Welcome back to the "Spotlight," welcome back to allergy season and welcome back, Kotter (I swear I’m younger than that reference would indicate). At any rate, this weekend, I am looking forward to welcoming Broadway back to...more
5/20/2022
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
Welcome back or for the very first time (what took you so long?) to the “Sports & Entertainment Spotlight”! As the torch is extinguished on, by most metrics (television ratings, in particular) a fairly underwhelming Olympic...more
2/25/2022
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Coaches ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Equal Pay ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Kanye West ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Olympics ,
Pay Discrimination ,
Race Discrimination ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
Welcome back, and in case you’ve been living under a rock (unless it’s a "30 Rock"), two of the biggest sporting events will command millions upon millions of eyeballs for NBC this weekend with the Winter Olympics (already in...more
2/11/2022
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Coaches ,
College Athletes ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
NFL ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Olympics ,
Royalties ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Super Bowl ,
Television Shows
Welcome back to the Spotlight and oh-me, oh-my, do we have a full slate of developments in the National Football League (NFL) – and that’s to say nothing of what happened on the field, with the Cincinnati Bengals and Los...more
2/4/2022
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Coaches ,
College Athletes ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NBA ,
NFL ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Race Discrimination ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Spotify ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
Welcome back, thanks for stopping by, and kindly take your shoes off at the front door. We begin this week’s installment of the “Spotlight” on a somber note. I would like to extend my deepest condolences to those (like my...more
12/17/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
Welcome back to the “Spotlight”! After taking a week long hiatus for Thanksgiving, I feel like a modern day Rip Van Winkle awaking from a tryptophan-induced coma to find myself in a world in which “All I Want for Christmas”...more
12/6/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Brand ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
NFL ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
Welcome back to the “Spotlight”! With Thanksgiving just around the corner (brace yourself, midsection), I wanted to pause to take a moment to reflect on all that for which I have to be thankful. Certainly my family, health...more
11/19/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Quentin Tarantino ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows ,
Trademark Infringement
What a difference just a few months makes. The weather turns from oppressively hot to cool and crisp. The leaves turn from a healthy bright green to all manners of reds, yellows and browns as they cling precariously to the...more
11/12/2021
/ Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Colleges ,
Educational Institutions ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows ,
Universities
Part of what I love about having a Sports Law practice is exactly what makes it difficult to cram everything I want to discuss into each week’s installment of the "Spotlight." No, it’s not that athletic prowess is not...more
11/4/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Basketball ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Coca Cola ,
College Athletes ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
- NIL (name, image, likeness) continues to captivate headlines as athletes forge ahead with profit-churning ventures while still in school thanks to the NCAA’s new rules. Sedona Prince of the Oregon Ducks is a rock star as...more
10/18/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
- Tina Turner signed the rights of her iconic music catalogue spanning 60 years, including her name, image and likeness to a German music company, BMG. While Warner Music record label still manages her record, is this a sign...more
10/8/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Record Labels ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
- What will the “Endgame” be for the lawsuit between Walt Disney Company and former Marvel comic book creators? In the spring of this year, a host of famed artists and illustrators of Marvel characters such as Iron Man,...more
10/1/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Communications Decency Act ,
Copyright ,
Disney ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Facebook ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Marvel Comics ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Photographs ,
Right of Publicity ,
Section 230 ,
Social Media ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Statutory Rights ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows ,
Work Made For Hire Doctrine
- Esteemed filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s decision to leave his 19-year-long relationship with Warner Bros. for Universal to make his next film (about Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of an atomic bomb) continues to...more
9/17/2021
/ Apple ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Popular ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows ,
Warner Brothers Entertainment
- With crypto investment frauds on the rise, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sent a warning to investors and published an investor alert listing out possible signs of a scam. Along similar lines, a Bloomberg...more
9/10/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Brand ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investment Fraud ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Royalties ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smart Contracts ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows ,
Warning Letters
- With celebrities continuing to pad their bank accounts through endorsement deals, some questions remain: What makes them an icon? Is it their initial rise to fame or their brand? (See the Roger Federer story below)
-...more
8/27/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Blockchain ,
Brand ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Investors ,
Marketing ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
- As the pandemic continues, the question arises: Could celebrities be the key to getting the country vaccinated?
- Seemingly everyone is coming up a winner in the music business with the top three major companies bringing...more
8/13/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Fashion Industry ,
Film Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Internet Streaming ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Olympics ,
Popular ,
Right of Publicity ,
Social Media ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Subscription Services ,
Television Shows ,
Vaccinations
Some of this week's highlights include:
- Emerging trends are showing signs of change in the sponsorships and endorsement markets. A segment once largely overlooked, athletes in the LGBTQ+ community are finally ringing in...more
8/6/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Blockchain ,
Brand ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Internet Streaming ,
Investors ,
LGBTQ ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Olympics ,
Popular ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows ,
Video Games
Just months after breathing life into to the "Sports & Entertainment Spotlight," I am (well, my wife is) giving birth to a new creation — a baby boy. As such, I will be taking a break from the usual commentary (sleep...more
7/30/2021
/ Advertising ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Royalties ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
Just two weeks into the name, image, and likeness (NIL) era in college sports, and we are already starting to see not only novel and creative partnerships, but also the emergence of legal gray areas and pitfalls for college...more
7/16/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Blockchain ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Internet Streaming ,
Investors ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
Netflix ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Popular ,
Right of Publicity ,
Royalties ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
Laws — like people — are imperfect. They can be slow to adapt to evolving societal norms, and worse still, their application can yield unjust outcomes. Indeed, look no further than this past week’s developments involving...more
7/9/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Marijuana ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Olympics ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
Well, today is the big day. If you’re reading this week’s installment of the Spotlight, it means that you survived the long and arduous journey of the name, image and likeness (NIL) era in college sports. Indeed, with the...more
7/2/2021
/ Amazon ,
Amended Complaints ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Blockchain ,
Brand ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Privacy ,
Digital Assets ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Entrepreneurs ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Beshear ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Internet Streaming ,
Investors ,
Jay Z ,
Kanye West ,
Kim Kardashian ,
Knockoffs ,
Marvel Comics ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Nike ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Olympics ,
Photographs ,
Radio Stations ,
Right of Publicity ,
Royalties ,
SiriusXM ,
Smart Contracts ,
Social Media ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows ,
UCLA ,
Universal ,
Wal-Mart
“The NCAA is not above the law.” Those seven words capped Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s searing concurring opinion issued in connection with Monday’s (June 21) unanimous (9-0) U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Alston v. National...more
6/24/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Alston v NCAA ,
Amazon ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Athletes ,
Blockchain ,
Brand ,
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Coca Cola ,
College Athletes ,
Colleges ,
Compensation ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Gucci ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Internet Streaming ,
Investors ,
MGM ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NASCAR ,
NCAA ,
Netflix ,
Nike ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Online Platforms ,
Partnerships ,
Popular ,
Restraint of Trade ,
Right of Publicity ,
SCOTUS ,
Sherman Act ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademarks ,
Universities ,
Video Games ,
Warner Music Group ,
YouTube
As we inch closer to the summer solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere (the first day of summer for those of you who were asleep in science class), the heat is not rising only on the thermometer, but also in the halls of...more
6/18/2021
/ Adidas ,
Amazon ,
Apple ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Brand ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
ESPN ,
Influencers ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Marketing ,
MasterCard ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Name and Likeness ,
NBC ,
NCAA ,
Netflix ,
Nike ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Partnerships ,
Right of Publicity ,
Royalties ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows ,
Travelers ,
Video Games
Hope is in the air (not to mention copious amounts of tree pollen) here in New York – and that’s to say nothing of the Knicks’ hardwood resurgence, the Giants’ highly-acclaimed moves in last week’s NFL Draft and the Yankees’...more
5/7/2021
/ Amazon ,
Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
College Athletes ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
E-Commerce ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
Estate Planning ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Movies ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
New Legislation ,
NFL ,
NHL ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Payment Methods ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sellers ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Sports ,
Spotify ,
Student Athletes ,
Television Shows
Welcome back to the Spotlight: the blog with more longevity (but far less financial backing) than the European Super League (ESL). OK, maybe that’s not saying a lot, as the ill-fated collection of 10 of the most preeminent...more
4/23/2021
/ Artists ,
Athletes ,
Celebrities ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Endorsements ,
Fashion Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investors ,
Job Creation ,
Music Industry ,
Music Streaming ,
Name and Likeness ,
NBA ,
NCAA ,
Nike ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Right of Publicity ,
Student Athletes ,
TikTok ,
Trademark Infringement