Major Film Studios Bring Suit Against Streaming Platform VidAngel Over Subscription Fees February 26, 2019 Studios oppose VidAngel’s “selective” privilege surrender – The Daily Journal Manatt’s Robert Jacobs, leader of the entertainment litigation practice, spoke to The Daily Journal about a recent lawsuit brought by a team of film studios against streaming video company VidAngel. The streaming platform promises users access to family-friendly versions of popular movies, available for rent for as low as $1. A group of studios including Disney and Twentieth Century Fox successfully blocked VidAngel from offering their films on the platform, and the company entered into bankruptcy in 2017. Defense attorneys for VidAngel have said they want to present the jury a 12-page memo from their in-house counsel, which they say would support their argument that the company believed its service was legal. Jacobs, though not involved with the case, said the plaintiffs may have a good case for gaining access to applicable discussions that occurred before the lawsuit. “Certainly, the pre-litigation disclosure will need to be a bit more robust than what they’ve done so far,” he said. “You can’t just submit the bottom line sort of advice without the analysis of the advice, because the reasonableness of the reliance is fundamental to the determination of the defense they’re raising. There’s no way to test that without disclosure.” Read the article here.
