News & Analysis as of

Celebrities Lanham Act

Knobbe Martens

One Name, Two Claims: Prince’s Estate and Apollonia Clash Over Trademark Rights

Knobbe Martens on

Bono, Madonna, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem, Drake, Cher, Sting, Lorde, Flea, Adele, Bjork, Seal, Pink: these celebrities all share the same elite status of fame to be known by a single name. But the standalone celebrity name...more

Kaufman & Canoles

K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup - July 2025 #2

Kaufman & Canoles on

Jonathan Barnett, once named the “World’s Most Powerful Sports Agent” by Forbes, is accused of forcing an Australian woman to serve as his “sex slave,” while his sports agency within Creative Artists Agency ignored the...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

Keeping Up With the Trademarks: The Role of Brands in Reality TV

“I love reality TV!” Cue the eyerolls. For many, admitting to watching reality TV is often done begrudgingly or dismissed as a “guilty pleasure.” But why the stigma? Reality television has it all: drama, competition, social...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

When Surfboards and Superstars Collide: How to Avoid a Wipeout [or Mayhem]

Pop icon Lady Gaga is no stranger to making waves, but a new lawsuit initiated by California-based surfboard company Lost International (aka Lost Surfboards), shows that even superstars can find themselves navigating choppy...more

ArentFox Schiff

‘GETCHA POPCORN READY’ Lawsuit: The Trademark Showdown Between Terrell Owens and TMZ

ArentFox Schiff on

National Football League (NFL) Hall of Famer Terrell Owens recently filed a lawsuit in Illinois state court against TMZ, accusing the news and media company of unauthorized use of his trademark, GETCHA POPCORN READY....more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

When Surfboards and Superstars Collide: How to Avoid a Wipeout [or Mayhem]

Pop icon Lady Gaga is no stranger to making waves, but a new lawsuit initiated by California-based surfboard company Lost International (aka Lost Surfboards), shows that even superstars can find themselves navigating choppy...more

Weintraub Tobin

(Podcast) The Briefing: Trademark Mayhem – Lady Gaga Gets Sued for Trademark Infringement

Weintraub Tobin on

Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” tour has sparked legal trouble. In this episode of The Briefing, Scott Hervey and James Kachmar analyze a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by surf brand, Lost International, which claims Gaga’s use of...more

Weintraub Tobin

The Briefing: Trademark Mayhem – Lady Gaga Gets Sued for Trademark Infringement

Weintraub Tobin on

Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” tour has sparked legal trouble. In this episode of The Briefing, Scott Hervey and James Kachmar analyze a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by surf brand, Lost International, which claims Gaga’s use of...more

Benesch

From Scarlett Johansson to Tupac: AI is Sparking a Performer Rights Revolution

Benesch on

With artificial intelligence (AI) taking the world by storm and generative AI making content creation easier than ever, legal problems regarding intellectual property and rights to publicity have inevitably started popping...more

Venable LLP

Artificial Intelligence Wants Your Name, Image and Likeness - Especially If You're a Celebrity

Venable LLP on

Innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) have made it easier than ever to replicate a person's name, image, and likeness (NIL), particularly if that person is a celebrity. AI algorithms require massive amounts of "training...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Video Gaming / E-Gaming Law Update - June 2020

Does My Video Game Violate Consumers’ Privacy Rights? The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is the first broad-based state statute aimed at enhancing personal privacy rights for consumers. Following the example set by...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Bobby Brown’s Claims for the Use of His Name and Likeness Not His Prerogative

In a detailed order that strongly affirmed the First Amendment rights of documentarians, on Aug. 2, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a lawsuit brought by Bobby Brown—the bad boy of...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Forever 21 and Ariana Grande “Face-Off” Over Lookalike Images

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

Ariana Grande, identified in a recent complaint filed in federal court as an “internationally renowned singer, songwriter and actress,” is challenging struggling retailer Forever 21’s use of images that allegedly mimic Ms....more

Kilpatrick

Grand Implications: The Use of Celebrity Look-Alikes in Advertising and the Interplay Between State Right of Publicity and Federal...

Kilpatrick on

What is a world-wide, massively popular pop music star and actor supposed to do when a company negotiates with her to secure her image in an endorsement deal, declines to pay her asking price, but then goes ahead, without...more

Knobbe Martens

Some Like It Infringed? Monroe Estate Continues Intellectual Property Battles Despite Lack of Publicity Rights

Knobbe Martens on

On Wednesday, November 9, 2016 the estate of Marilyn Monroe filed a complaint in the Southern District of New York against Fashion Central. The Monroe Estate claims that Fashion Central infringes its intellectual property...more

Foley Hoag LLP - Trademark, Copyright &...

Celebrity Trademark Watch: Who Owns Marilyn Monroe’s Image? – Right of Publicity vs. Trademark Rights

In her posthumously published autobiography, My Story, screen legend Marilyn Monroe wrote: “I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful but because I had never belonged to...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Bob Marley’s Heirs Lanham Act Win Upheld - Fifty-Six Hope Road Music v. A.V.E.L.A., Inc.

McDermott Will & Emery on

Addressing the issue of when the use of a celebrity’s likeness or persona in connection with a product constitutes a false endorsement that is actionable under the Lanham Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit...more

Knobbe Martens

Trademark Review | March 2015

Knobbe Martens on

Registration Cancelled Where Services Related to Mark Not Provided - Playdom, Inc. filed a petition to cancel Couture’s mark, arguing that the registration was void because Couture did not use the mark in commerce as of...more

18 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 1

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide