According to the Hollywood Reporter, after declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Aereo auctioned off its assets last week, in an effort to recover funds to repay $4.2 million of various liabilities. Interestingly, no one bought the infamous antennas that were the heart of Aereo’s business model. Rather RPX Corporation bought the company’s patents for $225,000; Alliance Technology […]
As a man of few words, Marshawn Lynch continues to collect and profit off of his unwillingness to engage with the media. On Super Bowl XLIX’s media day, the Seattle Seahawks running back repeatedly responded to reporters’ questions with “I’m just here so I don’t get fined.” The phrase went viral. Even Katy Perry, Super Bowl
According to the Consumerist, Yelp has a filed a lawsuit against three websites–Revpley, Revleap.me, and YelpDirector. Yelp’s suit asserts that the sites have engaged in trademark infringement, unfair competition, contract interference, false advertising, and cybersquatting. The defendant websites all propose to offer companies methods to increase their ratings on Yelp. In fact, YelpDirector sent emails to
“Left Shark” became an Internet phenomenon after Katy Perry’s Super Bowl half-time show earlier this month. In fact, Perry now is seeking to assert a copyright claim in the character (an out-of-sync back-up dancer), according to TechDirt. After the show, Fernando Sosa sought to sell 3D printed versions of Left Shark online. Shortly thereafter, Perry’s
“That sick beat,” “Could show you incredible things,” “Nice to meet you. Where you been?” Sound familiar? According to Time, Taylor Swift has applied to trademark these lyrics, among others, from her recent album, 1989. But these sound like ordinary, everyday sayings–can Swift successfully obtain a trademark to these phrases? Yes. While a trademark cannot be an
The now iconic image and phrase “Je Suis Charlie” (French for “I am Charlie”), created by French artist Joachim Roncin, has become the rallying call against the terror attacks at French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, where 12 people were killed by extremists. The simple but powerful graphic went viral within hours after Mr. Roncin created it,
Is it possible to trademark a common word such as “How?” That is the question in a recent case involving Greek yogurt manufacturer, Chobani, and author Dov Seidman. Seidman penned the book “How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything,” which describes how companies can create more ethical cultures. Founded in 1992, Seidman’s company, LRN,
