Media & entertainment - King & Wood Mallesons Pulse

Feeling Bluey… Robert Irwin, Pauline Hanson, and Fred again..: an overview of use of likeness

27 February 2025

By Kirsten Bowe, Karen Litherland, Grace Crowley

Last year Pauline Hanson delivered the much anticipated sequel to her satirical cartoon of Australian icons, Bluey and Robert Irwin. Irwin reportedly threatened to sue Hanson for defamation for the first instalment, but regardless of the outcome – it’s a reminder to carefully consider the risks of using a person’s likeness without their consent. This post explores use of likeness (and its relation to publicity rights) and its risks in Australia.

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True or False?

10 October 2024

By Rebecca Maher, Zareen Qayyum

ACMA to get new powers to regulate content on digital platforms for misinformation

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Mr Worldwide’s great American ‘scream’ – protection granted for Pitbull’s famous yell

24 April 2020

By Bridie Egan

American rapper, singer and songwriter Pitbull (Armando Christian Pérez) has successfully trade marked his tell-tale yell ‘EEEEEEEYOOOOOO!’ that features heavily in most of his songs.

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The Budget 2018-2019: our three key areas for intellectual property

9 May 2018

By Luke Hawthorne

Biotechnology companies and generic pharmaceuticals are the winners and celebrities are the Biggest Losers in the Federal Budget

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Insecure title: Don’t forget to register your security interest when supplying content on retention of title terms

1 September 2016

By Nick Sinclair

A recent judgment from the NSW Supreme Court involving the lease of gas turbines is actually a useful and important reminder to content producers seeking to retain copyright in content provided to customers until those works are paid for.

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An apparently ‘precious’ ring: Federal Court grants summary judgment to rule them all

12 August 2016

By Luke Hawthorne

The Federal Court of Australia has given summary judgment in Tolkien Estate Limited v Saltalamacchia [2016] FCA 944 for Tolkien Estate Limited (representing the estate of the late JRR Tolkien) against a jewellery trader selling rings bearing the infamous inscription of the ‘One Ring’ from Tolkien’s The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series.

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“Your word is your bond”: Is Trump’s plagiarism of Obama copyright infringement?

10 August 2016

By Siao-Sun Hoon

As the US presidential election continues, with it comes more copyright controversies.

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Bieber Fever running high, “is it too late now to say I’m SORRY?” – allegations of copyright infringement against The Biebs (aka Justin Bieber)

15 June 2016

By Maggie Chan

Indie artist, Casey Dienel, who goes by the name of “White Hinterland”, is suing Justin Bieber and producer, Skrillex (as well as the other songwriters) for alleged copyright infringement in relation to Bieber’s hit and annoyingly catchy song “Sorry” (you know the song where The Biebs is singing about Selena Gomez – you can listen to it here).

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WIN v Nine: Bumping shoulders as the internet grows more crowded

5 May 2016

By Helena Kanton

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Social media “influencers”: the do’s and don’ts of disclosure

22 March 2016

By Emily Rich

It’s now a widely acknowledged reality that commercial organisations need defined social media strategies and policies in place as a framework for approaching the world of ’gramming, liking, sharing, connecting (and, a recent addition to the Facebook stable, “reacting”) online.

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