HHR New Media, Entertainment and Technology Group

On October 22nd, France’s highest court approved the “three strike law”, which will deny Internet access to those people that illegally copy music and movies and are deemed repeat copyright infringers.  The bill, known as Haute Autorité pour la Diffusion des Oeuvres et la Protection des droits sur Internet (High Authority for the Distribution of Works and the Protection of Rights on the Internet), authorizes the French courts to terminate an individual’s Internet access and impose a fine of up to EU 300,000 ($415,000) or two years in a French prison. The French law calls for the establishment of a new agency, which will issue warning notices to Internet users accused of piracy or infringing activity – such warnings will be sent out up to three times before fines and/or harsher penalties are imposed. Continue Reading »

A recent Federal case involving an alleged agreement for exclusive rights to distribute an acclaimed film stands as a stark reminder of the need to fully comply with the formal requirements for transferring and assuming copyright ownership interests.  The suit was brought by The Weinstein Company, which sought to block the distribution of the film Precious, claiming that the producers had transferred the distribution rights to Weinstein Co. before they struck a distribution deal with Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.  A federal judge in the Southern District of New York last month threw out the case, finding that the alleged agreement Weinstein Co. relied on did not meet the formal requirements to transfer the distribution rights to the film. Continue Reading »