I had the good fortune of seeing the Beastie Boys in concert a few times, and every show was amazing. Like many music fans, I was devastated by the 2012 cancer-related death of founding member Adam “MCA” Yauch. I assumed, as did most people, that the remaining two Beastie Boys would retire the band name forever. However, a recent trademark filing suggests the band may be reuniting.
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Archives: Music Law
Copyright Question: Can I Play Music on my Podcast?
January 27, 2015
After percolating for a decade or so, podcasts have grown wildly in popularity as a communication medium. This is a result of a confluence of factors, not the least of which is the emergence of a certain story about a murder in Baltimore. We are now living in a post-Serial world. And just like with any other form of media, there’s some confusion and lack of information about the rules of the road. All of which brings me to the copyright question at hand: can I play pre-recorded music on my podcast?
Band Name Trademark Dispute: Creedence v. John Fogerty
December 16, 2014
I’m always on the lookout for news about Creedence, particularly those having to do with leads on who broke into Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski’s car and stole his tapes, tape deck, and briefcase. Sadly, the LAPD has no update on that case, but there is a band name trademark dispute to discuss. Lead singer and songwriter John Fogerty is being sued by his former Creedence Clearwater Revival bandmates. If you’re thinking, “Huh, wasn’t there a lawsuit about that years ago?,” you’re right. And now they’re at it again.
Disney v. Deadmau5 Trademark Battle
September 16, 2014
Is there room in the trademark world for more than one cartoon mouse? Disney doesn’t seem to feel that there is, and they’ve finally decided to take action against one of the world’s most popular electronic music artists.
