Good fact pattern for law professors. Tough fact pattern for lawyers.
Murketing: “Cassius Clay, Appropriation, Sport, Free Speech and the Law.” An artist saw a 1965 photo of Muhammed Ali, then named Cassius Clay, wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with his own CASSIUS CLAY logo (logo depicted above). The artist discusses his creation of
Evidence Of Secondary Meaning In TV Catchphrases?
I confess that I have used the expression “Whachoo talkin’ about Willis?” without ever having seen a single episode of “Diff’rent Strokes” (nor have I ever spelled ‘different’ as ‘diff’rent’) but I am aware where the phrase comes from.
Noted authority TV Land, is coming out with a special “The 100 Top TV Catchphrases
Rosa Parks As Licensing Property
NY Times article on Rosa Parks, and the marketing of her persona by CMG.
Taking O.J.’s Name
Fred Goldman has an unsatisfied $25.5 million judgment against O.J. Simpson arising from a wrongful death judgment relating to the murder of his son, Ron Goldman. Simpson has never paid any of the judgment.
Now Goldman is moving to take Simpson’s ‘publicity rights’ in his name. Publicity rights are alienable (note Muhammad Ali’s recent transaction
Call For Submissions Re Baseball Statistics Case
Let’s have a blogging symposium re the Fantasy Baseball case. It’s got everything: Intellectual Property, statistics, and Baseball.
Effectively Ending My Career With The Coasters
Via Nerdlaw, the Truth in Music Advertising Act, a law in several states barring performance using a name of a band if the performer was not a member of the original ‘recording group.’
Muhammad Ali Sells 80% Of Name For $6.8 Mil Per Letter
Muhammad Ail sells 80% of his name (which would be either MUHAMMAD A or HAMMAD ALI, depending where you started) for $50 million up front plus, to CKX, a licensing firm. Terms of deal here.
It can be argued that Muhammad Ali is the most famous person in the world but how would you
Right of Publicity Of One’s Van
HRH Prince Charles v. Associated Newspapers
From the Bird & Bird case bulletin on HRH Prince of Wales v. Associated Newspapers: “The decision on Friday in HRH Prince of Wales v Associated Newspapers examined the balancing act between protecting a public person’s private life and press freedom. It reviewed the extent to which confidential information and copyright works can be
Disclosure: George Clooney Did Not Write This Post
Nor, apparently, did he write the blog discussed here.