Entertainment Law Update Episode 160 – August/September 2023
On September 9, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (draft NPRM) that, if adopted at the September 2025 Open Commission Meeting, would commence the next phase of the...more
The FCC released its annual Report and Order announcing the regulatory fees due for the 2025 fiscal year. Fees must be paid by 11:59 pm Eastern time on September 25. The FCC's CORES payment module is accepting fee payments...more
Radio and television station employment units (SEUs) located in Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Iowa, Missouri, Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Oregon, America Samoa, and Washington with five or more full-time employees must...more
Pillsbury’s communications lawyers have published the FCC Enforcement Monitor monthly since 1999 to inform our clients of notable FCC enforcement actions against FCC license holders and others. ...more
District court dismisses SoundExchange’s suit against Sirius XM Radio seeking $150 million in alleged unpaid royalties, finding that “licensing and enforcement of rights” under Section 114 of Copyright Act is not synonymous...more
On August 7, 2025, a federal district court dismissed the complaint in a lawsuit brought by SoundExchange, Inc., an independent nonprofit representing owners of copyrighted sound recordings that sought underpaid royalties...more
Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed SoundExchange's $150 million lawsuit against SiriusXM, finding that the performance rights organization lacks legal...more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) has announced that the EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS) is now open for Emergency Alert System (EAS) Participants to file Form One. Under the FCC’s rules, EAS...more
Radio and television station employment units (SEUs) located in North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin, and California with five or more full-time employees must prepare by Friday, August 1, 2025, an annual EEO...more
Georgia state court grants summary judgment dismissing defamation claim targeting ChatGPT output accusing radio host of embezzlement, in light of disclaimers notifying users that ChatGPT sometimes generates inaccurate...more
Pillsbury’s communications lawyers have published the FCC Enforcement Monitor monthly since 1999 to inform our clients of notable FCC enforcement actions against FCC license holders and others....more
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under new chair Brendan Carr has issued an enforcement advisory addressing complaints that radio stations are coercing musical artists to perform for free at station events by...more
The FCC has issued an Enforcement Advisory reminding radio broadcasters that manipulating airplay based on an artist’s willingness to participate in station promotions or events is illegal under the FCC’s payola rules unless...more
On February 6, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) Enforcement Bureau published an Enforcement Advisory reminding radio broadcasters of their disclosure obligations in connection with artist...more
February 1 is the deadline for broadcast stations licensed to communities in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma to place their Annual EEO Public File Report in their Public...more
As described in more detail below, by January 10, 2025, all radio and television broadcast stations—both commercial and noncommercial—must prepare a list of important issues facing their communities of license and the...more
One thing about being part of a heavily regulated industry—you know well in advance most of the regulatory obligations and deadlines you’ll be facing in the year ahead. While that brings no solace to broadcasters, it does...more
Items of Note in 2025 - I. Commercial and Noncommercial Biennial Ownership Reports: December 1, 2025 is the deadline by which all commercial and noncommercial radio and television stations must file their biennial...more
At its final Open Meeting of 2024, the FCC on December 11 adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) seeking comment on the elimination or updating of several rules applicable to broadcast stations, as well as other...more
December 1 is the deadline for broadcast stations licensed to communities in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and...more