Question: “I’ve been playing ball my entire life, and now I’ve got a shot at the pros. My buddy tells me I should get an agent, but I don’t want to pay a guy to just shuffle some papers. Can’t I just handle my contract on my own?” – Al E. Hoop Answer: Once upon
The NFL seems to fumble its attempts to protect the integrity of football, particularly in high profile cases. Fundamental principles of fairness (written in the Constitution) have generally been overlooked when handing out sanctions to NFL players for misconduct. In a series of recent disciplinary actions by the NFL, courts stepped in and looked beyond
The Washington Redskins will soon be an example of all that can go wrong when a trademark loses federal trademark protection. This summer, a federal judge ordered the cancellation of six of the team’s federally registered trademarks, including the “Redskins” name. The judge held that the name was disparaging to Native Americans and therefore violated
Trademarks, and the rights of trademark holders, are commonly misunderstood. Many business owners want to know, what are the advantages of federally registering a mark? A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design (or a combination of those things) that identifies and distinguishes the source of certain goods or services. Essentially, a trademark is
Donald Sterling has been in the news non-stop for the last few weeks and it seems that won’t be changing anytime soon. A hearing scheduled for Tuesday June 3rd will bring together the National Basketball Association (“NBA”) Board of Governors for a vote to determine if Sterling will retain his control of the Los Angeles
Peter Ohr, the Chicago regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), has dismantled the long-held “student-athlete” classification for Northwestern University football players. In his decision this Wednesday, Ohr found that scholarship football recruits are employees, opening the door for the unionization of collegiate football players at private schools. The highly notable and controversial
The NFL may have to revise its blackout policy for the televised broadcasting of games, which is now officially under attack by the FCC. Under the NFL’s current policy, games that haven’t sold between 85% and 100% of their tickets within 72 hours of kickoff won’t be televised in the local market. The FCC, however,
In the wake of the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal, the NFL commissioned the Paul, Weiss law firm to do an independent investigation and report on the allegations of misconduct. Released on February 14, 2014, the report is a call to action for the League to monitor and control abusive workplace conduct. The report notes: “the
Although Ralph Lauren’s U.S. Olympic Team sweaters might be on the medal stand for ugliest of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, they probably won’t be the most litigious apparel of the Games. On February 4, 2014, the Canadian Olympic Committee (“COC”) filed a lawsuit in British Columbia against the parent of popular outdoor company The
A federal judge in Pennsylvania has challenged the ruling on the field. On January 14, 2014, the court denied preliminary approval of the widely debated $765 million proposed settlement for the National Football League’s alleged failure to inform and protect retired football players from the long-term risks of concussions and brain injuries. Serious concerns were
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