business
SBA Has Delivered $1 Billion in Shuttered Venue Grants
The SBA’s grant website states that roughly 27% of the more than 14,600 applications are currently under review, with another 21% awaiting consideration. About 1,600 applicants will be receiving a notice to fix technical corrections from the SBA as well. According to an SVOG stakeholder, these are entities that meet the criteria for approval, but something in their application needs to be fixed. The SBA is working on a process to send emails to those that need technical corrections and show them on the portal how to address them. Also in the works is an appeals process for those who have been denied but believe they are still eligible for the grant. While details of the process are still being worked out, it is estimated that businesses will have around two weeks t...
FRSC to auction unclaimed vehicles in Akwa Ibom
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Akwa Ibom Command, on Wednesday said that it would auction all unclaimed vehicles in its custody. In a statement issued by Mr Paul James, the command’s Public Enlightenment / Public Relations Officer said that all vehicles impounded within the last six months and unclaimed would soon be auctioned. James said the corps reserved the right to invoke relevant sections of the law to auction any impounded vehicles not claimed after six months. He said traffic offenders offered with offence sheets and their documents confiscated and vehicles impounded should claim their vehicles or be auctioned. “Consequently, traffic offenders who are issued with notice of offence sheet, either have their documents confiscated or vehicles impounded to secure payment of their...
How Will #FreeBritney Deal With a ‘Ruthless’ Probate System? Law Experts Assess
After Spears gave a lengthy, emotional statement about her desire to end the arrangement, Judge Brenda Penny told Spears’ court-appointed lawyer, Samuel D. Ingham III, to file a formal petition. Benny Roshan, chair of Greenberg Glusker’s trusts and probate litigation group, says probate code is vague when it comes to termination protocols. (It merely says, “If the court determines that the conservatorship is no longer required or that grounds for establishment of a conservatorship of the person or estate, or both, no longer exist, the court shall make this finding and shall enter judgment terminating the conservatorship accordingly.”) Penny will have wide latitude when it comes to what factors into her decision. “The statute does not specify the type...
Jay-Z’s Lawyer and Damon Dash Clash Over Truth, NFTs and Conflict of Interest
Roc-A-Fella was founded in 1995 by Dash, Jay-Z and Kareem “Biggs” Burke, each of whom own a third of the company. Dash writes that he does not oppose the preliminary restraining order preventing him from selling the Reasonable Doubt copyright, “as I do not own the copyright nor have I ever represented that I do.” The Roc-A-Fella lawsuit allegations are based on a press release promoting the Reasonable Doubt NFT sale, but Dash claims that the press release for the since-cancelled auction was incorrect. Dash says that what he was actually attempting to sell as an NFT was his one-third ownership of Roc-A-Fella, which he says Jay-Z tried to buy at a low price in March (and suggests that the lawsuit was Jay-Z’s form of revenge). As such, Dash writes ...
Jack Savoretti Looks to Depose Olivia Rodrigo on U.K. Albums Chart
Europiana accumulates the most physical sales and downloads over the weekend, and should give Savoretti his fourth consecutive Top 10, the OCC reports. Meanwhile, Tyler, The Creator enjoys a solid start with his sixth record Call Me If You Get Lost (Columbia). It’s new a No. 3 and is on track for the U.S. hip-hop artist’s highest-charting album ever in the U.K., outpacing the No. 4 best of his 2019 album Igor. Doja Cat could snag her first Top 10 with Planet Her (Ministry of Sound), which starts at No. 4 on the chart blast, while alt-rock artist John Grant’s latest, Boy From Michigan (Bella Union), is new at No. 5. Further down the list, Anaheim rock outfit Buckcherry is targeting a first-ever appearance in the U.K. Top 40 with Hellbound (Earache), new at No. 8, while British metal gi...
Juul to pay US state $40 million for targeting teens with e-cigarettes
Electronic cigarette giant Juul Labs Inc will pay $40m to North Carolina and take more action to prevent underage use and sales, according to a landmark United States legal settlement announced on Monday after years of accusations that the company had fueled an explosion in teen vaping. A state judge accepted the first-of-its-kind agreement with a US state. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein had sued Juul, accusing it of employing unfair and deceptive marketing practices that targeted young people to use its vaping products, which deliver addictive nicotine. As part of the agreement, Juul will not advertise to anyone under 21 in North Carolina and will limit sales amounts of Juul products online to any state residents. It will also sell its products only behind counters at retailer...
Lagos assembly warns local councils against extorting courier, logistics operators
Pool Photo The Lagos House of Assembly on Monday ordered local government councils and local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state to desist from extorting and harrassing operators of courier and logistics services in the state. Mudashiru Obasa, the House speaker, said the local councils do not have the power to tax logistics and courier services. He said the power of the councils was limited to the registration of bicycles as dictated by the Constitution. Mr Obasa said it was important to act against the action of the councils because it affects the ease of doing business in the state. “We have to make them understand that going out to disturb well-planned and organised businesses that stand to create employment for our youth especially with the rate at which students graduate wi...
Roblox and Twitch Are Gaming the System Against Songwriters (Guest Op-Ed)
The company has made hundreds of millions of dollars on the backs of creators, including by requiring users to pay every time they upload music — taking advantage of largely young people’s lack of understanding about copyright — and then they take virtually no action to prevent repeat infringement or alert users to the risks they are taking. The fact that mostly children, who would have no idea whether Roblox has covered its legal bases, are the ones who are being taken advantage of is particularly egregious When confronted with the need to license in order to protect itself and its users, Roblox thus far has been defiant. Not only have they refused to pay for the songs they know are on the platform, they are trying to hide behind a misinterpretation of the DMCA to avoid liabil...
Spotify’s ‘Discovery Mode’ Is Payola, Just Not the Bad Kind (Guest Op-Ed)
Anyone with an internet connection can post their music to YouTube or Spotify. The challenge now is getting people to listen to it. To reach audiences, aspiring musicians can hook up with TikTok influencers who will dance to their songs for money. Or they can pay the thousands of independent playlisters on Spotify to add their tunes to popular playlists. An entire subindustry of social media music promotion has sprung up specifically to assist musicians with these endeavors. Historically, the justifications for regulating payola were (i) that it harmed consumers, and (ii) that it harmed competition. But as we describe in a forthcoming law review article exploring the history of payola, in the 1950s and 1960s, these “harms” were often used as a cover for run-of-the-mil...
Senator backs Nigerian government on grazing routes
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has asked the Federal Government to go ahead with its plan to recover the old cattle grazing routes because herdsmen activities affect every part of the country. Adamu, who also served as a two-time governor of Nasarawa State, disagreed with those who argued that the Federal Government should not dabble into grazing issues because it had no constitutional powers to do so. The Senator, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja, said herdsmen needed the cattle routes because of the challenges they usually faced when they wanted to adopt other forms of transportation. He said the Federal Government should attend to the welfare of herdsmen just as it was providing basic amenities for others involved in private businesses across the ...
Justin Cosby, Co-Founder of Australia’s Inertia Music, Dies at 50
There are no further details available as to the cause of his death. As the sad news spread, Australia’s music community turned to social media to remember a top-notch music man with a gentle nature. “I’m just shocked to hear of the passing of beautiful Justin Cosby,” wrote indie-pop singer and songwriter Holiday Sidewinder. “He signed me when I was 16 and was truly a pleasure to work, a special soul and emotionally intuitive. I’ll never forget him crying at one of my shows because he was so moved…” She continued, “He often popped into my parents house to have a cup of tea and give me new records to listen to. He was one of the good guys in a very lecherous industry, and made me feel safe and respected as a musician. RIP beautiful man.” Justin was “highly regarded by the Austra...
Kelly Clarkson Wins Twice at 2021 Daytime Emmy Awards
Sheryl Underwood, co-host of CBS’ The Talk, hosted the Daytime Emmys for the fifth time. Red Table Talk won outstanding informative talk show, beating, among others, Red Table Talk: The Estefans. Jada Pinkett Smith co-hosts Red Table Talk with her daughter, “Whip My Hair” hitmaker Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris. Gloria Estefan co-hosts Red Table Talk: The Estefans with her daughters Emily and Lili Estefan. Both shows air on Facebook Watch. CBS Sunday Morning, which frequently runs profiles of top music artists, won outstanding morning show. The show’s host, Jane Pauley, formerly co-hosted NBC’s The Today Show, one of the other nominees in this category. The show included tributes to three TV legends who died in the past year — Regis Philbin, Alex Treb...
