Vogue Magazine is suing 21 Savage and Drake after they created mock Vogue Magazines to market their new album. Scott Hervey and Josh Escovedo discuss the dispute on this episode of The Briefing by the IP Law Blog.
Continue Reading The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Vogue Sues 21 Savage and Drake Over Imitation Vogue Cover Marketing Campaign

An interesting trademark dispute has arisen between Dallas Mavericks phenom Luka Doncic and his mother over the trademark LUKA DONCIC 7, which is currently owned by Doncic’s mother. I can’t imagine this is the first time there has been a familial dispute over trademark rights, but I can definitely say this is the first time that I personally have ever seen a mother and son feuding over such things. It’s odd to say the least.
Continue Reading NBA Star Luka Doncic Goes Hard in the Paint and Seeks to Cancel Mom’s Trademark

Hailey Bieber recently founded her own line of skincare products under the trade name Rhode, which is her middle name. Unfortunately, her latest venture was not warmly received by everyone. The founders of the fashion line RHODE almost immediately filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Mrs. Bieber in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. In short, the fashion brand contends that Mrs. Bieber’s use of Rhode in connection with skin care products is likely to create consumer confusion, despite the fact that their federal trademark registration does not include skin care products. To that end, the fashion brand claims it has common-law trademark rights concerning such goods.
Continue Reading The Southern District of NY Catches Bieber Fever and Denies Injunction

Ohio State University recently made Intellectual Property headlines by managing to procure a trademark registration for the word THE. The registration procured by Ohio State covers t-shirts, caps, and hats. Although the registration covers limited goods and services, that hasn’t stopped people from being outraged by the idea that a person or entity can obtain exclusive rights to use of the most commonly used word in the English language. But is it really that big of a deal? In my humble opinion, it is not.
Continue Reading Ohio State Successfully Registers the Word THE with the Trademark Office

©2022. Published in Landslide, Vol. 14, No. 4, June/July 2022, by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association or the copyright holder.

This article was written by Josh Escovedo and Michelle Yegiyants.

The landscape has changed. After decades of the NCAA reaping the benefit of college players, their labor, and their name, image, and likeness (collectively, NIL), the NCAA has changed its policy and allowed players to market their NIL without sacrificing their amateur status. However, the NCAA only made this change after a scathing U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a related matter, where the Court affirmed a decision from a U.S. district court enjoining the NCAA from limiting universities from providing student-athletes with certain education-related benefits.[1] In Justice Kavanaugh’s concurring opinion, he warned the NCAA that it should strongly reconsider its NIL-related policies before such matters are taken before the Court.[2] The Court issued its decision on June 21, 2021. The NCAA responded by changing its policy effective July 1, 2021.[3] 
Continue Reading A Brave New World: The NCAA’s New NIL Policy and the Need for Federal Legislation