Entertainment Law, Media Law and Telecoms Law

The Department of Justice’s new National Fraud Enforcement Division (“NFED”) has told the market exactly where it intends to focus: (1) public trust and financial integrity, (2) health care, (3) internal revenue, (4) global trade and commerce, and (5) corporate misconduct. NFED plans to target these five priorities in parallel under one roof with a shared data infrastructure, compounding the risk to companies that operate at the intersection of multiple priorities and raising the stakes for any company considering a voluntary self-disclosure of potential misconduct.

When a legal research startup trained its AI on lawyer memos derived from Westlaw's editorial summaries, it sparked a landmark copyright case that exposes how artificial intelligence extracts not just content, but the accumulated judgment and authority publishers spent decades building. As Google referral traffic plummets and AI-generated content farms proliferate, the question shifts from "was a copy made?" to "was the expert ever hired?"

The Federal Trade Commission has found new ways to impose substantial monetary penalties on companies despite a 2021 Supreme Court ruling that eliminated its primary enforcement tool. Two recent settlements totaling over $5 million demonstrate how the agency is leveraging alternative provisions of the FTC Act to pursue civil penalties for consumer protection violations, particularly those involving deceptive marketing practices and fake reviews.

From digital sampling battles to AI-generated music, copyright law has consistently arrived late to technological disruption in the music industry. This examination traces landmark litigation across sampling, streaming, and artificial intelligence, revealing how rights holders have repeatedly shaped legal frameworks through strategic action rather than waiting for legislative solutions.

Taylor Swift faces a trademark dispute over her album title "The Life of a Showgirl" with performer Maren Flagg, who holds a 12-year registration for "Confessions of a Showgirl." The case centers on reverse confusion claims and whether Swift's global fame could overwhelm Flagg's earlier trademark rights, raising questions about brand dilution and the commercial impact of similar marks in the entertainment industry.

When Taylor Swift released her album 'The Life of a Showgirl,' she faced a trademark infringement lawsuit from Maren Flagg, who claimed the title violated her registered trademark CONFESSIONS OF A SHOWGIRL. The case explores the critical boundary between artistic expression and commercial trademark use, particularly when musical artists transform album releases into merchandise-driven business ventures.

The legal fight over sports-related prediction-market contracts has moved quickly from regulatory novelty to a full-blown federal-state jurisdictional dispute. On August 28, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held in KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad that Nevada may continue enforcing its gaming laws against Kalshi’s sports-related event contracts because those contracts likely fall outside the category of swaps subject to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) exclusive jurisdiction under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA).

The Ninth Circuit ruled that Kalshi's sports event contracts likely do not qualify as swaps under federal derivatives law, allowing Nevada to enforce its gaming regulations against the prediction market platform. This decision creates a direct circuit split with the Third Circuit's contrary ruling, setting the stage for a potential Supreme Court showdown...

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit delivered a landmark ruling on Kalshi's challenge to Nevada gaming regulations, addressing whether federal commodity exchange law preempts state authority over sports-related prediction markets. The decision carries significant implications for Tribal gaming sovereignty and the traditional regulatory framework governing sports wagering across state and Tribal jurisdictions. As prediction market platforms continue to test legal boundaries, this case establishes

On September 4, 2026 – the first day of the lowest unit charge (LUC) window for the November general election – the U.S. Supreme Court granted an emergency stay of the Fourth Circuit’s order in Brown v. FCC, thereby reinstating the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) Media Bureau’s March 2026 Public Notice on LUC for political party ads.

The Federal Communications Commission has set a firm deadline for broadcast licensees to submit their annual regulatory fee payments, with significant penalties for late submissions. Understanding the payment process, exemptions, and consequences of non-compliance is crucial for all radio and television license holders to maintain their authorizations and avoid enforcement actions.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act's notice-and-takedown system, originally designed to combat online piracy, is being exploited through fraudulent copyright claims to suppress legitimate news coverage and erase critical reporting from the internet. Bad actors are using identity theft, backdated content, and automated platform algorithms to weaponize copyright law for digital censorship, creating serious implications for businesses, media outlets, and online publishers.