Dana Kravetz provided his insights to Law360 in support of an article titled, “4 Tips For Complying With DOL Independent Contractor Rule.” The piece addresses the Department of Labor’s Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act set to go into effect next week. For his part, Dana suggested that where state law is more restrictive—like in California—the DOL’s rule will largely be ignored.
Michael Poster has offered extensive commentary in an article published by World IP Review titled, “Sing for Your Supper: How Music Rights Became the Smart Play” The piece digs into the uptick in music catalogue sales—including those by Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and the estates of Michael Jackson and David Bowie—fueled by new licensing methods, a surge in streaming and, as Michael points out, the significant rise in royalty income realized with the introduction of the Music Modernization Act.
Law360 has turned to Michael Poster, M&R’s Music Acquisitions & Financing Chair, for comment on Sony Music Group’s recent purchase of a 50% stake in late pop star Michael Jackson’s music catalog for no less than $600 million. The deal places a total value of the assets up to $1.5 billion, the largest valuation of any music artist’s catalog to date. Among other insights, Michael makes clear that the trend of buying and selling music rights is “not going away, and we’ll continue to see more and more of it.”
Ashley Moore and Lauren Varnado were featured presenters at a CLE program hosted by the State Bar of Texas Women and the Law Section. Both offered insights during a program titled, “Defending Oil and Gas Companies at Trial.”
Elizabeth Tosaris has joined Michelman & Robinson’s Regulatory & Administrative Law Practice Group as a partner in our San Francisco office. The arrival of such a prominent insurance lawyer has made headlines, with features in Bloomberg Law, Law360, the Daily Journal, Politico, Reuters and the San Francisco Business Times. We couldn’t be happier to have Elizabeth as part of our team and welcome her to the firm.
Jennifer Mauri has provided her take on a district court’s decision to partially grant a motion filed by OpenAI to dismiss claims brought against it by writer and performer Sarah Silverman, among others. Her insights are included in an article titled, “Partial Win for OpenAI in Dispute With High-Profile Authors,” published this week by the Global Legal Post.
Dana Kravetz’s commentary on the NLRB’s expansion of the joint-employer rule and its impact on the hospitality space was featured in an article published last week by HOTELS Magazine. The story titled, “U.S. House votes to overturn new joint-employer rule,” covers the move in Congress to repeal the federal labor board’s joint-employer legislation and includes Dana’s take on what hotel owners and franchisors should be mindful of should the new rule ultimately take effect.
Mark Robinson has been quoted in a Law360 article titled, “The Top Environmental Insurance Trends Of 2024.” Among other things, the piece touches upon the decision made by multiple insurers last year suspending or limiting the sale of homeowners policies in California. For his part, Mark emphasized that carriers want to be able to write business in the state, so long as they are able to charge fair premiums —and not take significant losses—based on risk assessment.
