Law Offices of Mark Litwak & Associates

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Info Wars has settled a copyright infringement suit for a pittance. The site is a fringe media outlet founded by radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. It is notorious for spreading outlandish conspiracy theories, including that the September 11, 2001 attacks were carried out by the United States government, and the “Pizzagate” story which claimed Hillary Clinton was involved in a child sex trafficking ring run out of a restaurant in Washington D.C. The…
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the talent agencies represented by the Association of Talent Agents (ATA) are on a collision course. The WGA wants to stop agencies from having an interest in affiliated production companies and taking packaging fees.  Packaging is the practice of an agent putting together a script, star and director and presenting it as a bundled deal to a studio or network. The practice is largely dominated by the major…
​Mark returns to NYC to present his one day seminar with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts: SELF-DEFENSE FOR WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS  Writers and filmmakers need to understand their legal rights and how to defend themselves from those who may seek to exploit them or falsely claim their rights have been infringed. This seminar explains how writers and filmmakers can prevent problems from arising by properly securing underlying rights, and by encouraging other parties to live…
In Dr. Seuss Enters., L.P. v. ComicMix LLC, Defendants created a Kickstarter campaign in order to fund printing and distribution of an allegedly infringing work, Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go! (“Boldly”), a mashup which combines aspects of various Dr. Seuss works with certain characters, imagery, and other elements from Star Trek, the science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California dismissed the trademark claims but refused to dismiss the copyright infringement…
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​Congratulations to our client Steven Fine whose feature directorial debut Love Shot will be released today on Comcast, Directv, iTunes, Prime Video, Redbox, Barnes & Noble, Walmart and numerous other platforms and stores. Gravitas Ventures acquired domestic rights while Cinetel Films has acquired international rights. The film won the audience choice award at the Culver City Music Festival. Watch the trailer Here …
The Michael Jackson estate has sued HBO over its new and very controversial documentary Leaving Neverland  that recently premiered at the recent Sundance Film Festival.  The documentary tells the story of Michael Jackson’s long-running relationships with two boys, aged 7 and 10, and their families. Now in their 30s, the men claim they were sexually abused by Jackson. The four-hour film is set to air March 3rd and 4th on HBO.  The film has been…
Mark returns to NYC to present his one day seminar with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts: SELF-DEFENSE FOR WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS  Writers and filmmakers need to understand their legal rights and how to defend themselves from those who may seek to exploit them or falsely claim their rights have been infringed. This seminar explains how writers and filmmakers can prevent problems from arising by properly securing underlying rights, and by encouraging other parties to live up…
Mark has once again achieved a brief moment of fame on the big screen in Hollywood. Disney recently released Ralph Breaks the Internet, a sequel to its “Wreck-it Ralph movie,” and once again, Litwak’s Video Arcade is included in the movie.  One of the film’s writers was inspired to give the arcade this name after attending one of Mark’s lectures at Cal-Arts many years ago. In the film, Mr. (Stan) Litwak is the friendly owner…
 Hollywood is a strange place with its own customs and practices. One custom that often confuses newcomers is when a studio executive or producer tells them that he or she would love to read their script but can only do so if it comes in from an attorney or an agent. The caller then seeks to obtain such representation because they think the intended recipient is genuinely interested in reading their script. Unfortunately, that is…
Stormy Daniels aka Stephanie Clifford has had her defamation case against President Trump tossed out of court on the grounds that Trump’s statements were “rhetorical hyperbole.” In defamation law, the phrase “rhetorical hyperbole” encompasses a variety of communications, including epithets, insults, and name-calling, all of which may be protected expression. So what exactly is “rhetorical hyperbole” and how does this doctrine insulate one from making statements that might otherwise be considered defamatory? To…