SAG AFTRA Strike Ends; AI Roundup of Cases and Proposed Law Making; Podcasting Live from Austin, Texas
Podcast - The Briefing: The AI Copyright Conundrum Continues – An Update
The Briefing: The AI Copyright Conundrum Continues – An Update
FCPA Compliance and Ethics Report-Episode 124, The Oscars and Compliance, Part I with Jay Rosen
In the fall of 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) each ratified new agreements, amending and building upon their collective...more
The 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, spanning 118 days, marked a significant period of negotiation and conflict and highlighted the importance of the evolving digital entertainment landscape and the use of new technologies in work...more
The writers’ strike included the concern that AI would put writers out of business. According to one writer, David Vuijsje, “[T]he creative industry stands at a crossroads where technology and human creativity must learn to...more
Welcome to the October edition of Akin Intelligence. We continue to see bipartisan and international interest in artificial intelligence (AI) regulation. In the executive branch, agencies are working towards developing...more
On October 4, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hosted a virtual roundtable discussion to understand the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on creative fields. FTC Chair Lina M. Khan acknowledged that...more
The Hollywood writers' strike ended last Tuesday with an agreement to manage the disruption caused by automation – a framework that likely will be repeated in other workplaces....more
A recent article in The Hollywood Reporter explores TV and movie studios’ potential use of AI for generating scripts. Scott Hervey and Jamie Lincenberg discuss this and other statements in the article on this episode of The...more
The rise of the use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) to produce original written material has left authors and writers across industries feeling threatened. This was one major factor that led to the Writers Guild...more
After 148 days, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) resolved its strike against several major Hollywood studios. As writers leave the picket lines, a new labor agreement will seek to limit the use and training of generative...more
After nearly five months of heated negotiations and picketing, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) finally reached tentative consensus with the Hollywood studios on a new, three-year agreement, bringing an end to its strike...more
Actors and screenwriters in the US are on strike, seeking better pay and protections around the use of AI in their industry. Actors in the United States began strike action on 14 July in a dispute with studios over pay,...more
In the 1980 sequel to Star Wars, the Empire Strikes Back, the Imperial fleet of the Evil Empire, ruled by Darth Vader, attacks the Rebels and heroes of Star Wars: Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, C3PO and crew. In the end, the...more
The issue of artificial intelligence has emerged as a key issue in the strikes being waged by screenwriters and actors against television and movie production companies, being called an “existential threat” to creative...more
On September 30, 2021, the United State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decided a much-anticipated copyright reversion case involving the slasher franchise, Friday the 13th. This case concerns the claim for copyright...more
Admittedly, the second word in that title is a mouthful—but Paraskavedekatriaphobia is a real word, with an etymology and definition. It even has a synonym, friggatriskaidekaphobia. Each means “fear of Friday the...more
In what must be counted as a victory for solidarity among WGA members and the often controversial tactics of its executive director David Goodman, the leading agency WME reached a deal for a franchise agreement with the...more
Pay equity concerns in Hollywood are not limited to famous actresses (such as Michelle Williams) or comediennes (such as Mo’Nique). As reported this week by the Hollywood Reporter, the co-writer of smash hit “Crazy Rich...more
Since the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, business owners and tax practitioners alike have focused on the potential effect of Section 199A. Though it has been clear for some time that the 20% deduction afforded to...more
As anyone who has spent a weekend binging an entire season of Stranger Things or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel can tell you, society’s consumption of television has shifted dramatically in the last several years. Discovering...more
On January 17, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. (“Twentieth Century”) argued that a copyright infringement claim relating to the hit novel and film, Gone Girl, should be thrown out. ...more
I admit that the title of this article may be a bit deceiving. Making films, like any other production of art, is almost always an act of free speech. However, the Ninth Circuit was recently faced with a dilemma of...more
The Hurt Locker, which won Best Picture at the 2010 Academy Awards, follows Sergeant First Class William James (played by Jeremy Renner) in his role as a team leader of a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit in...more
In this episode I begin a five-part series on the Oscars and Compliance with recovering Hollywood screenwriter Jay Rosen. In this Part I, we review the process by which films are nominated for the Oscars and the campaigns...more