July 22, 2026

A Midsummer Day’s Blog Post

By Emily Poler

It’s the middle of summer and, as much as I love writing this blog, right now I’d rather go lie in the shade and finish my book. All of which is to say, this week is going to be a short roundup of a few things that have caught my eye, and then I’m getting back to reading. It’s my All-Star break!

First off, because it’s summer, let’s talk about ice cream. A federal district judge directed ice cream maker Rebel Creamery to pay Van Leeuwen Ice Cream more than $20 million, finding Rebel duplicated the look of Van Leeuwen’s minimalist ice cream containers. The judge also directed Rebel to use packaging that wasn’t going to confuse consumers. (As an aside, it’s still hard to believe that Van Leeuwen started in a NYC food truck not that long ago, then opened a tiny storefront in Greenpoint, and now you can buy their flavors in bodegas, gas stations, supermarkets, and their own stores pretty much anywhere in America. That’s a whole lot of Cookies & Cream).

Next: Last week, the companies that own and operate Madison Square Garden sued Wired and one of its authors over an article titled “Madison Square Garden Kept a List of Gay Celebrities,” which, according to the plaintiffs, created a misleading impression that they keep such information to “discriminate against LGBTQIA celebrities, artists, guests, fans, and patrons because of their sexual orientation or gender identity . . . .” For what it’s worth, I read the Wired article, and that wasn’t the impression I took away from it. Still, it’s caused a bit of a furor, adding to the never-ending season of MSG in the news (Knicks in 5!). 

And finally, on July 1 a federal district court judge denied motions for summary judgment in a lawsuit over whether a particular rhythm at the basis of the reggaeton genre is sufficiently original to be copyrightable. This means that the case will now go to a jury that will have to figure out if almost 2,000 tracks by artists including Bad Bunny, Pitbull, Drake, and Justin Bieber infringe on the “dembow riddim” created by Jamaican dancehall producers Cleveland Browne and Wycliffe Johnson (aka Steely & Clevie) in their 1989 track “Fish Market.” Defendants argue that the rhythm is part of an ancient musical tradition and not a unique creation, and thus belongs to the public domain. Bad Bunny has already asked the court to reconsider its decision here.

See you in August (where, oh where, did July go?)!