March 11, 2015

Forgettable Song Could Have Long-Term Negative Effects For Other Artists

March 11, 2015/ Greg Kanaan

You remember Blurred Lines right? It was the smash hit single of 2013 that simultaneously launched (for being catchy) and destroyed (for being rapey) Robin Thicke's career. Well, I'm here to report that this utterly forgettable pop song has now has earned an inauspicious spot in our culture because of a surprisingly foreboding jury decision that found against Thicke and his co-writers Pharrell Williams and Clifford "T.I." Harris, Jr.

March 10, 2015

When It Comes to Fighting The Commoditization of Art, Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F*ck Wit

March 10, 2015/ Greg Kanaan

Last year, Forbes broke the story that Wu-Tang Clan was producing a new 31-track double-album called Once Upon A Time in Shaolin. Only one copy of the album would be produced and auctioned off to the highest bidder. According to RZA, the founding member of NY-based rap group, this was done to combat the heavily commoditized world of modern artistic endeavors.

March 03, 2015

Protecting The Brand: Taylor Swift Seizes Control of Her Brand, Probably Won’t Suffer For It

March 03, 2015/ Greg Kanaan

The past few months have seen a lot of really intriguing legal activity from Swift’s people. First she took her music down from Spotify (by far the most popular streaming music service), meaning the only way to get her new album 1989 is to pay for it directly. A few weeks ago she filed for trademark protection of the phrase “this sick beat” because apparently she thinks there’s a lot of money to be made from it. And just last month she started issuing takedown notices to fans who were selling knock-off Swift merch on Etsy.

February 26, 2015

The [Legal] Artist Is Featured In MovieMaker Magazine!

February 26, 2015/ Greg Kanaan

Once I settled on filmmaking as a vocation, I decided to learn everything I could about the craft. Very quickly, three publications became my bible(s): American Cinematographer, FilmMaker Magazine, and MovieMaker Magazine. American Cinematographer taught me how to shoot and light my movies, while FilmMaker gave me the inside scoop on the world of independent cinema, with great tips on financing and producing your film on a small budget. But MovieMaker was my bread and butter. It was a great resource for learning how to make movies, and its sensibilities were right on the line between indie and mainstream cinema - perfect for a burgeoning filmmaker.

February 12, 2015

Sony and Marvel Play Nice Over Spider-Man Film Rights

February 12, 2015/ Greg Kanaan

In the wake of their Spidey problem, Sony worked out a deal to allow old webhead to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe and share the screen with Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, and Hulk. Marvel will develop and produce a new Spider-Man film under its own Banner (pun intended) to be released in 2017 while the rights to the character will remain with Sony.

February 10, 2015

Writing Contracts: Yes, Emails Are Okay (To A Degree)

February 10, 2015/ Greg Kanaan

When it comes to writing contracts, there’s always a tension between best practices and doing what’s minimally acceptable to keep your ass covered. If it were up to me, every client would use detailed written agreements for every transaction with every one of their clients. But I’m not an unreasonable person; I know firsthand the pressures of small business ownership (being one myself). I understand that level of diligence can be hard to maintain, especially at the beginning when you’re still figuring out how to put dinner on the table for your loved ones.

February 03, 2015

On Being Nice: Tom Petty Edition

February 03, 2015/ Greg Kanaan

Being in opposition to one another doesn’t mean you can’t be magnanimous too. It’s that old chestnut about catching more flies with honey than with vinegar. Judges, juries, and lawyers are people too, and the more they hate you, the less likely they’ll sympathize with you, even if you’re the victim. And while, in theory, the legal system should operate free of bias, the reality is that the “system” is made up of people. And like it or not, people are susceptible to all kinds of prejudices, even if we don’t realize it.

January 27, 2015

The Poor Man’s Copyright Does and Does Not Exist

January 27, 2015/ Greg Kanaan

For those not in the know, the Poor Man's Copyright is the act of mailing a copy of your work to yourself in a sealed envelope. In transit, the envelope will be date stamped and once received by you, it will remain sealed forevermore, or until its opening is required as part of a copyright infringement lawsuit. The combination of being sealed and date stamped is supposed to act as presumptive evidence that your work supersedes all others, including your infringer, at a rate that’s easy on the credit card.

January 20, 2015

Attorney For Chris Kyle’s Killer Is Concerned That American Sniper Will Harm His Client. He Has A Point.

January 20, 2015/ Greg Kanaan

J. Warren St. John, the defense attorney for Eddie Ray Routh, the former marine who killed American Sniper Chris Kyle at a shooting range in 2013, recently gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter complaining that the popularity of the film American Sniper will prevent his client from getting a fair trial. According to St. John, the film lionizes Kyle and as a result, it will be harder to find a jury that isn’t influenced in some way by the film’s portrayal.

January 13, 2015

We Are All Charlie: Freedom Of Speech Becomes A Global Discussion

January 13, 2015/ Greg Kanaan

It's been fascinating to watch an institution as uniquely American as free speech take on such global heft over the last few months, particularly in the wake of the terrorist assault on French magazine Charlie Hebdo last week. When the Pope - the leader of an institution not known for its progressive stance on civil rights - publicly states that liberty of expression keeps the world out of danger, you know that it doesn't belong to us anymore.

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