Eriq Gardner
@eriqgardner.bsky.social
Founding Partner and National Correspondent, Puck. I mostly write and speak about legal affairs. Northwestern U grad. L.A. Rams fan. Music obsessive. Signal: EriqG.99
What is there to say about the Paramount-Warner Bros merger that hasn’t already been said? Let’s start with a lawsuit against Amazon a couple weeks ago… puck.news/latest-warne...
Life in WarnerMount Purgatory
A lawsuit over Amazon’s recent poaching of a Warner Bros. Discovery marketing executive has shed light on a much broader battle over who gets to control talent during Hollywood’s longest corporate wai...
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I’ll tease my latest with some trivia: Which NFL franchise tried to do an I.P.O., only to be stopped by the league? (Hint: not the Packers) puck.news/should-nfl-t...
Should NFL Teams Be Allowed to I.P.O.?
For decades, the NFL barred public investment. Now that private equity is welcome, the Packers claim a disadvantage, and an antitrust question stirs again.
puck.news
The legal challenge to the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is just the beginning. California lawmakers and regulators like @robbonta.bsky.social have much grander plans. Let’s talk about them. puck.news/the-complete...
The WarnerMount Case Is Just the Beginning…
As the WarnerMount merger battle plays out in court, California lawmakers are quietly advancing antitrust legislation that could reshape all of Hollywood.
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Some analysis on Paramount’s deal to delay the WBD merger trial: What it’s trying to gain is better litigation posture, but the cost is HUGE. Is it worth it? I have doubts… puck.news/the-billion-...
The Billion-Dollar Reason Paramount Delayed Its Closing
In defending the WarnerMount merger from the states’ antitrust challenge, Paramount is placing a premium on procedural position. But it is sacrificing time, and there’s a tremendous cost to that. Will...
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Did Mark Cuban anticipate the sports industry’s new economics or was he outmaneuvered by them? puck.news/inside-mark-...
Inside Mark Cuban’s Maverick War Against the Adelsons
Mark Cuban thought he was trading a stake in the Mavs for access to an even bigger prize: stadium-adjacent real estate development deal flow. A new legal filing suggests he may have gotten screwed out...
puck.news
Killing of a Chinese Bookie archive.org/details/the....
The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (1976) : John Cassavetes : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Cosmo Vittelli, the proprietor of a sleazy, low-rent Hollywood cabaret, has a real affection for the women who strip in his peepshows and the staff who keep up...
archive.org
“The Odyssey” didn’t play the siren song, but we all know what it is. youtu.be/HDZ_YYnyULI?...
This Mortal Coil - Song to the Siren (with lyrics)
YouTube video by saulomoon
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A couple of new pieces from me: —Zuckerberg’s Unlikely Hollywood Lawyer puck.news/the-lawyer-f... —The WarnerMount Merger Standoff Is About to Get Interesting puck.news/the-warnermo... Also, for newsletter subscribers: Ari Emanuel goes to war against a bunch of hedge funds
Zuckerberg’s Unlikely Hollywood Lawyer
Attorney Mathew Rosengart, who built his reputation fighting against “bullies,” is trying to help Facebook enforce an NDA he says is totally lawful. Who’s the bully there?
puck.news
Jon Gruden v. the NFL probably isn’t what you think it’s about… puck.news/how-grudens-...
Gruden v. The NFL Takes a Dark Turn
The former coach’s $150 million lawsuit against the NFL has evolved into perhaps the strangest free speech battle in sports: Can the league deny leaking his emails while simultaneously claiming legal ...
puck.news
A couple other scoops in my latest newsletter. -The Supreme Court asked to review “Top Gun” case and settle copyright standards -TMZ’s Harvey Levin has reactivated his law license after three decades where he focused on gossip. puck.news/newsletter_c...
What I’m Hearing: Ellison vs. Bonta Predictions & A Harvey Levin Mystery
Matthew Belloni Hello and welcome back to the Tuesday edition of What I’m Hearing, helmed by Eriq Gardner. One of the great benefits of having a legal expert like Eriq at Puck is that when a huge stor...
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I gathered my thoughts on the states’ challenge to the Paramount-WBD merger. Here’s my assessment of the lawsuit, what’s ahead, and the more subtle dynamics at play… puck.news/warnermount-...
WarnerMount Is Already Teasing a Supreme Court Showdown
California A.G. Rob Bonta’s merger challenge relies on traditional antitrust theory—but the defense may push courts to rethink the rules of the game.
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I usually ignore pro se complaints but this one made me laugh.
The U.K.’s review of the Paramount-WBD merger has layers. Let me break down a situation that’s not quite obvious… puck.news/can-the-uk-b...
Will the U.K. Try to Out-Bonta WarnerMount?
Paramount Skydance execs were left scrambling this weekend after comments from British culture secretary Lisa Nandy indicated that she was intervention-curious. But could the U.K. stop the WarnerMount...
puck.news
A bummer that the U.S. lost its World Cup match last night, but I’m still excited to watch the rest of the tournament. (Go Norway!) I will, however, not be attending. Way too expensive. About that… puck.news/fifas-ghost-...
FIFA’s Eras Tour Moment
Fans who’ve strayed from the FIFA-sanctioned resale channels have seen their seats—and cash—disappear. Predictably, a new lawsuit is looking for remedy.
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Thousands of Christian investors helped turn the story of Jesus into one of Hollywood’s most valuable religious franchises. Now the faithful who financed its miracle say they were squeezed out just before the biggest payday. My latest... puck.news/how-early-be...
An Unholy Legal War Over ‘The Chosen’
Thousands of Christian investors helped turn ‘The Chosen’ into one of Hollywood’s most valuable religious franchises. Now the faithful who financed its miracle say they were squeezed out just before t...
puck.news
I'm looking at the New York Times story about Dianna Russini from a different angle—that being a highly unusual decision by a media company to publish information that would ordinarily remain behind H.R. walls. puck.news/inside-the-d...
The Three Russini Lunch
The New York Times’s uncomfortable self-reporting into star journalist Dianna Russini’s affair with a source was more than just an extraordinary exposé. It may also create precedents that outlast the ...
puck.news
An exclusive: I got ahold of Jeffrey Kessler’s fee arrangement for the Live Nation case—which includes a “success fee” that will be lucrative… puck.news/how-ticketma...
How Ticketmaster’s Legal Nemesis Will Make Millions
As states assume the lead on antitrust enforcement, a number of private attorneys are getting creative with success fees—including Jeffrey Kessler, whose firm bet tens of millions of dollars on his ab...
puck.news
Here's my new piece about an old sports law that is causing a lot of misconceptions. Republicans, Democrats, everyone should be discussing this topic differently. Time for some hard truths. puck.news/the-nfls-ant...
Five Hard Truths About NFL Inflation
As Congress tries to prevent streamers from taking NFL market share, they’ve increasingly homed in on the anachronistic Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which includes the antitrust exemption that all...
puck.news
How much human interaction with an algorithm is needed for a personalized feed to still count as constitutionally-protected “speech”? That question takes center stage at a court hearing. puck.news/ken-paxton-v...
Netflix’s “Dark Patterns” & A New Legal Front in the Platform Wars
Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general running for Senate, is suing Netflix for being too appealing to kids. It might be a long shot, but the power of recommendation algorithms has never really been l...
puck.news
How does Jeffrey Kessler square his work breaking up Live Nation-Ticketmaster with his defense of Paramount-WBD? I spoke with him… puck.news/jeffrey-kess...
Ellison’s Legal Gladiator Is Ready for War
Jeffrey Kessler, the legendary antitrust and entertainment industry litigator, goes on the record to explain why he’s defending the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger, how politics is impacting the opposit...
puck.news
Disney's biggest advantage: Brendan Carr didn't do the homework. puck.news/disney-is-re...
Disney Is Ready to Clobber Brendan Carr
The F.C.C. chairman is forcing a showdown with Disney over its D.E.I. policies—seemingly a thin pretext for punishing ABC News. But Carr, usually a savvy operator, has an unusually weak hand.
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Tucked into the legislative plumbing of the bipartisan college sports bill is what amounts to a congressionally sanctioned media-rights experiment. puck.news/congress-tar...
The Anti-Netflix Amendment
Tucked inside Congress’s latest college sports proposal is a provocative idea: Some games may simply be too important to disappear behind a paywall.
puck.news
Starting to get the feeling that I’m not invited to Taylor and Travis’ wedding
🚨NEWS : Paramount Skydance has hired legal superstar Jeffrey Kessler to defend the Warner Bros. merger in court. Kessler, notably, is representing the states in the Live Nation case.
A look at SAG-AFTRA’s “synthetic” deal And the most 2026 lawsuit you’ll read all year: a French talent agency for brainrot characters, a Roblox megahit, and a legal theory that tries to make trademark law do what copyright won’t. puck.news/sag-aftras-a...
SAG-AFTRA’s Surprise A.I. Détente
News and notes on the union’s peace treaty with digital “actress” Tilly Norwood. Plus: The bizarre lawsuit over Tung Tung Tung Sahur, which may be the first major test of whether trademark law can do ...
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