By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief Disney is the world's largest studio and the largest entertainment licensor, so what happens at Disney affects everyone in the licensing industry. News the Magic Kingdom has announced 7,000 layoffs and a major restructuring of the entire company is cause for concern ... but there's good news in the latest earnings call as … [Read more...] about Disney is Restructuring and Laying Off Staff: Six Takeaways From the Earnings Call
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Update: Hermès Wins Landmark Lawsuit Over ‘MetaBirkin’ NFTs
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief The luxury brand Hermès has won a landmark case that will help determine the future of NFT artworks in the United States. A nine-person jury emerged from several days of consideration to name Hermès the victor in a copyright infringement trial. NFT artist Mason Rothschild was also ordered to pay $133,000 in damages to Hermès, … [Read more...] about Update: Hermès Wins Landmark Lawsuit Over ‘MetaBirkin’ NFTs
Music Licensing: Is Justin Bieber’s Catalog Worth More Than $200 Million?
Data From Spotify Says Yes By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief (Photo of Justin Bieber by Budiey) Justin Bieber has agreed to sell his entire music catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital for more than $200 million. Hipgnosis announced the deal via press release, saying it has acquired “Justin Bieber’s 100% interest in his Publishing Copyrights (including the Writer’s Share … [Read more...] about Music Licensing: Is Justin Bieber’s Catalog Worth More Than $200 Million?
Licensing Law: Black Eyed Peas Suing MGA Over Pooping Unicorn Song
Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief As a journalist, you never think you're going to write a sentence like "The Black Eyed Peas are suing a toy company over a pooping unicorn toy," but such is life. When I saw the news that BMG Rights Management has filed a suit against MGA over their Poopsie Slime Surprise: Dancing Unicorn toy, I had to double check to make sure someone … [Read more...] about Licensing Law: Black Eyed Peas Suing MGA Over Pooping Unicorn Song
Licensing Market Data: Insights Releases Its Future Forecast for 2023
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief Market intelligence firm The Insights Family has released its annual Future Forecast 2023 report, which predicts 12 key trends in the kids, teens, parents, and family universe to watch out for this year. This is the fifth edition of the Future Forecast 2023, and the The Insights Family says the annual data release is proving to be a highly … [Read more...] about Licensing Market Data: Insights Releases Its Future Forecast for 2023
Why You Need to Watch the Getty Images Lawsuit Against Stability AI
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief In a world first, Getty Images is suing AI art generator Stability AI for copyright infringement, alleging it processed millions of its images. Stability AI is the company that created the popular art generation tool Stability Diffusion, which has already created millions of images for its users. However, like other similar programs, … [Read more...] about Why You Need to Watch the Getty Images Lawsuit Against Stability AI
Dungeons & Dragons Faces Fan Backlash Over Leaked Licensing Agreement
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief Hasbro’s hugely successful Wizards of the Coast faced a fan revolt this week over its new licensing rules. At one point, as Games Radar reported, so many fans cancelled their subscriptions to the online hub D&D Beyond that it apparently caused the site to crash. So, what touched off this fury among the Dungeons & Dragons … [Read more...] about Dungeons & Dragons Faces Fan Backlash Over Leaked Licensing Agreement
Licensing Sales Top $315 Billion Says Licensing International
The licensing industry enjoyed a strong year in 2021, despite the lingering impacts of the pandemic. A study by Licensing International says consumers spent $315.5 billion worldwide on licensed merchandise in 2021. That's an increase of 7.75% over 2019. The figures echo research by The Licensing Letter, which showed licensing companies generally saw major gains in … [Read more...] about Licensing Sales Top $315 Billion Says Licensing International
Annual Licensing Royalty Trends Report Available Now
The Licensing Letter has released its annual Licensing Royalty Trends Report on the TLL Bookstore. And this year, the report comes with a major difference. Typically the Licensing Royalty Trends Report covers the differences in royalties and revenue, as well as changes in common licensing contract terms, from one year to the next. This year, however, the TLL team studied … [Read more...] about Annual Licensing Royalty Trends Report Available Now
Members Only: 2022 Royalty Trends Report Released in January Magazine
The Licensing Letter has released its annual Licensing Royalty Trends Report for 2022 in the January issue of TLL Magazine. And this year, the report comes with a major difference. Typically the Licensing Royalty Trends Report covers the differences in royalties and revenue, as well as changes in common licensing contract terms, from one year to the next. This year, … [Read more...] about Members Only: 2022 Royalty Trends Report Released in January Magazine