Welcome back to the Spotlight! We are just days away from the NFL championship game (I was scared away from using the more popularly used, and heavily policed name for the game [see: https://www.foster.com/newsroom-alerts-planning-a-super-bowl-marketing-campaign-5-quick-tips-for-staying-in-bounds-and-avoiding-disqualification]), and to be candid, I do not have a dog in the race. On the one hand, there are the Philadelphia Eagles, whose victory would catch my ire as a New York Giants fan and would (for reasons still unclear to many New Yorkers) likely turn the Empire State Building green and white, once more. On the other hand, there are the Kansas City Chiefs, whose victory would be their second in the past four years and would almost certainly guarantee more insufferable TikTok dancing from QB Patrick Mahomes II’s brother, Jackson. Instead, I will most definitely be interested in the halftime show and the commercials (most notably the several that I have had the privilege of working on over the past few months #humblebrag). And to the extent that I am still longing for dogs in the race, well I have the Puppy Bowl earlier in the day on Sunday to lift my spirits and carry me through to next season when I hope my team will be in the championship spotlight.
- Madison Square Garden Sports is rumored to be exploring a sale of a minority interest in the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. I would make a joke, but I would like to continue being one of the lawyers that is not denied entry to Madison Square Garden.
- Artist Mason Rothschild found himself on the losing end of a trademark infringement trial where Parisian fashion house Hermes filed suit asserted claims against Rothschild for his Metabirkins NFT project that put a metaverse spin on Hermes’ famous Birkin bags. Not the first and certainly will not be the last time someone loses money on NFTs.
- Louisiana State University Women’s Basketball star Angel Reese files a trademark for her nickname “Bayou Barbie” and is likely to face opposition from Barbie® doll company Mattel (if not an NIL deal). After all, in trademark law, asserting rights in names likely to cause confusion is not something you Ken do.
- As part of cost-cutting and restructuring measures for the media conglomerate, Disney does not intend to spin-off its ESPN properties, but it has announced layoffs of (Snow White and the) seven thousand workers.
Endorsement Sponsorship and Investments
Hermès Gets Win Over MetaBirkins in First NFT Trademark Trial
February 8, 2023 via Bloomberg Law - News Top Stories
Eagles LB Haason Reddick's fast-growing drink company wants to bring jobs to his native Camden
February 7, 2023 via Biz Journal - Northeast News
Angel Reese seeks trademark amid 22-0 start: ‘I’m Bayou Barbie’
February 3, 2023 via Just Women's Sports
FTX, Voyager celeb endorsement class actions spark fight over law firm subpoenas
February 1, 2023 via Reuters - Legal News
Shohei Ohtani is baseball's endorsement king
February 1, 2023 via Axios
Sport
South American Countries Pitch Joint Hosting of 2030 World Cup
February 8, 2023 via Bloomberg - News
USA Boxing to skip world championships, escalating sport’s global issues
February 8, 2023 via Washington Post
UFC to expand into Mexico with new training facility
February 7, 2023 via Vegas Inc - All Stories Headlines (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Super Bowl betting projected to reach $16 billion this year
February 7, 2023 via Vegas Inc - All Stories Headlines (Las Vegas, Nevada)
MSG open to selling minority shares in Knicks, Rangers: Why now and what it could mean
February 7, 2023 via Athletic - Top Stories
MSG Entertainment Lifts Ban for Some Lawyers Involved in Lawsuits Against Company
February 6, 2023 via NBC New York
Music Biz
Madonna hits back at criticism of her appearance
February 8, 2023 via CNN Top Stories
The War Between TikTok and the Music Industry Was on Full Display at the Grammys
February 7, 2023 via News Break - Top Stories
Michael Jackson Estate Nearing Music-Catalog Sale Worth $800-$900 Million (EXCLUSIVE)
February 7, 2023 via Variety
How The Super Bowl’s Music And Music-Backed Ads Are Likely To Change This Year
February 6, 2023 via Forbes
Film & TV
Disney to lay off 7,000 workers, cut $5.5 billion worth of costs in latest reshuffle
February 8, 2023 via Yahoo Finance - News
Gabbi Garcia honored with Taiwan Tourism Award
February 7, 2023 via GMA Network
Amid Vince McMahon's Boardroom Return, WWE Posts Higher Revenue On TV Media Rights Income
February 2, 2023 via News Break - Top Stories
James Gunn unveils DC's new film and TV plan, including fresh spins on Supergirl, Batman
January 31, 2023 via CNBC
Emerging Sports
'Girls can do this too': Local student-athletes work to make girls wrestling an official IHSAA sport
February 8, 2023 via WRTV Indianapolis
Study: Women’s sport draws record 37.6m UK viewers in 2022
February 8, 2023 via SportsPro
MBA student creates media hub for pickleball and other emerging sports
February 6, 2023 via UT News
NYSPHSAA approves high school girls flag football as a state championship sport on National Girls and Women in Sports Day
February 1, 2023 via giants.com
