HHR New Media, Entertainment and Technology Group

For years, the adult entertainment industry has been required to maintain records verifying the age of all performers.  However earlier this year, new regulations implementing § 2257 and § 2257(A) of the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act went into effect which impose similar record keeping requirements on many mainstream media companies.  However, the regulations contain a “safe harbor” to help minimize the effect of the regulations by enabling mainstream media companies to file a certification with the Attorney General’s Office.  The deadline for this important certification is June 16^th, 2009.  Continue Reading »

  Royalty Rate Analysis

After months of hearings, testimony and deliberations, on October 2, 2008, the United States Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) announced newly established rates for royalties to be paid to writers and composers (as opposed to performers) whose musical compositions are made and distributed as sound recordings (i.e., phonorecords), including via (1) physical recordings (e.g., CDs, tapes, vinyl, etc.), (2) permanent digital downloads, (3) ringtones, (4) limited/tethered digital downloads and (5) interactive streaming. Continue Reading »

  Royalty Rate Analysis

After months of hearings, testimony and deliberations, on October 2, 2008, the United States Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) announced newly established rates for royalties to be paid to writers and composers (as opposed to performers) whose musical compositions are made and distributed as sound recordings (i.e., phonorecords), including via (1) physical recordings (e.g., CDs, tapes, vinyl, etc.), (2) permanent digital downloads, (3) ringtones, (4) limited/tethered digital downloads and (5) interactive streaming. Continue Reading »

We recently had an opportunity to explore and write about the current trends and challenges in Latin America’s expanding digital marketplace.  The article below appeared in Volume 7, Issue 8 of LATINLAWYER magazine, www.LATINLAWYER.com. 

    Winning the Digital Race

     Text Message Contest Not Gambling under Georgia Law 

On April 21, 2008, the Georgia Supreme Court rejected an argument that a promotional contest sponsored by NBC in connection with its hit show, “Deal or No Deal” violated Georgia’s anti-gambling laws. Because of the proliferation of text message-based promotional contests, this decision will likely have wide-reaching impact on the digital entertainment space.

Continue Reading »