04Dec 2014 by Marty
Legal Movies You Can Learn From

Legal Movies You Can Learn From

Blog, Hot Topics in Law
[caption id="attachment_421" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="There are actually many GOOD movies from Hollywood that you can actually learn a little about the legal process from, believe it or not."][/caption] My mother always told me that, as a kid, I watched entirely, "too much TV." Now that I look back, she was absolutely correct. However, I believe that every so often, television and movies can actually do a fine job in illustrating certain real life situations and are pretty accurate in their depiction. There have been several legal based films over the years that I feel do a great job in presenting legal issues in a realistic manner. One movie right off the bat that is a great introduction into the legal field is the 1972 classic The Paper Chase. There was a…
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11Mar 2012 by Marty

The Pantera Tragedy 7 Years Later

Blog, Hot Topics in Law
[caption id="attachment_426" align="alignleft" width="229"] DimeBag Darrell Abbott, killed performing on stage.[/caption] December 8, 2004 was a very sad day in the world of music as that was the day “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott was murdered, while he was literally playing guitar on stage. For those readers that are not a fan of hard rock music, Darrell Abbot was the lead guitarist for legendary heavy metal band Pantera. The band was extremely popular during the 1990’s among heavy metal aficionados and the tragedy that struck in Columbus, Ohio in 2004 remains one of rock’s most tragic deaths. Pantera broke up in 2003 when singer Phil Anselmo had a falling out with Darrell and his brother, fellow band mate and drummer, Vinnie Paul Abbott. The split was filled with acrimony to say the…
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08Apr 2011 by Marty

Winning for Charlie Sheen?

Blog, Hot Topics in Law
  [caption id="attachment_513" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Charlie Sheen plans on winning. Coming in second is not an option."][/caption] After appearances on the Today Show and Howard Stern’s nationally syndicated radio program on Sirius Radio, Charlie Sheen's legal team is gearing up to make even more headlines. He is about to take on CBS and Warner Brothers. Sheen says he has Tiger’s blood and Adonis DNA. What does this mean? We don’t know… But we think it means he is not going to go out without a fight and CBS is going to be looking at a legal battle. Late last week, CBS and Warner Bros. announced that they were canceling the highly rated TV show, due to Charlie Sheen's condition, and behavior associated with negative statements about the show’s producer Chuck…
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22Mar 2011 by Marty

Howard Stern Has A Sirius Lawsuit

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Howard Stern may have a valid lawsuit with his current employer. After signing a new 5 year contract a few months ago worth approximately just shy of $1 Billion, the shock jock is gearing up to sue Sirius XM. While the pending suit gets under way, Stern continues to work for Sirius XM satellite radio, broadcasting his morning radio show every Monday through Thursday. Not much is really known regarding the particulars of the law suit at this time but as with most things, it all boils down to money. When Howard signed his first deal with Sirius back in October 2004, one of the perks of said deal was that Stern was promised certain stock options if the company met certain quotas in terms of subscribers. It has been…
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04Feb 2011 by Marty

Chasing Charlie Sheen

Blog, Hot Topics in Law
What can be said about Charlie Sheen that hasn't already been dissected in the press as of late? The man seemingly has nine lives and by the looks of things he may be closing in on number 8. In terms of a legal standpoint, Martin Sheen's baby boy has caused quite a stir. As of this writing, his hit CBS show, Two and a Half Men has been shut down and put on indefinite hiatus. This is due to Sheen's current stint in rehab and the show's future is uncertain at this point. One would think, on a technical standpoint, Sheen must be violating all sorts of terms within his CBS contract. Not knowing the specific terms and particulars, it can't be said for certain that he is, but the…
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19Jan 2011 by Marty

What’s the Big Idea? – Facebook History & The Law

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When it comes to legally protecting one's ideas with regard to business, things often get a little hairy. As mentioned in one of my prior blogs, a person cannot technically legally protect their original idea by way of trademark or other means. Instead, they can only lay legal claim to their version of said idea. Imagine, if you will, if the inventor of the wheel made it legally prohibited for another person to create and manufacture a similar circular object. Once again, I'd like to revisit the topic of Facebook and the recent film, The Social Network. In The Social Network, the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg was sued by two fellow Harvard students, the Winklevoss twins, who claimed that the basis for Facebook stemmed from their idea, which they…
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17Jan 2011 by Marty

The Laws of Late Night TV

Blog, Hot Topics in Law
[caption id="attachment_338" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Late Night Law"][/caption] By now everyone is likely familiar with the whole Tonight Show controversy surrounding Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. In terms of a legal standpoint, there is a virtual buffet of laws that have been touched upon through the course of this recent colossal debacle. As it was stipulated in a contract set forth by NBC back in 2004, effective June 2009, Conan O’Brien, then host of Late Night, was to take over has host of the Tonight Show, replacing long time host Jay Leno. This was an unheard of arrangement, as Leno at the time was number one in terms of ratings and NBC was promising O’Brien the Tonight Show five years in the future. To put it mildly, a lot could happen…
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