$160 million in revenue. 167,000 attendees. 1,000+ exhibitors and panels. One location.
These are just some of the statistics of the San Diego Comic Convention, the world’s most well-known comic book and pop culture convention, over the past decade. This convention also goes by several names, including Comic-Con International: San Diego, San Diego Comic-Con, and SDCC.
Continue reading “The Trademark Tales of San Diego Comic-Con”
Knew He Was a Killer, First Time that I Saw Him
Eight Pro Bowls. Four First-Team All-Pro Awards. Three Second-Team All-Pro Awards. Two Super-Bowl Championships. One Podcast. We know all too well that Travis Kelce is one of the most accomplished football players in the NFL. From his accomplishments on field to his recent endeavors off-field like his podcast, New Heights, Travis Kelce has accomplished a lot in his first 34 years of life. But what’s gotten him to this level of recognition?
Better read fast because as Ricky Bobby once said, ‘If you ain’t first, you’re last.’
If you breathed the same air as me this summer, you probably know I became a huge NASCAR fan. After hearing the first car roar on Michigan Avenue (even before walking into the Chicago Street Race), NASCAR earned my allegiance. So lucky you, you get to read about it too, haha! However, this time, with a recently acquired trademark lens.
Continue reading “Tracks to Trademarks”
So you have a great idea for a new business and have thought of the perfect name. But what if it turns out there’s a company who has already been using the same (or a similar) name to the one you’re planning on? Or perhaps you’ve registered a domain name that happens to be similar to another’s?
The good news is this isn’t necessarily a cause to change the name you loved. The bad news is there are a couple of claims that could be made against you depending on your circumstances.
Picture this – you walk into a new bakery. The smells hit you from every direction. You see the different kinds of frosting oozing out of the glass case showing off all the new goodies. Where could you possibly be you might wonder… You’re at Crumbl Cookies! Crumbl is a new-ish national cookie franchise that sells its unique, freshly baked, rotating flavored cookies out of most big cities around the country. Emphasis on the *unique* part.
Continue reading “What Could Cookies and Dresses Have in Common…? Trade Dress!”
(Photo by Brands&People on Unsplash)
Do you ever notice your favorite athlete wearing his signature shoe when he appears in a soda commercial? Or do you wonder why every car in an insurance commercial is missing a logo?
Continue reading “A Peak Behind the Curtain of Licensing IP for Commercials”
Crocs and the Importance of their Intellectual Property
We all recognize the brand! Crocs has sold over 850 million pairs of their iconic shoes in over 85 different countries since 2002. Today, Crocs offers numerous models of shoes. However, the company’s success can be attributed to their original clog-style shoe named the “Classic Clog.” The Classic Clog is made from a resin-based material known as Croslite. This material allows the shoe to be durable while offering the user exceptional comfort. These features have led Crocs to market its clog design for use across a variety of applications including boating, gardening, hiking, and even hospital-use.
Trademark Tug of War
A dispute between a dog toy manufacturer and Jack Daniels recently reached the Supreme Court. The dispute is about a new toy called “Bad Spaniel” that parodies the shape and look of the iconic Jack Daniels Bottle. did the Court side with Jack Daniels, or did the bad dog have its day?
Jack Daniels is an established whiskey brand sold in stores and bars nationwide. Bad Spaniel is a dog toy sold by VIP Products LLC that looks similar to the alcohol products sold by Jack Daniels.
The dog toy is in the shape of a Jack Daniels whiskey bottle. A label “Bad Spaniels” appears where the whiskey label would normally be placed. The label also lists “The Old No. 2 on your Tennessee Carpet” below the brand name. This is similar to the Jack Daniels brand Old No. 7 which lists the product name and “Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey” on the front label. The dog toy is a parody of the Jack Daniels bottle used to “make fun” of the famous bottle and brand. Continue reading “Bad Spaniels: Free Speech, Parody, or Blatant Infringement?”
Harry Styles might be the world’s biggest pop star. Styles began his musical career in 2010 as a member of the band One Direction, and he is now one of the most popular solo artists in the world. At February’s GRAMMY Awards, Styles’s “Harry’s House” won Album Of The Year, arguably the most significant award at the show. Styles is known not only for his … Continue reading Harry’s Style: Trademark Infringement Against Counterfeit Sellers
Even before starting law school at Loyola, I knew that I wanted to practice intellectual property (IP) law. IP law involves both transactional law and litigation. While transactional law focuses on the creation and review of documents and contracts, litigation focuses on resolving disputes, often in a courtroom setting. While I have always been interested in IP transactional law, I also saw the value of understanding litigation. Understanding litigation can be key to a lawyer’s transactional practice. A transactional lawyer can learn how to better draft documents and contracts so that a dispute (hopefully!) never arises and litigation is not needed. Continue reading “A Record Store Versus a Boy Band: My Experience on Loyola’s IP Moot Court Team”
