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In an article from 2004, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported the efforts of the National Football League to protect its Super Bowl copyright in a number of big casinos. The NFL sought out and warned casinos and resorts against holding Super Bowl parties that violated copyright law by either charging a fee to watch the game, or by displaying the game on screens larger than 55 inches.
In addition, the NFL not only pursued action against venues in Las Vegas, but also many in New England and North Carolina, the hometowns to the two teams that were competing in the year’s championship.
According to the article, the NFL argued that by violating the NFL’s copyright over the Super Bowl and unfairly charging people to view the game, these venues were hurting ratings by not capturing these viewers. In turn, this hurt advertisers and thus hurt the NFL’s overall monetary gain.
In response to the NFL’s action, some of the venues cancelled their events, while others refunded charges and installed smaller screened televisions to display the game.
The importance of this article highlights the fact that the National Football League has not only pursued action against large churches, but food and drinking establishments as well. Here, the NFL spokesperson argues that the league pursues action against those establishments who violate copyright law based on the venue’s size, and their compliance with audio and visual requirements, such as the size of the screens displaying the Super Bowl. Moreover, the NFL pursues action against both food and drinking establishment and non-food and drinking establishments, and therefore does so to protect their copyright as laid out in the U.S. legal code, not to prevent one type of establishment from transmitting the Super Bowl to the public over another.
'Chinatown buses' make no-frills inroads in Las Vegas
By Rosemary McClure, Times Staff Writer
May 17, 2007
They were an underground hit almost from the start.
The cut-rate transportation services called "Chinatown buses" originated about a decade ago in the Northeast. At first, they were an inexpensive way for Chinese restaurant workers to commute to jobs in nearby cities. Fares as low as $10 between New York and Boston were common.
Soon Chinese students began to hop aboard, and other students followed suit. Then savvy budget travelers noticed, and suddenly Greyhound was facing a new form of competition: low-overhead bus companies that thrived on a no-frills, shoestring approach to service.
Instead of picking up passengers at terminals, Chinatown buses picked them up - and deposited them - along curbsides; instead of maintaining ticket offices, they sold space online; instead of offering numerous routes, they offered only the most popular.
The bus lines, most of which are owned by Chinese immigrants, are common in the Northeast, but similar low-cost services also can be found in the West.
The online booking service GotoBus.com launched five years ago by Cambridge, Mass., businessman Jimmy Chen, handles reservations and helped put the low-cost bus trend on the road.
GotoBus.com now accounts for 1,000 scheduled departures a day throughout the country. Besides the low-cost players it now takes reservations for major sightseeing companies, such as Gray Line.
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Riders can choose transportation alone, paying fares as low as $25 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas or $45 between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Or they can choose vacations that include accommodations, such as a two-day trip from Los Angeles to Ensenada, Mexico, for $95; or a three-day trip from L.A. to San Francisco and Yosemite for $120.
Prices and tour components fluctuate - the $99 Las Vegas-Grand Canyon itinerary described in the accompanying story, for instance, is now available from various companies for prices ranging from $114 to $127, but a different Vegas tour is available for $99 that includes two nights in Sin City.
High fares and long walks to stations have combined to hold down ridership. An extension to the airport is pushed.
By Kimi Yoshino
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 14, 2007
LAS VEGAS - -- Can the Las Vegas Monorail double down to avoid going bust?
Three years after beginning operations, the four-mile, $650-million private rail line that stretches from behind the MGM Grand to the Sahara hotel-casino is attracting about 22,285 riders a day -- far below the 54,000 predicted when the project was launched. This summer, Fitch Ratings downgraded the monorail's bond rating, already in junk status, and said financial default appeared probable.
"Things are continuing to deteriorate," said Chad Lewis, an associate director at Fitch Ratings. "Right now, they're running about 50% of the [ridership] forecast, so clearly a significant increase in revenues is needed."
But Monorail officials say what they need to boost ridership and generate profit is a $500-million extension to McCarran International Airport.