impactful self-regulatory system. View Article
March 18 2025
Vegas Lights, Industry Nights, and the Future of Games
DICE quotes Sean F. Kane on the legal implications of generative AI in video games, including intellectual property uncertainty, privacy and data risks, and shifting platform policies.
March 17 2025
