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A New York federal judge ruled Thursday that two voice actors accusing an artificial intelligence startup of cloning their voices for narration software without permission can proceed with their state-level claims, but their trademark and most of their copyright claims must be dismissed for now.
Law360
Media & Entertainment
FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2025

TOP NEWS

Judge Trims IP Claims In Voice Actors' Suit Against AI Co.

By Ivan Moreno

A New York federal judge ruled Thursday that two voice actors accusing an artificial intelligence startup of cloning their voices for narration software without permission can proceed with their state-level claims, but their trademark and most of their copyright claims must be dismissed for now.

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'Tiger King' Loses Retrial Bid Over Alleged Witness Lies

By Cara Salvatore

The Tenth Circuit has rejected Joseph "Tiger King" Maldonado's latest bid for a new trial following the Netflix series star's murder-for-hire conviction and 21-year sentence, saying arguments regarding supposed witness recantations were waived or unclear.

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Golfer's Defamation Suits Not Up To Par, 11th Circ. Says

By Mike Curley

The Eleventh Circuit won't revive a pair of defamation suits by golfer Patrick Reed against media outlets he accused of defaming him by reporting accusations of cheating and criticism of his association with a Saudi Arabia-backed golf organization.

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IRS Leaker Fairly Sentenced To 5 Years, Gov't Tells DC Circ.

By Anna Scott Farrell

The judge who sentenced an IRS contractor for leaking thousands of wealthy people's tax returns to the media, including those of President Donald Trump, kept an open mind when she decided to deliver the maximum five-year prison term, the government told the D.C. Circuit, arguing the sentence was fair.

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X Can't Escape Don Lemon Suit, But Musk Can, Judge Says

By Adam Lidgett

X Corp. has lost its bid to ditch all of former CNN anchor Don Lemon's lawsuit claiming the social media platform reeled him into a talk show partnership and then unceremoniously canceled the deal, although its leader Elon Musk was allowed to duck out of the case.

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Judge Clears Karol G, Dutch DJ Of Song Ripoff Allegations

By Elliot Weld

A Florida federal judge has tossed claims from flautist and composer René Lorente alleging Colombian singer Karol G and Dutch DJ Tiësto's song "Don't Be Shy" copied elements of one of his songs, doubting the testimony of Lorente's expert witness.

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50 Cent's Ch. 11 Reopened After Woman's $20M Injury Suit

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut bankruptcy judge on Thursday reopened recording artist 50 Cent's 2015 Chapter 11 case but allowed a New York jurist to first decide whether to dismiss a woman's $20 million injury case, setting up a potential showdown over whether a 2017 discharge order might upend the woman's February lawsuit.

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Conn. Panel Will Again Hear Ex-Alex Jones Atty's Ethics Case

By Christine DeRosa

The Connecticut Appellate Court will hear former Alex Jones attorney Norm Pattis' second appeal of his already-reduced, two-week suspension for allowing a former associate to send Sandy Hook medical records to other Jones attorneys who had not signed a confidentiality order.

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Mo' Money Mo' Problems: Biggie Smalls' Widow Sued Over IP

By Dorothy Atkins

A record executive has sued the Notorious B.I.G.'s widow, Faith Evans, in Delaware Chancery Court, accusing the R&B singer of improperly trying to seize control of her late husband's hip-hop music catalog, which includes chart-topping hits like "Juicy" and "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems," following his mother's recent death.

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

$33M Sonos Appeal Has Fed. Circ. Asking: What's Up, Alsup?

By Dani Kass

A Federal Circuit panel struggled Thursday to piece together the different interpretations of what U.S. District Judge William Alsup decided before upending Sonos Inc.'s $32.5 million jury verdict against Google LLC, with one judge claiming disbelief that there could be such a "fundamental disconnect" between the companies' understandings.

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Florida Restaurateur Can't Get Shrimp TM, Fed. Circ. Affirms

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit on Thursday refused to revive an author and restaurateur's bid to register a trademark for "Yucatán Shrimp" at his Florida eatery named after his crime novels, backing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's finding that the mark would be merely descriptive.

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Carma Says Ex-CLO, President Stole Hulk Hogan Beer Ideas

By Gina Kim

Carma HoldCo Inc. has filed a $10 million lawsuit in Illinois federal court against its former president and chief legal officer, accusing them of misappropriating its trade secrets and business plans related to "Real American" beer in a partnership with wrestler Hulk Hogan after they were terminated.

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PRIVACY & CONSUMER PROTECTION

9th Circ. Upholds Converse's Win In Website Chat Wiretap Suit

By Allison Grande

The Ninth Circuit has refused to revive a proposed class action accusing Converse Inc. of allowing a third-party vendor to intercept website visitors' chats, finding that there was "no evidence" that the sneaker maker had violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act.

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COMPETITION

$4.4B T-Mobile, UScellular Deal Gets DOJ OK, With A Warning

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Department of Justice gave its all-clear Thursday to T-Mobile's plan to take over most of UScellular's wireless operations, finding that T-Mobile's commitments to bolster the flagging company outweigh, at least for now, worries over the disappearance of UScellular's underdog offerings.

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'Admonition' But No More Amazon Penalty For Hidden Docs

By Bryan Koenig

A federal judge in Washington state took Amazon.com to task Thursday for "bad faith" material review that labeled tens of thousands of documents as covered by attorney-client privilege despite involving no legal advice, but the judge, who is presiding over the Federal Trade Commission's Prime subscriptions case against the company, opted against further punishment.

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SECURITIES & WHITE COLLAR

NJ Developer Charged With Fraud, Bribing Local Official

By Katryna Perera

A New Jersey real estate investor and developer has been indicted on a raft of charges for allegedly running a Ponzi-like investment fraud scheme, conspiring to launder drug proceeds, laundering money represented to be drug proceeds as part of a sting operation and bribing a New Jersey politician.

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS

House Dem Says FCC Must Follow Law On DEI Probes

By Christopher Cole

A House Democrat who helps oversee the Federal Communications Commission says agency chief Brendan Carr must avoid any hint of targeting companies' diversity initiatives for political reasons rather than legal rationale against discrimination.

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Tegna To Pay $222K To Resolve FCC Probe Into Obscene Video

By Nadia Dreid

Broadcast giant Tegna has agreed to pay more than $222,000 to put an end to an inquiry that began almost four years ago when an unknown party played a 13-second pornographic video clip during an evening weather report on a Spokane, Washington, news station.

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Broadcast Groups Want Status Quo On AM Band Licenses

By Jared Foretek

AM broadcasters urged the Federal Communications Commission to allow them to continue dual operations in both the expanded and standard AM bands, telling the commission in a new filing that it should go ahead and shut down two AM-related dockets if it means that the status quo is maintained.

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Navigation Co. Says Study 'Validates' GPS Backup Plan

By Tom Lotshaw

Geolocation company NextNav Inc. told the Federal Communications Commission in a letter Wednesday that detractors of its proposal to use the lower 900 MHz spectrum to deploy an Earth-based backstop for the Global Positioning System have raised unfounded concerns and mischaracterized an engineering study supporting its proposal.

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Brief

Mass. Man Agrees To $10K Fine For Pirate Radio Stations

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission slapped a $10,000 fine on a Massachusetts man in a consent decree for operating pirate radio stations from three locations, though it was a reduction from the nearly $598,000 fine the FCC initially proposed.

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INSURANCE

Insurer Wants Out Of Horse Co.'s $3.2M Theft Coverage Fight

By Ganesh Setty

An insurer for an equestrian and his company that faced theft claims urged a Florida federal court to toss a coverage action from the underlying plaintiff, arguing it lacks standing to claim the insurer wasted policy benefits while defending insureds and left nothing for an eventual $3.2 million settlement.

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PERSONAL INJURY & MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

Oakley Says MSG Ignoring 2nd Circ. Mandate In Assault Case

By Elaine Briseño

Former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley told a federal judge Tuesday that it should reject Madison Square Garden's latest attempt to have his assault and battery claims tossed, arguing the Second Circuit already determined that only a jury can resolve the dispute.

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Ga. Atty Avoids Sanctions In Suit Over Fatal Police Shooting

By Emily Johnson

A Georgia federal judge has rejected Savannah officials' bid to sanction attorneys suing for civil rights violations in the 2022 shooting death of a Black man by a police officer who's facing murder charges, finding Wednesday that an attorney's comments to the media weren't made in bad faith — but warned counsel to "tread carefully."

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BANKRUPTCY

Cinemex Theater Co. Gets $2.6M For Operations In Ch. 11

By David Minsky

A Florida bankruptcy judge approved more than $2.6 million to keep a theater company operating in its second Chapter 11 case on Thursday, allowing the funds to pay for critical vendors and goodwill expenses as the business plans another reorganization. 

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Gauging The Risky Business Of Business Risk Disclosures

With the recent rise of securities fraud actions based on external events — like a data breach or environmental disaster — that drive down stock prices, risk disclosures have become more of a sword for the plaintiffs bar than a shield for public companies, now the subject of a growing circuit split, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

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Series

Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

VC Giant Andreessen Rips Del. Courts, Plans Move To Nev.

By Rae Ann Varona

Venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz on Wednesday announced plans to reincorporate in Nevada, saying that it was no longer a "no-brainer" to launch a company and incorporate in the historically corporate-friendly state of Delaware.

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Dems Say 3rd Circ. Nominee Urged DOJ To Ignore Courts

By Courtney Bublé

Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee on Thursday unveiled 150 pages of documents, which they say substantiate whistleblower allegations against Third Circuit nominee Emil Bove and raise concerns about his conduct during his tenure at the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Another Atty Sanctioned For Allegedly Hallucinated Case Law

By Andrea Keckley

A Florida judge on Wednesday issued a blistering order against an attorney who became the latest of many to face sanctions over filings with case law suspected of being hallucinated by generative artificial intelligence, ordering him to take AI ethics courses and repay opposing counsel's fees.

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Trump Taps Holland & Hart Partner For Montana Bench

By Lauren Berg

President Donald Trump announced on social media Thursday he has chosen a Holland & Hart LLP partner and veteran government attorney to serve on the federal bench in Montana.

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Senate Tees Up 6th Circ. Nom Vote As 1st Of 2nd Trump Term

By Courtney Bublé

The first judicial confirmation of the second Trump administration was readied on Thursday, with the U.S. Senate voting 51-43 to end debate on the nomination of Whitney Hermandorfer to the Sixth Circuit.

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Judge Blocks Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Nationwide

By Britain Eakin

A New Hampshire federal judge on Thursday issued a nationwide block of President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, and granted certification to a nationwide class that will cover all affected children born in the U.S.

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Analysis

5 Employee Benefits Takeaways On The GOP Tax Bill

By Kellie Mejdrich

Congressional Republicans' sweeping tax and policy bill, which President Donald Trump sought and then signed, contains multiple provisions that caught the attention of employee benefits and executive compensation attorneys, including new changes to high-deductible health plans and an employer-side deduction limit affecting highly compensated employees. Here are five takeaways from employee benefits and executive compensation attorneys on what's in — and out of — the GOP megabill.

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COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

AT&T Inc.

Adidas AG

Amalgamated Bank

Amazon.com Inc.

American Civil Liberties Union

American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts

American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire

Andreessen Horowitz LLC

Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA/NV

Armour Group Holdings Ltd.

Asian American Center for Advancing Justice

Associated Press

Bloomingdale's Inc.

CMX Cinemas

Cable News Network Inc.

Comcast Corp.

Converse Inc.

Credit Suisse Group AG

EE Ltd.

Fox Corp.

Frontier Communications Parent Inc.

Google LLC

Great American Insurance Co.

Hachette Book Group Inc.

Harvard University

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc.

LinkedIn Corp.

Los Angeles Times

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.

Meta Platforms Inc.

Metronet

NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Inc.

Netflix Inc.

New York Knicks

New York Post

PGA TOUR Inc.

Papa John's International Inc.

Root Inc.

Salesforce.com Inc.

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television & Radio Artists

Sonos Inc.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Tegna Inc.

Tellabs, Inc.

Tesla Inc.

The Golf Channel LLC

The Walt Disney Co.

TripAdvisor Inc.

Twitter Inc.

Verizon Communications Inc.

YouTube Inc.

Yum Brands Inc.

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

A&O Shearman

Ballard Spahr

Bast Amron

Blank Rome

Brown Rudnick

Claiborne Firm

Cobo Estrella Law Office

Covington & Burling

Davis Wright Tremaine

Elman Freiberg

Greenberg Traurig

Groom Law Group

Hannafan & Hannafan

Holland & Hart

Hueston Hennigan

Hunter Maclean

King & Spalding

Krovatin Nau

Kutner Rubinoff

McDermott Will & Emery

Morrison & Foerster

Murray Morin

Myers Law Group

Orrick Herrington

Perkins Coie

Petrillo Klein

Pollock Cohen

Pryor Cashman

Rimon PC

Ruggeri Parks

Seyfarth Shaw

Shegerian & Associates

Shullman Fugate

Shumaker Loop

Skadden Arps

Slater Slater

Tauler Smith

Thomas & LoCicero

Wigdor LLP

Wilks Law Firm (Wilmington, DE)

WilmerHale

Zeisler & Zeisler

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Delaware Court of Chancery

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Trade Commission

Fish and Wildlife Service

Internal Revenue Service

National Labor Relations Board

New York Supreme Court, New York County

Supreme Court of Nevada

Tennessee Attorney General's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Oklahoma

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of State

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

U.S. District Court of the District of New Hampshire

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut

United States District Court for the District of Montana

United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia