Hollywood Docket: Warners sued for TV profits; Steinbeck SJ; Philip K. Dick v. Google

Entertainment law news this morning:

• Warner Bros. has been sued for $6 million in unpaid profits in connection with a joint venture set up in 1984 to make and distribute 10 TV shows, including "Dukes of Hazzard" and "Night Court." The plaintiff in the case is investment firm Syca Inc., which claims the 25-year agreement with Warners expired in March and that the studio has refused to sell Syca's interest in the shows to the highest bidder. Syca claims Warners has breached its agreement by keeping it in the dark for the last two years, devaluing its investment, distributing TV shows outside agreed areas, and pocketing profits.
• The recent hiring by the FCC of Scholar in Residence Stuart Benjamin has sparked controversy over a provocative essay that suggested heavy regulation on broadcasters to run them out of business. Benjamin is also being attacked for being too light-handed on regulation concerning broadcast indecency. 
• Penguin Group has won summary judgment against the John Steinbeck estate over copyright termination to the book, "The Pearl." Previously, Penguin was able to fight terminations over early Steinbeck works by getting an appeals court to recognize an agreement that superseded the estate's termination rights.
• The estate of late science fiction author and Hollywood favorite Philip K. Dick isn't happy about reports that Google is developing a phone device reportedly named after cyborg characters in the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" The book was the basis for the classic film, "Blade Runner." On Friday, Google filed a trademark application to the name "Nexus One" and Dick's estate is discussing legal recourse.
• Stories don't come much uglier than this one: A former South Dakota lawmaker convicted of raping his two foster daughters has sent news organizations a copyright notice over his name to allegedly prevent them from reporting news about the conviction. In the notice, sent to AP and other news organizations, Ted Alvin Klaudt wants $500,000 from anybody who uses his name without consent.