The word of the week for this edition is “credibility.” In the courts of law and public opinion, credibility (or the quality of being trusted and believed in) is everything. Just ask famed Triple Crown horse trainer Bob...more
5/14/2021
/ Advertising ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Royalties ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Television Shows ,
Trademarks
Hope is in the air (not to mention copious amounts of tree pollen) here in New York – and that’s to say nothing of the Knicks’ hardwood resurgence, the Giants’ highly-acclaimed moves in last week’s NFL Draft and the Yankees’...more
5/7/2021
/ Amazon ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
E-Commerce ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Estate Planning ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
New Legislation ,
NFL ,
NHL ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Payment Methods ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sellers ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Spotify ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
First and foremost (and not to detract from Sir Anthony Hopkins—lest I incur the wrath of Hannibal Lecter himself), the late Chadwick Boseman should have won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black...more
4/30/2021
/ Actors ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Influencers ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NBA ,
NCAA ,
NHL ,
Nike ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Social Media ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Television
Welcome back to the Spotlight: the blog with more longevity (but far less financial backing) than the European Super League (ESL). OK, maybe that’s not saying a lot, as the ill-fated collection of 10 of the most preeminent...more
4/23/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Fashion Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Job Creation ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
NBA ,
NCAA ,
Nike ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Student Athletes ,
TikTok ,
Trademark Infringement
“Happy” Tax Day to those of you here in the United States celebrating/commiserating (noting of course that certain taxpayers have until May 17 to file their returns this year). Like taxes, this installment of the Spotlight...more
4/15/2021
/ Actors ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Cannabis Products ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Dark Web ,
Digital Currency ,
Endorsements ,
Influencers ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
IRS ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
NBA ,
Nike ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
RICO ,
Right of Publicity ,
Social Media ,
Sothebys ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Student Athletes ,
Tax Evasion ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademarks ,
Venture Capital
Happy Thursday and a big congratulations to the Stanford Cardinal and the Baylor Bears on their respective NCAA Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournament wins (the latter of which helped yours truly place second in our Firm’s...more
4/9/2021
/ Arenas and Stadiums ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Clorox ,
College Athletes ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Influencers ,
Instagram ,
Investors ,
Kim Kardashian ,
Misappropriation ,
Modeling ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NBA ,
NCAA ,
Nike ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Super Bowl ,
Twitter
March is over, a new month begins.
Congrats on the Final Four to the Zags, Cougars, Bears and Bruins.
Opening Day is upon us, it’s time to play ball,
And battle for the World Series title deep into the fall.
Enough setting...more
4/2/2021
/ Adidas ,
Apple ,
Art Galleries ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Blockchain ,
Capitol Records ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Consumer Confusion ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Entrepreneurs ,
H&M ,
Investment Products ,
Investors ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NBA ,
NCAA ,
Nike ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Restraining Orders ,
Right of Publicity ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sony ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Startups ,
Student Athletes ,
Twitter ,
Warner Music Group ,
Women in Sports
Happy Spring! After an especially long winter throughout several parts of the country, it is a welcome sight to see many of the familiar hallmarks of this time of year (even as our daily lives remain markedly different from...more
3/25/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Blockchain ,
Buyers ,
Capital Gains Tax ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Endorsements ,
Fundraisers ,
Investors ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Retail Investors ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sellers ,
Social Media ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Spotify ,
Student Athletes
Welcome back and to those of you who celebrated a belated Happy St. Patrick’s Day. While I can’t promise that this installment of the Spotlight will be the “hair of the dog,” it should still make for a great accompaniment...more
3/19/2021
/ Art ,
Art Auctions ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Influencers ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Royalties ,
Sothebys ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Takedown Notices ,
Video Games
Welcome back to another week in the Spotlight. It is truly remarkable to think that it has (already? only?) been one year since the World Health Organization’s declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, shuttering sports arenas,...more
3/11/2021
/ Art ,
Art Auctions ,
Blockchain ,
Brand ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Christies ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Office ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Media ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Influencers ,
Interim Rule ,
Investors ,
Music ,
Music Modernization Act ,
Name and Likeness ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retail Investors ,
Right of Publicity ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Social Media ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
TikTok ,
Twitter ,
Unions
Greetings, and welcome to the inaugural edition of the Sports & Entertainment Spotlight series! The product of my unrequited desire for human interaction nearly one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, this weekly feature will...more
3/5/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Blockchain ,
Brand ,
Celebrities ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Football ,
Influencers ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
IP License ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
NFL ,
Opt-Outs ,
Patent Infringement ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sports ,
Super Bowl ,
TikTok ,
Token Sales ,
Video Games