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Spike Lee Wins €32 M Judgment vs French Media Giant TF1; Hidden Risks of Financing Auteur Filmmakers

October 2011 By Ezra Doner On June 21 of this year, a French court awarded Spike Lee and associated plaintiffs a judgment against French media giant TF1 in the amount of €32 million which, at current conversion rates, is approximately … Read More >>

Celador vs Disney: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

August 2011 by Ezra Doner [1] In an integrated production, distribution and broadcast company like ABC/Disney, which division makes the profits? Contestants who appear on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire play to win a million dollars.  Now, following a jury … Read More >>

What is Superman Really Worth?

March 2010 By Ezra Doner Court holds contract price should reflect absence of reversion clause. Can someone who leaps tall buildings in a single bound lose value if sidelined? It’s not often that courts are called upon to place a … Read More >>

Weinstein Co. vs Smokewood – Beware What You Argue, It May Come Back to Haunt You

October 2009 by Ezra Doner The film Push was the big prizewinner at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The Weinstein Company (TWC), after aggressive pursuit, thought they had a deal to distribute it. But when, instead, the film was sold … Read More >>

Ladd vs Warner Bros. – Can They Really Do That?

June 2010 By Ezra Doner Producer Alan Ladd, Jr. is responsible (with others, of course) for such popular and even iconic motion pictures as Blade Runner, Body Heat, The Brady Brunch Movie, Braveheart, Chariots of Fire, Night Shift, Once Upon … Read More >>

Sopranos Litigation Makes The Case For Following Best Practices

January 2008 By Ezra Doner The final episode of the hit television series The Sopranos aired in June, 2007. The final episode of a five year court battle over the creation and profits of the series, however, didn’t play out … Read More >>

New Fantasy Baseball Ruling May Impact Database Practices Generally

August 2006 By Ezra Doner Does organized fantasy baseball require a license of Major League Baseball player names and records? In a case involving CDM Fantasy Sports, a federal district court in St. Louis has answered “no”. The Court’s decision … Read More >>

Does America Bomb Academy Award Winners? Ten Things to Learn from Iran’s A Separation

April 2012 by Ezra Doner Iran is back, center stage . . .  The diminutive president in the ill-fitting suits . . . The Supreme Leader with the hat and the beard . . . The techs, in lab coat, … Read More >>