On January 25, 2023, Nike Inc. sued Japanese fashion brand, A Bathing Ape (also known as BAPE), in New York federal court for allegedly copying some of its most famous shoes. In asserting trademark infringement and dilution claims, Nike alleges that BAPE’s current footwear business “revolves around copying Nike’s iconic designs,” and that some of
Just over three months after a highly publicized trial, Judge Florence Y. Pan issued an opinion blocking the merger of two rival publishing houses, Penguin Random House (“PRH”) and Simon & Schuster (“S&S”). Both PRH and S&S are members of a group commonly referred to in the publishing industry as the “Big 5.” The “Big
Iconic fashion brand, Cartier, is debatably most famous for its LOVE Bracelet. Cartier has translated this design to rings, necklaces and earrings that sell for thousands of dollars. Recently, according to Cartier and Amazon, fake versions of this fine jewelry were illegally marketed and sold through a sophisticated web scam. Amazon and Cartier claim that
On February 3, 2022, Nike, Inc. started a federal lawsuit against online marketplace StockX LLC over StockX’s use of NFTs. The lawsuit marks another chapter in the emerging area of NFT litigation that includes Miramax, LLC’s suit against Quentin Tarantino (over “Pulp Fiction” NFTs) and Hermès International, S.A.’s suit against artist Mason Rothschild (concerning “MetaBirkin”
Tattoos are a form of self-expression and a visible assertion of body autonomy. Many people seek certain tattoos for their relevance and connection to important pop-culture moments, like a celebrity portrait, character or inside joke from a TV show. However, this concept may create trouble for tattoo artists who, in the process of fulfilling their
As has been reported all over the media, Mariah Carey has been sued for copyright infringement over her Christmas chestnut, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The plaintiff, songwriter Andy Stone, claims he wrote a song with the same title in 1989 that had “extensive airplay” in 1993, the year before Carey’s seasonal evergreen
Sarah Palin continues her fight against the New York Times, alleging defamation. The case, originally filed in 2017, has been dismissed twice, but her legal team is appealing the latest dismissal. Her chances of winning are slim under current case law because defamation is difficult to establish when the media writes about public figures. The
Updated: Sept. 29, 2022 Rapper and songwriter, Cardi B, was awarded more than $4 million by a jury in January 2022 after winning a defamation case against YouTube personality, Tasha K. The lawsuit arose from allegations Tasha K made about the Grammy-winning artist in dozens of YouTube videos. This was an unusually successful case, because
Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney last year highlighted the implications of simultaneously releasing films on streaming services and in theaters. Actors and production companies alike have suffered profit losses from such simultaneous release of movies, otherwise known as a “day-and-date release.” In response to Johansson’s lawsuit, Disney temporarily ceased simultaneous releases of its movies, giving
Nike kicked off 2022 by filing a lawsuit against high-end fitness apparel seller lululemon over the technology underpinning lululemon’s electronic fitness trainer, the Mirror Home Gym. Nike alleges that the Mirror Home Gym and its accompanying fitness app infringe on several of Nike’s patents used in their fitness equipment and apps. As noted previously on
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