All posts by Aidan Spillane

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Jay's Son

Why Do LA Copyright Cases Go to Federal Court?

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Federal Court Holds Exclusive Power Over Copyright Disputes

When a major studio discovers unauthorized use of their $5 million production, or a software company finds their proprietary code copied by a competitor, the path to justice leads to only one destination: federal court. This jurisdictional requirement isn’t a suggestion or preference—it’s a legal mandate that shapes how copyright disputes worth millions of dollars unfold across Los Angeles and the nation. For businesses and legal professionals dealing with high-stakes intellectual property conflicts, understanding why copyright cases bypass state courts entirely can mean the difference between swift resolution and costly procedural mistakes.

💡 Pro Tip: Before filing any copyright action, verify that your work is registered or that you’ve received a refusal from the Copyright Office. read more

$914M in 2025 LA Fire Claims: When You Need an Insurance Attorney

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When Fire Insurance Companies Don’t Keep Their Promises

As of January 16, 2025, the devastating Eaton Fire alone has destroyed 5,718 structures and damaged another 679 across Los Angeles County, leaving thousands of residents facing the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. While insurance should be your safety net during such catastrophic losses, many property owners are discovering that getting fair compensation from their insurers has become a battle in itself. Whether you’re dealing with denied claims, lowball settlement offers, or delays in processing your fire damage claim, understanding when to seek legal help can mean the difference between recovering your losses and being left with inadequate compensation. read more

Zoomigation: Processing Civil Disputes in a Lockdown World

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Resolving civil disputes in court used to involve a regular series of trips to tall office buildings and courthouses where we all sat close and breathed on one another to take depositions, mediate disputes, appear at hearings and try cases.  Now that we are kicked out of the buildings, must the dispute resolution process grind to a halt?  No, while the “jury is out” on the the conduct of jury trials, much of what we do other than jury trials can be Zoom-ized. 

Here is my report card on resolving civil disputes from one’s living room: “Zoomigation.”

Mediations: A.  In nearly all civil business disputes parties are ordered to attend mediation, a half-day or day devoted to settlement.  read more

A SIMPLE VIEW OF MUSIC COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

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The legal news wires are “rocking” with headlines in music copyright infringement cases.  The Ninth Circuit, sitting en banc, found for Led Zeppelin in the “Stairway to Heaven” litigation and euthanized the “inverse ratio rule.”  In a connected world of nearly universal access to copyrighted works, a plaintiff must show real plagiarism, not merely plausible similarities.  

Soon thereafter Judge Snyder threw out the jury’s verdict that Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” copied a bass ostinato from Christian rapper Flame’s “Joyful Noise.”  

For copyright lawyers this news creates the sort of excitement that NFL fans experience over a tie in the last two minutes of the Super Bowl.  read more