Recently in Celebrity Intellectual Property Category

Earlier this week, Angelina Jolie wrote a heartfelt op-ed in The New York Times about her decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy. She made the decision after doing a genetic test that showed she carries a gene that greatly increases her risk of developing aggressive breast and ovarian cancers.

What many people don't realize is that Angelina Jolie's cancer gene, BRCA1, is patented by a company called Myriad Genetics. The gene, and the company, are at the center of a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Disney has made a killing by dipping generously into various cultural pools: "Mulan," "Brave," "Lilo and Stitch," "Pocohontas," and "The Princess and the Frog," to name a few. But why would the children's entertainment powerhouse try to trademark Dia de los Muertos?

Trademarks can be useful legal tools when creating a company or marketing a product, but as Disney may have learned, it can be less than magical trying to trademark an existing cultural holiday.

"Dr. Phil's" producers are suing Gawker Media for posting his interview with Manti Te'o's catfishing hoaxster on its sports gossip blog, Deadspin.com.

The suit claims that Gawker stole copyrighted material and posted the juiciest parts of the interview online before the "Dr. Phil" episode aired, resulting in lower ratings for the second episode of the two-part interview.

The claim also takes aim beyond Deadspin's specific use of this one video, including any incident in which copyrighted material is posted online before it airs on TV in all time zones, reports UPI.

Kanye West is being sued, yet again, for allegedly using unlicensed samples in his music. Remember singing along with West's hit single "Gold Digger" back in 2005? The song's golden line, "Get down girl, go ahead, get down," is back to get Kanye down into a lawsuit.

The children of a deceased musician named David Pryor are suing West for sampling a very small part of their father's song, "Bumpin' Bus Stop," CBS News reports. A very small part indeed: The case revolves around Pryor faintly singing "Get Down" three times.

Is this a legitimate copyright infringement case or are the plaintiffs just gold-digging?

Is Fox's "Glee" stealing songs from performers without permission? That's what indie singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton is saying. He claims that "Glee" producers stole his 2005 arrangement of "Baby Got Back," On The Media reports.

What's worse, the "Glee" version of the 1992 Sir Mix-A-Lot song, which Coulton claims is based on his arrangement, is being sold on iTunes for $1.29. That's 30 cents more than Coulton's rendition, which is also available for download.

Does "Glee" have the legal right to take Coulton's work, even if it's a derivative of someone else's work?

You may not know New York lawyer Stacey Richman or her father Murray, but CBS wants to invite them into your living room.

Stacey Richman is a famous hip-hop lawyer whose clients have included Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Ja Rule. Murray Richman has been called a “mob lawyer,” as he’s defended members of several notorious crime families, the website Deadline Hollywood reports.

Sounds like a lot of drama, and CBS thinks so too. That’s why the network is turning to some Hollywood heavyweights to turn the father-daughter legal duo into a new hit TV show.

"Raging Bull" may have been Martin Scorsese's best work. The classic boxing biopic featured a young Robert DeNiro portraying the rise and fall of boxer Jake LaMotta.

"Raging Bull 2" is just a horrible sequel that is so bad that it threatens to ruin the original classic, claims Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the producers of the first movie.

The giant Hollywood studio has now brought a lawsuit against the "Raging Bull 2" producers and boxer Jake LaMotta to shut the movie down.

The premiere of ABC's summer time reality show "The Glass House" is scheduled for June 18.

But that debut could be in jeopardy as "Big Brother" network CBS is seeking to prevent the ABC show from ever airing. That's because CBS says the ABC show essentially ripped off their idea.

In its Glass House lawsuit, CBS asked a judge to block the new show from airing because it allegedly copied key elements from CBS' Big Brother, The Associate Press report.

Oh, and there is also the fact that "The Glass House" employs dozens of former Big Brother staffers.

Hip hop group Beastie Boys has been sued for copyright infringement. The lawsuit accuses the rappers of illegally sampling music in their 1986 album "License to Ill" and the 1989 album "Paul's Boutique."

The suit was filed in New York federal court by TufAmerica, Inc. on May 3rd, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Just a day later, Beastie Boys founding member Adam "MCA" Yauch died after a nearly three-year battle with cancer.

It's terrible timing for sure, but TufAmerica plans to continue forward with its lawsuit. So what does the company want out of its cause of action?

Here's lookin' at lawsuits. Burberry has sued to use Humphrey Bogart's picture on its Facebook page, The Hollywood Reporter reports.

The lawsuit was filed against Bogart LLC, the owner of the late actor's name and image. The dispute started when the British clothing retailer posted a picture of Bogart from "Casablanca" on its Facebook timeline. Bogart is wearing a Burberry trench coat in the photo.

The company claims it's using the picture to show Burberry's fashion history, and not to sell its products. But Bogart LLC disagrees.