2016 -

Kardashians Dash to Block Blac Chyna from Trademarking Their Name

By The Myers Law Group posted in Trademarks on Friday, December 23, 2016. It is no surprise that the Kardashians are always in the news. This time the companies of Khloe, Kourtney, and Kim have filed an opposition to Blac Chyna's registration for the trademark, Angela Renée Kardashian-her future married name once she marries Rob Kardashian. With Rob and Chyna's on again/off again relationship status the matter could end up being irrelevant, but read on to learn about the current Kardashian debacle. The companies allege that the Kardashian brand will "suffer damage including irreparable injury to their reputation and goodwill" if Blac Chyna were [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2023-08-16T09:57:27+00:00December 23rd, 2016|

NBA AND NHL TRADEMARK BATTLES:

By The Myers Law Group posted in Trademarks on Friday, December 16, 2016. Michael Jordan Scores a Win in China's Highest Court The majority of Michael Jordan's victories have been on the basketball court, but now he can add a victory that took place at China's highest court to his list of accomplishments. After four long years, Mr. Jordan won a landmark trademark case against Qiaodan Sports Company, a company that he has accused of profiting off his name. How? Qiaodan is the Mandarin transliteration of "Jordan". The customer confusion is easy to understand. The Qiaodan storefront features the silhouette of a basketball player [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2021-10-13T16:42:32+00:00December 16th, 2016|

Disney drama reveals the depth of China’s IP problems

On behalf of The Myers Law Group posted in Intellectual Property on Monday, November 28, 2016. China has long been depicted as a wild west for intellectual property rights. For decades it was famous as a pirate publisher and maker of knockoff products. The country has been trying to adopt a more law-based approach to IP, but problems continue to occur. The latest company caught up in this confusion is the Walt Disney Company. Disney licenses Disney Shanghai, an immense installation that opened this past June. As is customary, Disney gave the park exclusive rights to its characters. Imagine the consternation, then, when a [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2021-10-13T16:43:26+00:00November 28th, 2016|Tags: amusement park, China, Copyright, Disney, infringement, intellectual, international, law, patents, property, tourism, trademark|

DRESS UP AS A CELEBRITY—IF YOU DARE: How Right of Publicity Issues May Arise When Choosing Your Halloween Costume

By The Myers Law Group posted in Intellectual Property on Wednesday, October 12, 2016. Halloween 2016 is sure to bring some of the most entertaining pop culture costumes like the characters from Suicide Squad. These characters belong to DC Comics and costume companies that create and sell these type of costumes for profit must license out the intellectual property for each costume design from its respective owner. Then there are those costumes of real people like the presidential candidates, Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, and Kim Kardashian West. Whether you exercise the right or not, everyone has the right to control their name and likeness for [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2023-08-16T09:56:40+00:00October 12th, 2016|

7 MUST KNOW FACTS ABOUT U.S. COPYRIGHT LAW

On behalf of The Myers Law Group posted in Copyright on Friday, September 30, 2016. 1. What is a copyright? A copyright allows authors of "original works of authorship," such as literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other intellectual property works to have a form of protection. 2. What are your rights granted under copyright? A copyright grants you many exclusive rights including: reproducing the work, creating derivative works based on the work, distributing copies of the work, publicly displaying the work, performing the work and performing the work publicly by means of digital audio transmission (for sound recordings). 3. What cannot be copyright protected? [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2023-08-16T09:50:39+00:00September 30th, 2016|Tags: Copyright, Intellectual Property|

FASHION DESIGNERS HIT A ROAD BLOCK: Moschino and Roberto Cavalli Sued For Infringing on Street Art

By The Myers Law Group posted in Copyright on Friday, September 30, 2016. Lately, fashion designers have been losing their artistic inspiration and instead have turned to grabbing the design work of others, specifically street artists. Italian Fashion house Moschino was sued by street artist Joseph Tierney, also known as Rime, for using his "Vandal Eyes" mural in Moschino's February 2015 fashion line. The brand also publicly flaunted the design on singer Katy Perry alongside Moschino designer Jeremy Scott at the 2015 Met Gala, an event that is highly publicized. Tierney claims that the dress constituted unfair competition and violated his publicity rights. Right of [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2021-10-13T16:45:45+00:00September 30th, 2016|Tags: Copyright, Copyright Infringement, fair use, Intellectual Property|

PIKASUE NO MORE: RageOn Clothing Company and Pokemon Company Settle Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

By The Myers Law Group posted in Copyright on Friday, September 23, 2016. RageOn, a Cleveland based t-shirt company, recently faced a copyright infringement lawsuit from Pokemon Company International for depicting their protected Pokemon characters on clothing. One character in question was Pikachu, dressed as a Hasidic Jew surrounded by piles of cash and renamed as Pikajew. Another shirt had a character called Jiggly Puff that was smoking marijuana. RageOn claimed protection under the fair use doctrine because their shirts are "clearly socially and politically-relevant commentary." However, the Court would have looked at the four factors of fair use: (1) the purpose and character of [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2023-08-16T09:45:37+00:00September 23rd, 2016|Tags: Copyright, Copyright Infringement, fair use, Intellectual Property, licensing agreements|

What every business needs to know about trademark basics

On behalf of The Myers Law Group posted in Trademarks on Monday, June 13, 2016. If you run a business, you want your products or services to stand out to potential customers in order to maximize your sales and profits. Developing a trademark is one way that your business can accomplish this. Trademarks are protections for the name and marking a business will use for advertising and promotion. They are normally considered valid whether a trademark registration has occurred or not, but registering the mark with the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) offers extra legal protection, especially if a conflict arises where one of your competitors [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2023-08-16T09:57:05+00:00June 13th, 2016|Tags: Intellectual Property, trademark lawyer, trademarks|