Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 9h

I’ll tell you who is having fun with A.I. text-to-audio. Those who work to put stuff on screens at NFL games to get fans hyped.

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 3d

“A reasonable listener of ‘Not Like Us’ would conclude that Lamar is rapping hyperbolic vituperations.” —Judge Vargas

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

storage.courtlistener.com

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 4d

Dish, Disney & The $4.99 Lawsuit From Hell puck.news/disney-sues-...

Dish, Disney & The $4.99 Lawsuit From Hell

Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are suing Dish over Sling TV’s “day passes,” reviving a decades-old grudge match just as ESPN launches its long-awaited stand-alone app—and the industry braces for mo...

puck.news

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 5d

Lots of scoopage in the newsletter tonight including a new and potentially explosive child abuse allegation against Michael Jackson

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 8d

Here’s a story recommendation. Really interesting one that covers protein bars, antitrust law, and more apple.news/AKsvME2sHSu6...

The Protein Bar King and the Battle for the Holy Grail of Fat Substitutes — Men’s Health

How the “secret sauce” in America’s hottest new brand of protein bars sparked a storm of controversy that has forced small businesses to the brink of death—and upended the protein bar market that many...

apple.news

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 11d

Also the opt out model has roots in the takedown process under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Not saying that’s appropriate here. But what you say is an overstatement… especially since the Copyright Office itself has studied opt outs for A.I.

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 11d

“Privilege” in the legal context that Sam Altman discusses isn’t about liability...at least not directly. It’s about confidentiality, and whether records need to be produced in response to subpoena.

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 12d

Under-the-radar, upcoming Hollywood trials:
—Netflix’s “Inventing Anna” libel
—“Real Housewives” copyright problem
—Disney vs fired actor’s “religious” beliefs

puck.news/how-inventin...

Netflix’s $15M ‘Inventing Anna’ Mistake

The streamer’s decision not to secure the life rights for one of the key players in the fake heiress saga could prove costly. Plus, news and notes on a $10 million ‘Housewives’ jingle battle and Disne...

puck.news

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Reposted by Eriq Gardner

Matt Belloni @mattbelloni.bsky.social · 18d

New pod: Who’s got the leverage in the next battles between Trump, the TV stations and Disney, and why Blue state attorneys general could play a surprising role. With @eriqgardner.bsky.social. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/2dIV...

Kimmel Is Back, But Disney vs. Trump Is Just Beginning

open.spotify.com

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 19d

While FCC chairman Brendan Carr sucks up the oxygen, there’s another force lurking—a reason, perhaps, to think that Nexstar is making a colossal political miscalculation in the Jimmy Kimmel affair. My latest…. puck.news/brendan-carr...

The Miseducation of Brendan Carr

F.C.C. chairman Brendan Carr, who held up Shari Redstone’s Paramount sale and isn’t done antagonizing Disney over Jimmy Kimmel, has never seemed more emboldened. But a closer reading of the situation ...

puck.news

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 20d

WSJ moves to dismiss Trump’s defamation lawsuit

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · 25d

Does American technology hegemony depend on Trump conscripting Spider-Man, Taylor Swift songs, and the Paw Patrol? Believe it or not, a former NSA general counsel is making the case the president should invoke the Defense Production Act.
puck.news/could-hollyw...

Does Trump Need Spider-Man to Win the A.I. War?

A former N.S.A. general counsel has argued that the White House should declare a national emergency to seize Hollywood’s I.P. for an A.I. arms race with China. Is it a total fantasy or just a new norm...

puck.news

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Sep 12

We don’t agree to a Taylor Swift deposition but we’ve reserved October 20 for you

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Sep 10

Lisa Cook and Shira Perlmutter. Not the greatest day for Trump’s attempted purges.

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Sep 10

This week in WIH+:
—Will the FCC review Rupert Murdoch's deal giving Lachlan the media empire?
—An upcoming, overlooked multi-billion dollar TikTok trial
—I use ChatGPT to crack the identities of a Hollywood lawsuit captioned "Doe Company v. Roe Company"
puck.news/newsletter_c...

WIH+: Murdoch Trust Issues, Zaz’s A.I. Beef & TikTok’s Other Existential Threat

Sep 9, 2025 Matthew Belloni Welcome back to What I’m Hearing+, winner of the coveted WIH Audience Award. I’m still in Toronto for the festival (Canada: still great), and Eriq Gardner is back tonight w...

puck.news

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Sep 3

RedZone is terribly overrated even without commercials

The Athletic @theathletic.com · Sep 3

“Seven hours of commercial-free football starts now!”

Not so fast …

“NFL RedZone” host Scott Hanson confirmed during an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” that RedZone will feature commercials in some capacity.

Why now? @richarddeitsch.bsky.social explains ⤵️

NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson confirms broadcast will feature commercials this season

Hanson's sign-on will be noticeably different this coming Sunda

www.nytimes.com

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Sep 3

I have a lot of trouble following the logic here

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Sep 3

Almost like an annual tradition that just before NFL season begins, feds make a show of shutting down a big illegal sports streaming site. (Tough, though, because there are a ton of mirror sites.)

The New York Times @nytimes.com · Sep 3

From @TheAthletic: Streameast — the world’s largest illegal sports streaming platform — has been shut down after a year-long investigation, according to a leading United States-based anti-piracy organisation.

Streameast, world’s largest illegal sports streaming platform, shut down in sting

The network of 80 unauthorised domains generated 1.6billion combined visits over the last year.

nyti.ms

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Sep 3

The guy took $55 million from Netflix and blew chunks of it on Rolls-Royces, real estate, speculative crypto bets, and even divorce lawyers. But, as I write, the fraud case isn’t quite straightforward. puck.news/legal-anatom...

Netflix’s Accidental Elizabeth Holmes

Is Carl Rinsch, the erratic auteur behind a big-budget unfinished Netflix series, a calculating grifter who should spend 90 years in prison, or is he merely a cautionary tale?

puck.news

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Aug 28

Spoke about this on our podcast podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Aug 27

Trump’s interest in taking corporate stakes for the U.S. The purging of government officials. The transformative questions hanging over A.I… Connecting the dots… puck.news/could-trump-...

Could Trump Take Hollywood’s Backend?

After successfully squeezing Paramount, ABC, Nvidia, and Intel for payoffs, public genuflection, and profit participation, the president is now working to assert control of the patent and copyright sy...

puck.news

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Aug 26

Sign of the Times

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Aug 19

Nexstar wants to buy Tegna to create a local TV powerhouse. But as I sketched out a couple of months ago, this isn’t going to happen without legal fireworks…. puck.news/a-warners-le...

Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Aug 15

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Eriq Gardner @eriqgardner.bsky.social · Aug 13

So much of the agitation surrounding A.I. and entertainment these days is fixated on content production. How about the gatekeepers of the entertainment ecosystem? A conversation with @iankrietzberg.bsky.social and @loudmouthjulia.bsky.social puck.news/will-america...

Will America Learn to Love A.I. Slop?

Algorithmic A.I. is coming for Hollywood, publishing, and even the music industry. Eriq Gardner, Julia Alexander, and Ian Krietzberg debate whether consumers or the courts will fight back.

puck.news

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