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Stay up on the latest in legal, business, and entertainment news and gossip with our weekly blog posts.
When should you trademark your brand? The simplest answer to this question is as soon as possible. That is the gist of it. There are many reasons why this is so, and it can differ somewhat depending upon the exact scenario, but the...
A trademark is a piece of intellectual property. According to the USPTO: "A trademark can be any word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination of these things that identifies your goods or services.” Why are trademarks...
The rapper released her hit record ‘WAP’ featuring Megan Thee Stallion that quickly saw it way up the charts making number one in both the US and UK. The Bronx rapper is now planning to capitalize on the success of...
by Williametta Garnett There’s been a lot of talk surrounding the launch of Sony’s PlayStation 5 that’s marked at $499 set to launch...
by Williametta Garnett Samuel Asghedom who also...
by WIlliametta Garnett If you die without a...
by WIlliametta Garnett If there’s one thing COVID-19 taught us, it was...
by Williametta Garnett What’s worse than being...
In typical Kris Jenner fashion business is always in the works, even a pandemic couldn’t stop her. The business mogul is looking to trademark one of her iconic catchphrase “you’re doing amazing sweetie.” The catchphrase was...
By: Paris Henderson Late last month the...
by Paris Henderson The Washington Redskins have been under immense scrutiny off and on for over four decades regarding their...
by Tequila Higgins Atlanta rap group Migos have filed a lawsuit against their longtime talent attorney, Damien Granderson...
by Tequila Higgins County group trio, “Lady A” (previously known as Lady Antebellum) recently filed a lawsuit against long time Blues singer Anita “Lady...
by Tequila Higgins So it looks like our native Atlanta rapper, Tauheed “2 Chainz” Epps has a hefty lawsuit against him. The Grammy Award winning rapper and...
Black Lives should matter to all people especially those given the responsibility of representing others in courtrooms across the country but the lives and issues black lives are facing in this country did not matter...
by Tequila Higgins On Tuesday, June 16, a suit was filed against music mogul couple Sean “Jay Z” Carter and Beyonce Knowles Carter by Jamaican artist, Lenora Antoinette Stines. Stines accuses The...
by Tequila Higgins Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra has enacted a racial equity and inclusion initiative title “Sony Pictures Action” (SPA). This..
by Tequila Higgins Over the past two and a half months, most of Americans have been coming up with some of the most creative ways to keep ourselves entertained as we battle this pandemic, COVID-19. From virtual meetings, birthday parties to...
by Tequila Higgins Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls dunks the ball during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Since 2012, ex-NBA legend, Michael Jordan, has battling a company in China for using his name, jersey number,...
by Tequila Higgins On Monday, May 18, 2020, ex-NBA legend Erving “Magic” Johnson announced on several news outlets that he and his company (Magic Johnson Enterprises) have partnered...
by Tequila Higgins On February 23, 2020 Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25 year old Black man, was gunned down in a South Georgia neighborhood in broad daylight due to a father (Greg McMichael) and son (Trevor McMichael) “policing” their...
by Tequila Higgins Back on March 2, 2020, Megan Pete (aka Megan Thee Stallion) filed a lawsuit against her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment and its CEO Carl Crawford, asking for $1M and a termination of her contract. She claimed that the label...
Following his move to Tampa Bay, former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady seeks to capitalize off of his new location, according to the New York Post. Brady, who made an unsuccessful attempt to trademark “Tom...
by Khadija Dukes Kylie Jenner attempts to add yet another mark to her roster of trademarks, according to the Daily Mail. The young mogul filed trademark applications for several marks using her daughter’s name, Stormi. One of the many...
by Khadija Dukes Prior to the untimely death of NBA star Kobe Bryant and his beloved daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, Bryant filed a trademark application for Gigi’s nickname, “Mambacita” – a play on her...
by Khadija Dukes Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in the news once again, and this time it’s not for shirking their royal duties. The happy couple will continue to do their good work, even if it’s not at the royal kingdom, by...
Many business owners have logos that represent their brand. And the majority of them didn’t create the logos themselves. Chances are, you hired a graphic designer to create your logo based on some idea you verbalized to them about what you...
by Khadija Dukes Just as her ex-lover, Liam Hemsworth, is slapped with a copyright infringement suit, Miley Cyrus settles hers for $300 million, according to Reuters.com. Cyrus’ popular yet controversial hit, “We Can’t...
New Year, New Beginnings, right? Right. This is always the time of year where everyone is so focused on bettering themselves and their businesses, but so many of you fail to take one of the most important steps in business ownership, which is...
After starring in the film, Isn’t It Romantic, in early 2019, actor Liam Hemsworth sought to promote the movie by posting a production photo to his personal Instagram page. However, the actor did not seek or attain approval to use the...
Disney is in the headlines once again, and not because of Baby Yoda. The highly anticipated sequel to Frozen 2 was met with high box office sales– almost doubling that of its predecessor. However, much like Frozen, the sequel has coined a...
by Khadija Dukes Everyone’s favorite recipe and vision board website, Pinterest, is facing challenges regarding accusations of copyright infringement, according to Bloomberglaw.com. The social media company is being sued for encouraging...
Seems like people all over are just flocking to the trademark office these days, just as soon as any phrase pops off. Someone, somewhere claims they made the phrase poppin’ and now they don’t want anyone else to use it without paying...
courtesy of NY Times College athletes in the state of California are #winning with the passage of the Fair Pay to Play Act. This law needs to be adopted nationwide. Colleges and the NCAA have been profiting for over a hundred years from their...
Looks like Kanye, Kawhi, and Kylie have all been getting familiar with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the process of obtaining trademarks. Let’s take a look: Kawhi Leonard, who ran into some trademark issues with...
by Williametta Garnett In true Queen B fashion, Beyoncé will put her family first with business falling. The global music icon has declared her first-born Blue Ivy Carter “a cultural icon” in her battle to have the name...
by Khadija James Taco-lovers around the world can breathe a sigh of relief because NBA star and entrepreneur Lebron James’ application to trademark the term ‘Taco Tuesday’ was rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark...
Drake is allegedly being sued by New Orleans rapper Samuel Nicholas III, a musician who goes by Sam Skully. Sam alleges that his song “Roll Call” was improperly sampled by Drake on “In My Feelings.” Skully...
Fashion designer Virgil Abloh has certainly made a name for himself as he started his high-end streetwear brand Off-White design back in 2012 and later went on to becoming Louis Vuitton first African-American menswear artistic designer in...
by Khadija Dukes Image via Wikimedia Commons Once again, Disney’s most beloved movie, The Lion King, is in headlines, but this time not for its cinematic debut. On July 31, 2019, Disney filed an opposition with the United States Patent...
by Williametta Garnett Katy Perry has been living a very private life the past year, as she has not been in the media or dropped any recent records. However Christian rapper Marcus Gray, known as Flame might have taken Perry out of her...
The world’s youngest billionaire will be adding two more products to her ever-growing business portfolio. According to Refinery 29, Kylie Jenner has registered trademarks for a perfume line and a nail collection. The 21-year-old, who filed...
by Williametta Garnett In true Hot Girl Summer fashion, Megan the Stallion is sticking to her coins and taking legal action, as she should, to trademark her catchphrase “Hot Girl Summer.” The term has gone viral helping propel the...
by Williametta Garnett Seems like the star was not only fighting for a championship ring but also his ownership to the “KLAW” logo. In June 2019, Kawhi filed a lawsuit against his once endorsed well-renowned sports brand Nike claiming...
by Khadija Dukes After four years in court, everybody’s favorite comic-based entertainment company prevailed in a copyright dispute over an official movie poster, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The suit arose from an Iron...
by Khadija Dukes As a fellow millennial, I understand the lack of appeal the words ‘estate planning’ have. You hardly have time to plan your next vacation or what you want to do with your life, let alone all of the things that are...
by Williametta Garnett Baywatch star Carmen Electra and seven other women are suing a Massachusetts strip club that goes by the name Golden Banana strip club for allegedly using their photos in advertisements without permission. The suit was filed...
By Corinne Coleman, Guest Blogger A few months ago, a woman by the name of Nadia Chamberlain decided to revamp her Instagram by deleting every post from her profile while continuing to maintain her following. Soon after, she renamed her page...
by Williametta Garnett The Kardashian’s just will not stop trending, this time it’s Kim Kardashian making headlines for being awarded 2.7 million dollars after winning her trademark infringement lawsuit against clothing brand Missguided...
by Khadija Dukes Cardi B may have fame, fortune, and family, but there is one thing that the rapper will not have in 2019, and it is not ‘okurrr’ with Cardi. Cardi B’s application to trademark her signature phrase...
by Mickie Funderburke Last month, we discussed A-lister brands that were spearheaded by celebrities and their families in both American music and sports entertainment. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has been moving...
by Khadija Dukes What does an American airline and one of the world’s largest supermarket chains have in common? Not much, one would think. However, JetBlue Airways Corp. and Walmart Inc. share more than just an association with the color...
by Jessica Jordan A poor man’s copyright is the act of sending your creative work to yourself in the mail. The idea behind it is that there will be a date stamp on your mail indicating that you created the work before anyone else. Doing this...
by Khadija Dukes When most Americans think of America, a few things come to mind – the American Dream, Independence Day, country music and football. In terms of entertainment, the latter two are considered American’s most favorite...
by Larae Whether you’re familiar with how trademarks affect you as an entrepreneur, you’ve either heard of the term or have seen the ® logo everywhere on marketing materials for major brands. Have you sought to obtain one or...
By Mickie Funderburke #onfleek #cray #squadgoals #adulting #turnt #okurr #periodt After reading the line above, you may be screaming #yassssss (because a simple yes is not enough) at your screen or you have no idea as to the...
by Goeun Son Movies and book titles are typically not copyrightable since a short phrase is not eligible to be copyrighted. Instead, you can rely on trademark protection for short titles. That’s where this big trademark lawsuit...
by Goeun Son Fair use in copyright law is a complicated, fact-based area, and another example just joined a list of fair use cases. Fox News sued TVEyes, a media monitoring service, claiming TVEyes, which is used by journalists, scholars, and...
by Goeun Son Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty runs a makeup company, “Fenty Beauty”. Currently, “Fenty Beauty” and “Fenty Beauty by Rihanna” are registered under trademark. Forbes estimated that she banked...
by Lerae Funderburg Did you know that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) refuses to register marks that are considered to be disparaging, scandalous or immoral? It has since the beginning of time. But it might be time...
by Goeun Son “Fortnite”, an online game developed by Epic Games, has been a popular topic talked about not only among excited teenagers in school, but also among outside school because of a series of lawsuits for controversial dance...
by Goeun Son Setting aside the fact that I love Conan O’Brien’s sense of humor, let me try to see this issue with my legal perspective. Back in 2015, Tom Brady, a football quarterback for the New England Patriots, handed his 2015 Super...
by Goeun Son What pops to your mind when you see “HQ”? Do you notice right away that it stands for “Headquarter” in the business world or did you not have any clue of the meaning? That is the issue arising between two...
by Goeun Son President Trump’s foreign policy doesn’t just have impact on national relation with other countries. It unexpectedly touched upon another legal issue: trademark. Trump posted on Twitter an image that borrowed the famous...
by Lerae Funderburg At this point you guys probably think I’m obsessed with Trump and him playing the music of different celebrities despite their clear objections against it. But I happen to find this quite fascinating because the law...
by Goeun Son When you go through possible copyright infringements in your film, issues don’t always arise from a screenplay, background music, or songs. Sometimes a prop that shows up behind actors can be also a possible copyright...
by Goeun Son It was 1976 when Copyright Act became the primary basis of copyright law. At that time, the Congress may not have expected that one thing would become a huge part of copyright issues: the Internet. Now people can post almost anything...
I’m not sure if you’ve heard about the lawsuit against Universal Music Group, Kendrick Lamar, SZA and other creatives who were affiliated with the song “All of the Stars” that was on the Black Panther soundtrack. Lina Iris...
Don’t name specific investments in your will. You are not guaranteed to still own them at the time of your death. And if you promised that specific bequest to one of your beneficiaries, your estate will purchase it to devise to the...
By Go-eun Son When you copyright your work, keep three things in mind: copyright protects 1) original works of authorship 2) fixed in a tangible medium of 3) expression. That means literary, dramatic, musical, artistic...
I don’t know what’s with Donnie and his insistence on playing music at his rallies by artists who are not too fond of him or his version of politics. A couple months ago, Steve Tyler from Aerosmith had his legal team issue a...
by Gouen Son Things get complicated when you hire another person to create a work on behalf of you. If you are an executive film producer and hire a writer to create a screenplay, a copyright ownership of that screenplay doesn’t necessarily...
by Goeun Son Previously, you learned trademark basics from what a trademark is to how it protects your mark. As you know, any word, name, or symbol are protected under trademark. But they should distinguish your goods or services...
by Goeun Son Music is one of very important parts to consider from a legal perspective when you create a movie. (of course, music is essential as well for quality films) I want to put my favorite song, “Game of Love” by Santana, in my...
Don’t just talk about it, be about it. You say you’re serious about a career in the entertainment industry, well then, put your money where your mouth is. And let’s get it done. If you follow any of my other blogs or check out some...
It happens to the best of us. That whirlwind romance that resulted in a baby and baby’s father who can’t be bothered. He’s not important. Your kids are. And we know you would do any and everything for them, but what happens when...
We live in a world where everyone wants to start their own business now. Kudos to you all! Own that business! But what type of business do you want to structure? It’s an important first step in getting your business set up. Have you...
by Goeun Son You may have learned through the blog that you don’t have to register your work to obtain a copyright. But you are still encouraged to copyright your work before copyright infringement claim arises because copyright...
Did you know that business succession planning is a part of estate planning? A business succession plan can be looked at like a retirement plan for entrepreneurs. You don’t want to work until the day you die, but you also don’t want...
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is at odds with the Radio Music Licensing Committee (RMLC) over royalty rates for the songwriters and composers it represents. For those of you who don’t know, BMI is one of the Performance Rights Organizations...
So, you have a name that people know you by in these streets. Either a name for your products, services, or you as a brand. Or you have a logo, catch phrase or design that you associate with your products or services. Whatever you...
I don’t care how much you think you do or don’t have, or how old or young you think you are, or whether you have children or not. The bottom line is – you need a will. There’s no getting around it. A will is a legally...
Become acquainted with your state’s Secretary of State (“SOS”) website. It has a wealth of information to guide you in creating your corporate structure. Most states allow for you to form businesses online by filling out...
Sh** happens. The better prepared you are for the unforeseen, the more you are able to minimize the associated risks and/or damages to yourself and others. Power of attorney documents are important estate planning tools, whereby you elect someone...
I usually try to keep my entertainment blogs limited to the hip hop and R&B genre, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to mix music and Trump, especially when the artist at hand is protecting its music and brand from being tainted by...
Let’s start with the basics. Before we can get into what type of entity you should form, let’s take some time to break down what an entity is and why you should form one. Simply put, an entity is an organization created by one or more...
I just know this isn’t so. I just know this beautiful, intelligent, accomplished, mother and icon, who is worth tens of millions of dollars, did not depart this earth on August 16, 2018 without a will. I know she didn’t do that. There...
Probate is the legal process in which the assets, debts and other liabilities of the deceased (“decedent”) are determined and the remaining assets are distributed to decedent’s heirs at law (if decedent died without a will...
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