ENTERTAINMENT LAW CIRCULAR
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From the PLG Family to Yours |
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Our firm has a new Beverly Hills address. We are now located at 228 S. Le Doux Rd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. We look forward to hosting in-person meetings once again and industry events in our new space.
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PIERCE LAW GROUP
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
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SLAMDANCE SCREENPLAY AWARDS 2022 |
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Slamdance 2022 Screenplay Awards :
In October, David Albert Pierce spoke at the Screenplay awards ceremony, hosted at the Nuart Theater. This event highlighted excellence in independent screenwriting and concluded with a special screening of last year's audience award receiving film The Civil Dead . Pierce Law Group awarded a combined legal credit valued at over $7,000 for the winners of best Feature and best Horror scripts. Congrats to all the Winners!
List of Winners:
Feature: 1st Place / Grand Prize: American Retail by Gabriel Malasig
Short: 1st Place: Merrow by Alexander Seltzer
Pilot: 1st Place: Texas Prison Rodeo: "Vaquero" by Aaron Kozak and Driscoll Otto
Horror: 1st Place: The Vault by Ryan Self
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2022 Institute on Entertainment Law and Business |
David Pierce sat on the USC & Beverly Hills Bar Association Planning Committee to aid in the preparation for this year's conference. David coordinated the panel titled "Comedy and the Law" and was instrumental in obtaining Byron Allen as the Keynote speaker for the event. |
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David Celebrates over 20 years as UCLA Professor! |
Once again David Albert Pierce commenced his 10-week UCLA Extension Course titled "Starting Your Own Entertainment Production Company."
Over the years many of David's students have gone on to incredible successes, most notably Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions, as well as, actress/producer Bryce Dallas Howard.
This year's class is held every Monday night via Zoom, with students dialing in across the globe. The course addresses essential issues regarding the legal and business affairs basics for running a production and discusses planning, implementation, and management issues.
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In March of this year, David Albert Pierce lead an informational seminar to the class of future attorneys at USC's Gould School of Law. The lecture revolved around film finance and covered crowdfunding, loans, tax credits and revenue waterfalls. |
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THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AND THE LAW |
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The People's Joker Pulled from Festival Amid Objection from Warner Bros. Discovery
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Vera Drew, comedian and trans-woman, set out to reimagine the iconic "Joker" character through an eclectic, artistic vision of a film with strong themes of queer identity and comedy. The film was set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, when Drew received notice from WB studios, claiming the film violated their copyright. Warner Brothers owns DC Comics, thus subsequently owing the IP related to Gotham's famed figures. Whilst Drew believed her work to be Fair Use, the usage of the character's names, universe and likeness gained WB's attention. Reasonably, Drew took the notice seriously from WB and to avoid lengthy litigation opted to pull the film right before it's highly anticipated debut. |
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Pierce Law Group LLP has a wealth of knowledge regarding fair use and clearance for films, television, and podcasts. Protect yourself and your project, by having experienced attorneys review for any potential IP violations.
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Netflix Settled "Queen's Gambit" Defamation Suit |
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Netflix has recently settles a defamation lawsuit brought against the powerhouse streamer by Grandmaster chess player Nona Gaprindashvili. The hit limited-series "Queen's Gambit" follows the fictional story of a female chess player, determined to tackle the male-dominated world of competitive chess. In the final episode of the series, a statement is made about Gaprindashvili, stating she had "never faced men". However, in the year the scene takes place, Gaprindashvili had indeed faced over 50 men in competitive chess. Netflix's argument that defamation of real people in fictional works is protected under the First Amendment was shot down by the courts. The two sides ultimately reached a settlement agreement, resolving the issue. |
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PLG-LLP is very experienced with defending Defamation claims and advising on First Amendment issues. Be aware, if you're going to jump in the pool, be ready to swim.
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Layoffs Following Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover Spur Legal Action from Disgruntled Employees |
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Since the initial buyout of the mega social media company, it is apparent that Musk's acquisition of Twitter has not gone smoothly. Since the official close of the deal, several reports have come out regarding sudden and numerous layoffs of Twitter Staff. On November 8th, Twitter employees, on behalf of themselves and those in similar situations, filed a complaint in the US District Court. In the class action complaint, the plaintiffs made claims of breach of contract, promissory estoppel, and violations of federal and California WARN acts. This complaint, along with the various internal issues, are sure to keep the Twitter Legal Department on their toes this holiday season. |
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Pierce Law Group LLP is well versed in employment law and readily available to help conduct workplace investigations and guide you in labor and employment cases.
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PIERCE LAW GROUP CLIENTS IN THE NEWS |
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Pierce Law Group LLP client Karla Gordy Bristol premiered her passion project Motown: Celebrating the Music, the Magic, the Love at the Wallis Annenberg Center earlier this fall. The show featured a panel and performances comprised of Motown stars. This one-night-only performance, quickly sold out, as crowds witnessed the magic of Motown with their own eyes, hearing inside stories from the likes of Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves and so many more. Read more from Karla here!
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Pierce Law Group LLP client Cecilia Miniucchi premiered her film Worlds Apart at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. The film was shot during the pandemic and was done completely remote via smartphone, tablet and other personal devices. The film also marks Bob Odenkirk's return to the big screen. The film officially releases January 2023, but the trailer is available here!
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Pierce Law Group LLP client Rob Schneider premiered his new film Daddy Daughter Trip earlier this fall. The film takes place throughout the beautiful state of Arizona and features Schneider's own daughter as the lead. You can watch the trailer of this film here.
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Pierce Law Group LLP client LeVar Burton, known for inspiring our nation's youth to love reading now has something for us older fans! His podcast LeVar Burton Reads features stories from Gaiman, Vonnegut, and more, all narrated by Burton. His podcast is available on major audio streaming services like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See more information here! |
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WHAT'S NEW AT PIERCE LAW GROUP LLP?
-- November 2022 --
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Have You Met our Newest Team Members? |
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Aditya Ezhuthachan is a Partner at Pierce Law Group LLP and works in the practice areas of Transactional Law and Intellectual Property.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Aditya graduated with a degree in Film and Video Studies and has multiple years of entertainment work experience, primarily in development and film finance.
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Carter M. Courtney is an Associate at Pierce Law Group LLP and works in the practice areas of Civil Litigation and Intellectual Property.
Prior to joining Pierce Law Group LLP, Carter interned for the Intellectual Property Counsel to the City Attorney of Los Angeles, and at Weinberg Gonser LLP doing litigation and trademark work.
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Lucy Pierce is an official office greeter at Pierce Law Group LLP and also works as the office security detail. She works alongside Scrappy, who has dutifully held the position for many years.
Prior to joining Pierce Law Group LLP, Lucy spent time with her foster parents awaiting adoption. She enjoys squirrels, cuddles and sitting on the couch.
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PLG Controller puts on Show at The World Famous Comedy Store |
Our very own Ben Kuerschner, spends days as the Pierce Law Group firm controller, and nights as a comedy writer. Be sure to catch his show "Family Dinner," featuring Full House's Jodie Sweetin, on December 3rd in The Comedy Store's Belly Room. |
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MDAF Membership limited to attorneys who've won million dollar verdicts & settlements |
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Don't forget to connect with us on social media! |
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DISCLAIMER
The information you obtain in this newsletter is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters, and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.
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