Infamous file-sharer Jammie Thomas-Rasset asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to review a jury’s conclusion that she pay the recording industry $222,000 for downloading and sharing two dozen copyrighted songs on the now-defunct file-sharing service Kazaa. Thomas-Rasset, the first person to defend herself against a file-sharing case, said the damages were unconstitutionally excessive and were not rationally related to the harm she caused to the labels. The court previously declined two other file-sharing cases brought before it. Learn more about the case on Wired.com
Language in a bill aimed to simplify the city’s code to accommodate home recording studios has turned into a source of consternation for some Nashville musicians, the Tennessean reports. The legislation would add a new accessory use dubbed “home recoding studio” to the city’s home occupation code. Council members Megan Berry and Ronnie Steine proposed the ordinance in order to authorize a practice many are already doing, even though it technically violates Metro’s codes. However, the bill’s vague language and definitions of aspects such as “home studio” have drawn some concern.
The Arts & Business Council, a nonprofit serving Nashville's arts community, and its Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts (VLPA) program, has partnered with Belmont University to be a nonprofit-in-residence. As part of the arrangement, the council will physically move its offices to the university campus. Casey Summar, director of the VLPA, said the partnership will provide marketing, development and technological support that have been a challenge for the small organization. The Nashville Business Journal reportsread more »
A joint study committee of the Tennessee General Assembly on Tuesday will discuss the proposed Fairness in Ticketing Act and a competing proposal related to ticket regulation sponsored by state Sen. Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) and state Rep. Charles Sargent (R-Franklin). The Fairness in Ticketing Act, sponsored by state Rep. Ryan Haynes (R-Knoxville) and state Rep. Mike Faulk (R-Church Hill), would require ticket brokers to register with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and to disclose the face value of tickets, exact location of seats, and refund policy, among other things. The Tennesseean has the story.
The TBA Entertainment & Sports Law Section and Belmont Law School will hold a free Arts & Entertainment Law Clinic on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will take place at Portland Brew in East Nashville, 1921 Eastland Ave. For more information, contact Casey Summar.
Three companies involved in an e-book pricing lawsuit have settled and agreed to fund a $69 million pool to pay 30 cents to $1.32 per book credit to consumers who bought qualifying e-books between April 1, 2010, and May 21, 2012. Apple, Mcmillan, and Penguin opted not to settle and will go to trial next June in the suit filed in April by the Department of Justice, WCYB News reports.
A federal judge in Nashville has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Christopher Johnson and Nathaniel Claybrooks against the ABC television show The Bachelor for racial discrimination, NPR reports. The African American plaintiffs alleged that the show discriminates against people of color in casting the bachelor, bachelorette and other contestants. The court ruled that under the First Amendment, the show’s producers and casting directors were free to cast or reject whomever they please. Read the full court decision here.
Was Pat Summitt forced to step down as the Lady Vols' basketball coach? University of Tennessee athletic officials say no, but an affidavit from the coaching legend filed Wednesday suggests she had initially felt that way. The statement was filed in federal court by lawyers for former Lady Vols media director Debby Jennings, who is suing the university alleging unlawful discrimination and retaliation, the Tennessean reports. In the affidavit, Summitt says she initially felt she was being forced to step down, but that athletic director Dave Hart later told her she had misinterpreted his comments.
Songwriter Danny Tate’s Belle Meade home was auctioned to cover more than $150,000 in fees amassed during a two-year legal battle with his brother, WSMV Nashville reports. Tate’s brother alleged Tate was a drug addict and sought a conservator to safeguard his wealth. Tate fought the conservatorship but was ordered to pay his own and his brother’s legal fees.
Twitter today agreed to hand over about three months' worth of tweets to a judge overseeing the criminal trial of an Occupy Wall Street protester, the Associated Press reports. The case has become closely watched in the fight over how much access law enforcement agencies should have to material posted on social networks. The social networking site had been threatened with steep fines if it did not comply with Judge Matthew Sciarrino Jr.'s order to turn over the records in the case of Malcolm Harris. The judge said he would keep the records sealed until after a Sept. 21 hearing challenging his ruling on the messages.
The 10-year legal battle over ownership rights to the 1993 hit song “Whoomp! (There It Is)” finally concluded with a $2 million award, The Tennessean reports. A Texas jury found in favor of Alvertis Isbell and his attorney Richard Busch of the Nashville firm King & Ballow over ownership rights to the composition.
Nashville artists and members of the legal community are uniting for an evening of music, dinner, drinks and a silent auction on Sept. 13, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at 3rd and Lindsley. All proceeds will benefit the Robert L. Sullivan Scholarship at Vanderbilt Law School, which honors the late attorney’s commitment to legal aid. Learn more about the event or get tickets
The Tennessean profiles the lawyer representing music giant F.B.T. Productions, the Detroit hip-hop producers behind rap artist Eminem’s musical success, about the win that would give an equal split of profits with their record company for downloads of Eminem’s music. The ruling, Richard Busch believed, would have huge implications for the entire recording industry in terms of how companies pay artists in a new era of digital music. In fact, the 2010 decision has spawned a series of other lawsuits brought by artists of all genres against their record labels. Earlier this month, Busch negotiated confidential settlements in similar cases for two clients — Peter Frampton and Kenny Rogers.
A jury today found baseball star Roger Clemens not guilty on six charges, the second loss of high-profile, expensive cases for the Department of Justice in the past two weeks. Clemens was accused of lying to Congress in 2008 about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. A jury recently acquitted John Edwards on one count and could not reach a verdict on five others related to the government’s theory that Edwards committed campaign finance fraud. Forbes looks at the cases and the criticisms
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., wants to make it "absolutely clear" that the Lacey Act was not intended to seize instruments made of wood harvested before 2008. "I don’t want the musicians from Nashville who are flying to Canada to perform this summer to worry about the government seizing their guitars," he said, adding that he hopes to get a clear ruling from the Justice Department in a few weeks. If not, he says he'll introduce legislation to change the Lacey Act. Read more in the Chattanoogan
An environmental law that has Nashville-based Gibson Guitar mired in legal trouble was up for debate Tuesday in Washington. A House subcommittee heard arguments for and against the RELIEF Act, which would rewrite the century-old Lacey Act, which only recently began governing the importation of wood. Musical instruments are the concern of the bill’s sponsors, which include Rep. Jim Cooper. The Nashville Democrat says artists fear their guitars could be confiscated when they reenter the U.S. if they can’t document that all of the wood was legally harvested. Nashville Public Radio reports
