By Audrey Glover-Dichter Edited by Elissa D. Hecker
Below, for your browsing convenience, the categories are divided into: Entertainment, Arts, Sports, Technology/Media, and General News:
Entertainment
Broadway Pops Open!
Although productions cannot resume normal show activity yet, they can participate in the new NY Pops UP throughout NYC and the state. Capacity restrictions will be in place allowing different venues to open as of April 2, 2021, through Labor Day weekend. Some Broadway theaters, such as the Music Box Theater, will participate. Events will be unannounced and unticketed to avoid crowds.
Roc Nation Wins a $12 Million Judgement
Roc Nation obtained insurance on Jordan Feldstein as part of Roc Nation's acquisition of Career Artist Management (CAM), since he was central to CAM. Roc renewed the policy and shortly thereafter, Feldstein passed away.
Mariah Carey Is Being Sued By Brother
Mariah's brother, Morgan, is suing her for defamation stemming from Mariah's memoir book "The Meaning of Mariah Carey". Morgan claims that Mariah falsely called him potentially violent. Morgan filed his lawsuit a month after Allison, the older sister, filed her lawsuit against Mariah for emotional distress.
Mattel Sued for Barbie Emoji
Emoji Company GmbH is suing Mattel for trademark infringement for Barbie doll emojis. Mattel filed for "emoji style" for Barbie, which Emoji calls trademark infringement.
U.S. Copyright Office Issued Supplemental Interim Rules for The Music Modernization Act
The Copyright Office Interim Rule updates some reporting requirements for digital music providers under the The Music Modernization Act (MMA). The new Interim Rule also covers nonblanket licensees.
No Remand for Issues Not Raised in Complaint
This case only raised one legal issue, but at remand addressed a second issue not included in the complaint. Copyright was not the only issue in this case. The plaintiff was looking for the court to deem the screenplay as derivative work, but such issue was not included in the complaint.
Disney's First South East Asian Heroine
Her name is Raya and she represents about 673 million people in 11 countries. Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon" shows that Disney makes an effort in correctly depicting South East Asia.
Hunger Games Salute Being Used in Protests
As protests continue in Myanmar against the military coup, the Hunger Games Salute has become the protestor's symbol.
Arts
Dr. Seuss Books Retired
Six Dr. Seuss titles were retired by Dr. Seuss Enterprises for what it believes are racist undertones.
Getty Wins
Getty successfully defends against copyright infringement and a Digital Millennium Copyright Act lawsuit, but not awarded attorney's fees. Getty had a valid license to distribute images.
Permanent Ownership of Nazi Looted Painting
This case revolves around who has the right to decide the exhibition of a painting looted by the Nazis. The main questions in this case are who can determine where and for how long can the painting be exhibited.
Golden Globe Winner Chloe Zhao
Chloe Zhao is the first Asian woman to win the Golden Globe for best director for "Nomadland". Chloe was born in Beijing and she is being criticized by Chinese nationals for allegedly stating that the "U.S. is now my country, ultimately" during a recent interview (which she didn't actually say). The Chinese government has censored materials related to the movie.
Sports
DraftKings Settles Class Action Lawsuit for $8 Million
DraftKings was engaged in false and misleading advertising by misrepresenting the true nature of daily contests and offers. Two settlement funds are being set up, one for DK Dollars, which are credits used by players. The second fund is for players whose accounts were closed. This settlement does not cover lawsuits against FanDuel Inc.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/class-action/draftkings-to-pay-8-million-to-settle-consolidated-class-claims
Claressa Shields, Boxer, Claims Sexism Is Her Biggest Foe
Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, is one of the greatest female boxers, having won 9 championships. As a result of the sexism she encountered, Shields decided to headline an "all-women's pay-per-view on FITE."
National Football League Gender Discrimination
Apparently, cheerleaders were paid for working games at $5.00 per hour. Lacy Thibodeaux-Fields, who sued the National Football League for gender discrimination, wage theft, and harassment, has a movie coming out soon. The Movie is called "A Woman's Work".
LSU Mishandled Sexual Assault Misconduct
LSU failed to protect students from sexual misconduct, according to a report produced by a law firm. Such report shows years of failure by the administration to give victims a way to report such egregious behavior. The administration apparently also gave the athletic department "undue influence" in the handling of such reports.
Basketball Coach Greg McDermott Suspended
McDermott made a comment during team huddle using an analogy to a plantation. Creighton University suspended McDermott as a result.
Media/Technology
Microsoft Email Hack
"US Cybersecurity agencies issued an emergency warning" regarding what seems to be a cyber attack originating from China. Apparently, emails were stolen from Microsoft account holders. Further, the attackers installed malware following users.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/06/technology/microsoft-hack-china.html?emc=confirmation_ot®i_id=161978635
Tik Tok Settled for $92 Million for Privacy Violations
Facial recognition was used to collect biometrics without sufficient consent. In particular, collecting such biometrics of underaged app users triggered the lawsuit by concerned parents. Tik Tok is owned by Chinese based ByteDance and has been the target of much concern, given the amount of data it collects.
YouTube and Myanmar Military
The Myanmar Military had 5 channels on YouTube, which were shut down pursuant to its community guidelines and applicable laws. Videos were also removed from the platform. So far, about 38 people have been killed since the military coup.
General News
Senate Passes President Biden's $1.9 Trillion Relief Plan
The Senate passed the relief plan late Saturday night. The bill has already been sent to the House, and is expected that President Biden will sign it into law by Tuesday.
The U.S. Treasury to Invest $9 Billion in Minority Communities
The Treasury Department has implemented the Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP). The program gives minority and rural communities access to much needed capital, where traditionally such communities would have been excluded from the financial system.
Crimes of Moral Turpitude In Immigration Cases
SCOTUS placed the burden of proof on the immigrant to show that she/he/they has good moral turpitude in order to be eligible for relief from removal. This case addresses state convictions under an ambiguous state law.
Supreme Court and Voting Rights
The Supreme Court heard arguments regarding the restrictive Arizona voting law, which apparently limits voting rights of People of Color. The case focuses on how people in Arizona are allowed to vote.
Happy International Women's Day
March 8, 2021 is International Women's Day, which falls during Women's History month. This day brings awareness for the need of including women in all fields and equal pay. As RBG stated: "Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception."
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
Perseverance Rover Begins Exploration of Mars
NASA has published stunning photos of Mars sent by Perseverance. One of these photos shows its own tracks on Mars' dusty ground.
FBI Links Proud Boys to White House Associates Prior to Insurrection
The FBI used cellular, location, and call records to connect a White House associate to the Proud Boys. The names of involved parties have not been released.
Representative Eric Swalwell Sues Trump for the Insurrection
Congressman Swalwell filed a lawsuit against former President Trump, Trump Jr., and Giuliani for the insurrection on January 6th. Congressman Bennie Thompson was the first Representative to sue Trump, Giuliani, and others with similar claims.
Virginia Has a Consumer Protection Act
Virginia passed a comprehensive Consumer Protection Act, making it the second state to have a expansive law behind California. The law takes effect in 2023, giving businesses time to make the necessary changes to be legally compliant. The new law includes specific prohibited practices.
Ex-Officer May Be Tried for Third Degree Murder
Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter for the death of George Floyd. However, an appeals court decided that the third-degree murder charge should not have been dismissed by a lower court, clearing the way for prosecutors to possibly reinstate the charge.
Freed After 24 Years
Pressure from politicians led to the capturing and prosecution of 3 innocent men who spent 24 years in jail. The prosecution's egregious behavior led to their convictions.
German Court Suspends Far Right Surveillance
As elections approach in Germany, the far right party, Alternative for Germany, keeps fighting the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution from surveilling it. The party won a court ruling preventing the government from announcing publicly that the party is under surveillance.
Equatorial Guinea Rocked by Explosion
At least 20 people are dead from an explosion on a military base close to Bata, the largest city. At least 420 people have been reported injured.
https://thehill.com/policy/international/542030-explosions-rock-equatorial-guinea-killing-at-least-20
Female Victims of Violence in Mexico
Apparently, about 10 women are killed daily in Mexico, doubling from 5 years ago. According to the Mexican government, 939 women were targeted and killed just last year alone. The names of such victims were painted on barriers in front of the national palace by women advocates.
Coronovirus
COVID Vaccines for All
President Biden stated that there should be enough vaccines for all adults in the U.S. by the end of May. Although progress has been made, Biden warned of variants are concerning and everyone must remain vigilant. The U.S is apparently not ready to relax restrictions yet, although some states have, including Texas and Mississippi.
Indoor Dining Linked to Rise of COVID Cases
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study linked indoor dining to the increasing number of COVID cases and deaths. The same study found that wearing masks leads to a decrease in cases and deaths.
https://www.nrn.com/news/new-cdc-study-finds-premises-restaurant-dining-leads-rise-covid-19-cases-and-deaths
Using Art to Explain COVID
Women are using art to explain COVID by using their combined artistic and scientific talents. This article showcases different artists in celebration of International Women's Day.