Legal
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Comedy ‘Little’ Graduating to Digital June 25, Disc July 9 From Universal
The “body swap” comedy Little will arrive on digital (including Movies Anywhere) June 25 and Blu-Ray, DVD and on demand July 9 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Regina Hall (Girls Trip, “Black Monday”) and Marsai Martin (“Black-ish”) star as Jordan Sanders — Hall as the take-no-prisoners tech mogul adult version of Jordan and Martin as … Continue reading “Comedy ‘Little’ Graduating to Digital June 25, Disc July 9 From Universal”
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Disney’s ‘Cinderella’ Waltzes to Digital June 18, Disc June 25 for Its 70th
For its upcoming 70th anniversary, Cinderella will waltz into the Walt Disney Signature Collection on digital HD (including Movies Anywhere) June 18 and Blu-ray and DVD June 25. Recently added to the National Film Registry, the animated classic centers on kind and hardworking Cinderella, who is ordered around by her cruel stepmother and her awful stepsisters. When … Continue reading “Disney’s ‘Cinderella’ Waltzes to Digital June 18, Disc June 25 for Its 70th”
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Law Firm Investigating AT&T for Allegedly Misleading Investors About DirecTV Now Subscriber Growth
A law firm specializing in filing litigation against publicly-held corporations, is seeking plaintiffs for a possible class action suit against AT&T regarding its standalone online TV streaming service, DirecTV Now. The Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, in an April 2 press release, said AT&T in June 2018 issued nearly 1.2 million new shares of … Continue reading “Law Firm Investigating AT&T for Allegedly Misleading Investors About DirecTV Now Subscriber Growth”
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DOJ Puts Oscars on Notice Regarding Streaming Video
The Justice Department reportedly has contacted the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences — the organization that runs the Academy Awards — about potential new rules that would restrict original movies distributed via streaming video channels (i.e. Netflix) from awards consideration. First reported by Variety, DOJ antitrust boss Makan Delrahim March 21 sent a … Continue reading “DOJ Puts Oscars on Notice Regarding Streaming Video”
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Report: U.S. Leads in Global Piracy Website Visits
Despite being home to the Motion Picture Association of America, Netflix, Hulu and other budget over-the-top video services, the United States leads the world in global visits to websites pirating illegal access to TV shows, movies, music and publishing, according to new data from Muso, a digital analytics firm. There were 17.3 billion visits by U.S. … Continue reading “Report: U.S. Leads in Global Piracy Website Visits”
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DOJ Antitrust Boss: ‘You Learn More From Losing’
Following legal rebuke at the lower federal court and subsequent appeals court level regarding efforts to block AT&T’s $84 billion acquisition of Time Warner, the Department of Justice’s Makan Delrahim, head of the agency’s antitrust unit, said more was learned in defeat than in winning the litigation. Speaking March 20 at the American Communications Association’s … Continue reading “DOJ Antitrust Boss: ‘You Learn More From Losing’”
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Four Brits Sentenced to Multiyear Jail Terms for Illegally Streaming Hollywood Movies
Four British men have been sentenced a combined 4.5 years jail time for operating a website that afforded users illegal access to Hollywood movies, including Lionsgate U.K.’s The Expendables 3, before they were available in theatres. Prosecutors say the group – which included Steven Pegram (40), Mark Rollin (37), Paul Taylor (54), and Alan Stephenson (42) — … Continue reading “Four Brits Sentenced to Multiyear Jail Terms for Illegally Streaming Hollywood Movies”
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Japanese Court Rules People Using Cell Phone to Watch TV Must Pay Subscription Fee
The Tokyo High Court has ruled that people using cellphones to watch TV must pay a subscription fee to NHK, the country’s public broadcasting network. The court March 12 ruled that people using a cell phone to access TV broadcasts must pay a subscription even if they don’t own a TV in the home. The … Continue reading “Japanese Court Rules People Using Cell Phone to Watch TV Must Pay Subscription Fee”
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Apple Responds to Spotify Complaint
Apple March 15 responded to Spotify’s decision to file a complaint against Apple Music with the European Commission citing unfair business practices, including taxes and restrictions on tech and user-enhancements, among other issues. Spotify ended its most-recent fiscal period with 87 million paid subscribers, compared with about 50 million for Apple Music. Both services operate … Continue reading “Apple Responds to Spotify Complaint”
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Maine Man Arrested After Driving to California to Threaten Google About Shutting Down His YouTube Channel
A YouTube video channel operator from Waterville, Maine, was arrested after driving to Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., to complain about his channel being shut down. Kyle Long, 33, was arrested by authorities on Hwy 101 outside Google headquarters for making criminal threats and held in a local jail on $25,000 bail. Long’s odyssey … Continue reading “Maine Man Arrested After Driving to California to Threaten Google About Shutting Down His YouTube Channel”
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Report: Trump Personally Sought to Block AT&T/Time Warner Merger
Despite claims to the contrary, President Trump wanted to block AT&T’s $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner — largely for political reasons, according to a report by The New Yorker. According to the publication, which cited a “well-informed source,” Trump in 2017 called on former economic advisor Gary Cohn and then-chief-of-staff John Kelly to personally … Continue reading “Report: Trump Personally Sought to Block AT&T/Time Warner Merger”
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Brazil Approves Disney/20th Century Fox Merger
Brazil regulators have approved The Walt Disney Co.’s $71.3 billion acquisition of 20th Century Fox Film and related businesses — paving the way for consummation of the Hollywood mega-merger first announced in December 2017. The slow-moving antitrust hurdle represented one of the last challenges to Disney’s merger with Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox entertainment division. … Continue reading “Brazil Approves Disney/20th Century Fox Merger”
