Week In Review

By Giancarla Sambo Edited by Elissa D. Hecker

Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News: Entertainment 'Mickey' Singer Owns Recordings' Copyright, 9th Circ. Affirms Toni Basil, the singer behind the hit song "Mickey," is the sole owner of the copyright for the recordings on her 1981 album, affirmed the 9th Circuit. It found that Basil seems to have "primarily wielded creative control" and that a producer involved in the project was not a co-author. https://www.law360.com/california/articles/1492452/-mickey-singer-owns-recordings-copyright-9th-circ-affirms

'Vape' Is the Word: U.S. Judge Allows 'Grease' Parody A judge ruled that "Vape: The Musical," which mocks the blockbuster 1978 film "Grease," amounted to fair use and did not infringe the rights of owners of the "Grease" copyright. https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/vape-is-word-us-judge-allows-grease-parody-2022-05-12/

Sen. Josh Hawley's Move to Strip Disney's Copyrights Called 'Blatantly Unconstitutional' Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill that aims to revoke Disney's copyrights, as Republicans are seeking to outdo each other in attacking the "woke" corporation. https://variety.com/2022/politics/news/hawley-copyright-disney-1235263563/

United States District Court for the District of Colorado Affirms Sanctions Against Copyright Attorney Richard Liebowitz Liebowitz and the Liebowitz Law Firm PLLC, on a joint and several basis, shall pay attorneys' fees in the amount of $7,952.50, made payable to Defendant Bahakel Communications, Ltd. https://www.leagle.com/decision/infdco20220511f28

Young Thug, Atlanta Rap Star, Is Arrested on Gang-Related Charges He was indicted with about two dozen others, including some accused of murder and attempted armed robbery. The county's district attorney has vowed to crack down on street gangs. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/09/us/young-thug-arrested-gang.html

Woman Threw Tantrum Before Fatally Pushing Voice Coach, Prosecutors Say Lauren Pazienza pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and assault in the death of legendary voice coach Barbara Maier Gustern. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/nyregion/lauren-pazienza-vocal-coach-barbara-gustern-bail.html

After Attacks, Comedians Wonder: Can People Still Take a Joke? Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars. Dave Chappelle was tackled at the Hollywood Bowl. Now some venues are increasing security to protect comedians. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/arts/comedians-safety-dave-chappelle-chris-rock.html

Hollywood Foreign Press Association Member Sues Organization for Retaliation and Sex Harassment A member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association sued the organization, claiming that he was sexually harassed and called a "terrorist" and an "angry Arab" by members of the group. https://variety.com/2022/film/news/hfpa-sam-asi-sexual-harassment-1235265713/

Leader of Pussy Riot Band Escapes Russia, With Help From Friends After more than a decade of activism, Maria Alyokhina disguised herself as a food courier to evade the police -- and a widening crackdown by President Vladimir Putin. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/world/europe/pussy-riot-russia-escape.html

Arts 'A Strange Loop' Nominated for 11 Tonys as Broadway Lauds Comeback "The Lehman Trilogy," as well as revivals of "Company" and "For Colored Girls" led in their respective categories as the industry tries to recover from the long pandemic shutdown. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/09/theater/tony-nominations-a-strange-loop-broadway.html

After Nude Jesse Williams Video, Theater Turns Camera on Audience Despite an attempt to ban smartphones in the theater, a video of the actor's nude scene in the Broadway production of "Take Me Out" circulated widely online. The theater is increasing its security efforts. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/11/theater/jesse-williams-leaked-nude-video.html

Guggenheim Removes Sackler Name Over Ties to Opioid Crisis The museum and the family have agreed to rename an educational center. The National Gallery in London is also removing the Sackler name from its walls. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/arts/design/guggenheim-sackler-name-opioids.html

Madonna Teams Up with Digital Artist Beeple for an NFT Triptych The Material Girl's first NFT collection will include her avatar giving birth to a tree. https://cryptoadventure.com/madonna-teams-up-with-digital-artist-beeple-for-an-nft-triptych/

Author's Essay About Why She Plagiarized Chunks of Her Debut Novel Is Pulled After She Copied The Essay As Well "The Leaving" had been scheduled to publish this summer, but was canceled after the author disclosed the plagiarism to her publisher in December. In an essay apologizing for what she did, the author was again found to have plagarized someone else's work. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10805399/Novelists-essay-explaining-plagiarized-parts-book-pulled-copying-article.html

'1973' Merch: How a Year Became Shorthand for Abortion Rights On "S.N.L." or at rallies, fashion designers are creating clothing with the date that signals support for Roe v. Wade. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/11/style/abortion-rights-merch-clothing.html

Tattoos, Still Illegal in South Korea, Thrive Underground Tattoo artists, long treated as criminals for their work, say that it is time to end the stigma against their business. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/world/asia/south-korea-tattoo-artists.html

Sports The NCAA's Approval of Name, Image, and Likeness Guidelines Signals a Crackdown on Boosters Could Be Coming The growing collectives at big-time programs are under threat, but does the governing body have the resources to enforce its new bylaws? https://www.si.com/college/2022/05/09/ncaa-nil-guidelines-boosters-athlete-funds

Town Sports International Settles with NY Attorney General on Dues Lawsuit Town Sports International, New York, has settled the dues-related lawsuit that the New York Attorney General Office filed against it in September. https://www.clubindustry.com/commercial-clubs/town-sports-international-settles-nyag-dues-lawsuit

FIFA and EA Sports End Decades-Long Video Game Partnership The demise of a relationship that produced one of the most popular games of all time will mean risks for soccer's governing body but few changes for consumers. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/sports/soccer/fifa-ea-sports.html

His Report of Abuse Drew Ridicule at First. Years Later, a Jury Listened Alex Harrison sued his school district for negligence after his high school tennis coach molested him. The case landed him back at the courthouse where he had first told his story, years earlier. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/11/sports/abuse-tennis-verdict-marin-county.html

Youth Hockey Site Rethinks Ranking Teams of Children MYHockey Rankings will no longer rate 11-and-under teams in the United States and Canada, its founder said, describing the practice as potentially harmful. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/sports/hockey/myhockey-youth-rankings.html

The Pain May Never Fade for Delaware State's Players. I've Been There, Too The law enforcement stop and search of the Delaware State women's lacrosse team bus recalls experiences this Black columnist had while traveling as a pro tennis player. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/sports/delaware-state-lacrosse-team-bus.html

Trial Over 'Wagatha Christie' Feud Begins in U.K. A public spat between the famous wives of two English soccer players, which has riveted tabloid attention in Britain, will be decided in court. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/world/europe/wagatha-christie-trial-uk.html

Technology/Media Supreme Court Leak Inquiry Exposes Gray Area of Press Protections No law or written code of conduct prescribes how an investigation into the leak of a draft opinion should proceed, or whether journalists will be swept into it. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/08/business/media/supreme-court-leak-press-protections.html

Appeals Court Revives Texas Law Targeting Social Media Companies The law, prompted by complaints from conservatives, allows people to sue large online platforms that remove posts expressing a particular viewpoint. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/technology/texas-social-media-law-political-speech.html

After Elon Musk Says That He Would 'Reverse the Permanent Ban' of Donald Trump on Twitter, Musk Musk Says His Twitter Takeover Is 'On Hold,' Then Says He's 'Still Committed' Musk has said that he wants Twitter to be a forum for debate, and he called the barring of Trump "morally wrong." The former president has said he would not rejoin the platform. Musk also said that he wanted to confirm Twitter's findings that spam and fake accounts make up less than 5% of its users. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/technology/elon-musk-donald-trump-twitter-ban.html https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/elon-musk-reverse-twitter-donald-trump-ban-1235263248/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/technology/elon-musk-says-his-takeover-of-twitter-is-on-hold.html

Cryptocurrencies Melt Down in a 'Perfect Storm' of Fear and Panic A steep sell-off that gained momentum starkly illustrated the risks of the experimental and unregulated digital currencies. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/technology/cryptocurrencies-crash-bitcoin.html

Match Group Sues Google Over Its App Store Rules The owner of the dating services Tinder and OkCupid claims that Google violated antitrust laws. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/09/business/match-group-google.html

Clearview AI Settles Suit and Agrees to Limit Sales of Facial Recognition Database The facial recognition software maker is largely prohibited from selling its database of photos to private companies. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/09/technology/clearview-ai-suit.html

Pulitzer Prizes Spotlight U.S. Capitol Riot and Middle East Air Wars Coverage The Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to an array of news organizations for investigations that uncovered the tragic toll of the United States' air war in the Middle East, exposed the dangers of a Tampa lead smelter, and pieced together the full picture of the Jan. 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol. https://www.deccanherald.com/international/pulitzer-prizes-spotlight-us-capitol-riot-and-middle-east-air-wars-coverage-1107943.html

Former Top McCain Aide Says He Lied to Discredit a New York Times Article "John McCain's lie became mine," Steve Schmidt wrote about Senator John McCain's relationship with a female lobbyist. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/09/business/media/steve-schmidt-john-mccain.html

Spain's Intelligence Service Leader Is Ousted Paz Esteban, the first woman to hold the job, was caught up in a scandal over her agency's use of Pegasus spyware. https://nytimes.com/2022/05/10/world/europe/spain-intelligence-chief-ousted.html

General News Justice Dept. Tries to Shift Environmental Justice Efforts From Symbolic to Substantive The agency has announced a series of policies intended to elevate those efforts, including the creation of an office meant to address the "harm caused by environmental crime, pollution and climate change." https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/us/politics/justice-department-environmental-justice.html

House Votes to Let Aides Unionize, Bargain Collectively The House voted to grant its aides the legal protections to form a union, the most significant step in more than 25 years. https://www.darientimes.com/news/article/House-votes-to-let-aides-unionize-bargain-17163899.php

Bill to Guarantee Abortion Rights Fails in Senate Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, said the legislation "goes way, way beyond codifying the status quo; it would roll back many existing laws. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/11/us/abortion-bill-blocked-senate.html

Texas Court Allows Abuse Inquiries of Parents of Transgender Children However, the court said that Gov. Greg Abbott did not have the authority to order such investigations, acknowledging they could cause "irreparable harm." https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/us/texas-supreme-court-abuse-transgender-children.html

After Tense Debate, Louisiana Scraps Plan to Classify Abortion as Homicide The legislation had divided abortion opponents, many of whom objected to the idea of prosecuting women who end a pregnancy. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/us/louisiana-abortion-bill.html

Alabama's Transgender Youth Can Use Medicine to Transition, Judge Rules A federal judge temporarily halted part of a new law that prevents doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapies to transgender youth. He upheld a ban on sex-altering operations. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/14/us/alabama-transgender-law.html

The Lost Americans Nearly one million people have died from Covid in the United States. Many of the loved ones they left behind are grieving in a nation that wants to move on. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/14/us/covid-one-million-deaths.html

Finland's Leaders Announce Support for NATO Nembership, With Sweden Not Far Behind Finland's president and prime minister announced their support for joining NATO, moving the Nordic nation that shares an 800-mile border with Russia one step closer to membership of the U.S.-led military alliance. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/12/europe/finland-leaders-join-nato-intl/index.html