K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup (September 29, 2023)

Sports:

• The first professional full-season volleyball league in the U.S., League One Volleyball (LOVB), raised $35 million in its second round of funding with help from investors Lindsey Vonn, Kevin Durant, Candace Parker, and her daughter, Lailaa – Candace Parker, Kevin Durant invest in U.S. women’s pro volleyball league – The Athletic
• The NBA’s Golden State Warriors are close to bringing a WNBA expansion franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area, but a deal hasn’t been finalized yet. The team will play at the Chase Center and will be operated by the Warriors – Warriors near deal to bring WNBA expansion team to Bay Area, sources say – ESPN
• After a New York federal court vacated the bribery convictions of two defendants in the U.S. Department of Justice’s sprawling FIFA probe, prosecutors may continue to pursue foreign commercial corruption through other means, albeit with some limitations – Tossed FIFA Bribery Convictions May Spur New DOJ Offense – Law360
• Officials in the United States, Canada, and Mexico are preemptively developing a strategy to deter consumer exploitation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice – DOJ Looks To Stem Anti-Competitive Behavior At World Cup – Law360
• Attorneys for former Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker have informed university officials that he is preparing to file a wrongful termination lawsuit – Fired Football Coach’s Attys Tell MSU To Prepare For Lawsuit – Law360
• The XFL and USFL intend to merge their leagues to create one spring football league, but the merger is still subject to regulatory approval – XFL, USFL intend to merge to create 1 spring football league: A necessary step? – The Athletic

Entertainment:

• The Hollywood writers’ strike came to an end as the Writers Guild of America leadership voted unanimously to recommend the tentative agreement reached with studios over the weekend – Writers Strike Is Over: WGA Votes to End Work Stoppage (variety.com)
• A fan-fiction writer who sued Amazon and J.R.R. Tolkien’s heirs in April on allegations of ripping off his “Tolkien-inspired” books to create Amazon’s “The Rings of Power” series, said that granting the defendants’ recent bid for more than $153,000 in attorney fees would chill future copyright claims and that he simply has “nothing to give” after putting everything into his now-dismissed lawsuit – Tolkien Fanfic Writer Says Amazon Bid Hurts Copyright Act – Law360
• A New York federal court judge ruled that the fictional tax service “Sweet Liberty Tax” in AMC Networks Inc.’s television show “Better Call Saul” doesn’t infringe Liberty Tax’s trademark. JTH Tax LLC, which operates as Liberty Tax, failed to overcome a First Amendment test for trademarks in expressive works that the US Supreme Court recently confined, but not rejected – AMC Thwarts Liberty Tax’s Trademark Suit Over ‘Better Call Saul’ (bloomberglaw.com)