By: Katie Rinkus For our fourth Women’s History Spotlight, we’re turning to the one, the only, Miss Americana herself: Taylor Swift. Love her or hate her (I love her, obviously), Taylor is one of the most influential musicians and songwriters of our generation. In addition to her musical gifts, Swift has also proven herself a savvy and thoughtful [...]
By: Michelle Green Confession: I have loved People magazine and articles about celebrities ever since reading my mom’s subscription when I was little. Celebrity “news” is still my go-to procrastination tool. Now that I’m a business attorney, my guilty pleasure comes with a dash of professional curiosity. I notice, and even look for, celebrities who are also savvy [...]
Another day, another celebrity filing a trademark application to coopt an everyday expression. At the center of this case: Kylie Jenner and the household wakeup call “Rise and Shine”. Following the online explosion of a video of Jenner serenading her daughter with the familiar refrain, she immediately sought to capitalize on the phenomenon by selling sweatshirts with a logo [...]
Ohio State University’s toughest opponent this season is not on the football field, but in Washington D.C. – the United States Patent and Trademark Office. OSU recently applied to trademark the mark “THE” in order to protect a line of t-shirts and hats sporting the word in large letters above a very small school logo[1]. The USPTO responded to [...]
Lebron James’s recent bid to claim “Taco Tuesday” was a shot and a miss. After weeks of Tuesdays dedicated to shouting, embarrassing his kids, and eating tacos on Instagram, on August 15th Lebron James Trademarks LLC filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) to trademark the phrase for use in advertising, marketing, and social [...]
