Pepe the Frog
Video Game Lawsuit Highlights Intellectual Property Issues with Internet Memes
A few months’ back, the TMCA wrote about a copyright dispute between the campaign committee of former Iowa Congressman Steve King and Laney Griner, the owner of the photograph used in the popular “Success Kid” meme. The...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court’s copyright infringement decision, finding that a congressional reelection campaign’s use of a popular meme to solicit donations was commercial in...more
Years ago, Laney Griner took a picture of her then toddler son, Sam, at the beach clenching his fist in what appeared like a celebratory gesture. The photo went viral, and later became a widely used meme on the internet known...more
Some of my favorite requests come from brands that want to dive into a cultural moment and stop to ask their lawyers for advice. The week leading up to the “Barbie” premiere was so much fun (and check out Sarah’s “Barbie”...more
The Pitch newsletter is a monthly update of legal issues and news affecting or related to the music, film and television, fine arts, media, professional athletics, eSports, and gaming industries. The Pitch features a diverse...more
If a picture is worth a thousand words, that makes a meme worth about 50 tweets. It’s therefore no surprise that so many companies are interested in leveraging memes in marketing. But as with all advertising, certain rules...more
To meme or not to meme, that is the question. With millennials comprising 35% of the workforce and Gen Z expected to reach 30% by 2030, the use of emojis, emoticons, and memes in the workplace is inevitable. This article...more
Content marketing is such a broad term that it can be difficult to know what falls under the umbrella. Which items can make the right statement for your firm? What will promote your firm effectively? Review these types of...more
NFA Adds Virtual Currency and Micro Contract Questions to Annual Questionnaire On December 6, 2021, the National Futures Association (NFA) released Notice I-21-42 to notify NFA members that new questions had been added to the...more
The SEC was out Monday with a long-awaited report on the meme-stock frenzy that helped propel GameStop and a handful of other “little-regarded” companies to meteoric rises in the depths of our first Covid winter. The report,...more
In remarks this week at SEC Speaks, SEC Investor Advocate Rick Fleming mused that the “gamification” of securities trading might pose an undue risk that exploits a potential loophole in Regulation Best Interest (“Reg. BI”)....more
What first started as a meme featuring a fluffy dog with poor grammar has now resulted in a trademark fight over the ownership of an estimated $80 billion brand. If the progression of this Internet sensation has left your...more
The GameStop saga continues to play out nearly six months later, with the SEC and other regulators looking at possible enforcement actions. Hogan Lovells partner Aaron Cutler and Chase Kroll, director of strategic...more
When we say “meme”, we usually mean an internet meme. An Internet meme is an idea (and some content embodying this idea) spread via the Internet. Memes are usually created in the internet community for humorous purposes....more
After years of protests, lobbying, and legal battles, TC Energy—the Canadian pipeline company behind the embattled Keystone XL pipeline project that “would have carried petroleum from Canadian tar sands to Nebraska”—announced...more
In a rare cyber win for the good guys (at least one that’s publicly acknowledged), the DOJ revealed on Monday that it “had seized much of the ransom that a major U.S. pipeline operator had paid last month to a Russian hacking...more
Jobs Report Friday again, and after a big miss on April’s rather lackluster numbers, all eyes will be on May’s figures. Lots to watch for here....more
JPMorgan Chase has elevated two execs, Jennifer Piepszak and Marianne Lake, to top spots as joint heads of the firm’s “sprawling” consumer and community banking division ...more
AT&T made late-weekend waves with the announcement that it’s planning to spin off its WarnerMedia division (think HBO and CNN) and merge with Discovery’s “reality-TV empire” in a deal that could value the AT&T assets at...more
Nonfungible tokens (NFTs) are the latest cryptocurrency craze. These one-of-a-kind-collectibles have dramatically risen in popularity and have penetrated mainstream marketplaces. Since NFTs are often associated with images,...more
WHAT TO CONSIDER TO AVOID A SPIRAL, IF YOUR COMPANY IS THE NEXT TO GO VIRAL. The recent meteoric rise (and subsequent fall) of GameStop, AMC Theaters and a host of other “meme stocks” has prompted hedge funds, investment...more
In recent weeks, so-called “meme stocks” have demonstrated how statements by investors on social media can have an outsized impact on stock prices. Regulators have said that they are monitoring extreme volatility in certain...more
With Vice President Harris acting as the tiebreaker (and following a 15-hour amendment vote-a-rama), the Senate voted on Thursday to move forward with the White House’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief measure....more
WilmerHale Partner Louis Tompros and Counsel Stephanie Lin discuss the Pepe the Frog copyright infringement case with host John Walsh. Louis, Stephanie and a team from WilmerHale assisted Matt Furie, the creator of Pepe the...more
It is likely no surprise to regular readers of Socially Aware that posting content to social media can, in some cases, generate significant income. But those who make their living on social media may find their livelihood...more