Categories
Workers Compensation

Time to Readdress the Notion of Workers’ Compensation for NCAA athletes

The following article is a guest contribution by Benjamin Haynes, Esq.   Haynes is a former Division 1 Basketball Player at Oral Roberts University and currently practices law in the State of Florida. According to various courts’ decisions, a “Student-Athlete” is not viewed as an employee of the University.  Why is this important? Well, this is important […]

Categories
Copyright Headline Intellectual Property

A (Big?) Win For Defendants Named In Mass-BitTorrent Copyright Infringement Lawsuits

On May 15, 2012, the Southern District of New York released an opinion that could have a far reaching effect with regards to mass-BitTorrent copyright infringement cases.  I have represented many individuals who have been named as defendants in these types of cases, and more often than not, they are targeted for purportedly downloading pornographic films without paying […]

Categories
Entertainment Law Headline

How Should Artists React To Not Receiving Much Compensation From Spotify?

I was reading Billboard magazine when I came across an interesting blurb in a discussion about the American rock duo, The Black Keys.  The blurb states that The Black Keys have refused to allow Spotify to stream their new music (from the album El Camino).  It was simply a business decision for the duo.  They […]

Categories
Job/Internship Opportunities

Intern or Employee? Determining Whether Interns are Entitled to Wages and Employee Benefits.

The following article is a guest contribution by Benjamin Haynes, Esq.   Haynes is a former Division 1 Basketball Player at Oral Roberts University and currently practices law in the State of Florida. Currently, the Houston Astros are offering a full time unpaid internship to eligible college students. The internship requires the intern to handle extensive duties, […]

Categories
Headline Intellectual Property Trademarks

Robert Griffin III a Perfect Example of Proactively Protecting Intellectual Property

High profile athletes who are between their last game of college and their first game of professional ball would do themselves a strong service to put a competent attorney on retainer.  The earlier said athlete hires such a lawyer to start putting his business affairs in order, the more likely that athlete will profit off […]

Categories
Defamation Headline Torts

Couple Charged with Sexual Assault Gets $13.78 Million in Defamation Action

There are two big problems with filing defamation lawsuits (obviously, without looking at the facts of the various potential cases): 1) Defamation lawsuits are very difficult to win, and 2) Even if the plaintiff gets a judgment in his/her favor, the damages awarded tend to be small.  But there are always exceptions to the rule. […]

Categories
Cyberspace Headline

Your Tweets Belong to Twitter and May be Subpoenaed Without a Warrant

In April 2011, I had an article titled, You May Not “Like” This Title: Everything Stored On Facebook Is Discoverable, published in the NYU Law Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law.  The premise is that enjoying the openness of Facebook may come at an unexpected cost, especially for those who do not understand how the […]

Categories
Contractual Issues

The Legal Blitz Feature: Flip-Flopping Retirees Create Contract Chaos

Each Friday we will feature an article from our good friends at The Legal Blitz. Please enjoy the following piece and check out The Legal Blitz when you get a chance! Brett Favre shed some tears during his first of eventually three retirement press conferences. On March 4th, 2008, after an illustrious career with the Green […]

Categories
Headline Sports Law

Football v. Football: A Comparison of Agent Regulation in France’s Ligue 1 and the NFL

The Pace Intellectual Property, Sports, & Entertainment Law Forum recently published its second annual publication.  There are a total of 11 articles in the most recent issue, including an article by Thomas A. Baker III, Darren A. Heitner, Jean Francois Broçard, and Kevin K. Byon titled, Football v. Football: A Comparison of Agent Regulation in France’s […]

Categories
Criminal Issues

The Legal Blitz Feature: Constitutional Implications of Eating Weed During a Traffic Stop

Each Friday we will feature an article from our good friends at The Legal Blitz. Please enjoy the following piece and check out The Legal Blitz when you get a chance! Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure has not played a single down in the NFL due to an ACL tear following his second round selection […]