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The fashion industry spends significant time and money protecting its brands from copyright and trademark infringement.  Knockoffs, counterfeits and other copying can cause significant damage to a brand’s reputation and revenue.  If a company fails to “police” their trademarks (prevent others from using their marks) those companies can lose their trademark rights.  Not all forms

Thanks to a recent NCAA interim policy change and a new law, student-athletes in Mississippi can now be paid for use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL).  This opens up new opportunities for students involved in collegiate sports to earn money. What does the law say? On April 16, 2021, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves

Sweepstakes and contests have increased in popularity as a way of engaging consumers.  The legal requirements, however, for these games are complex.  Domenic Romano and Kyle-Beth Hilfer of Hilfer Law recently discussed common questions about launching these prize drawings and relevant legal advice. Domenic:  How does a brand know if its giveaway is legal? Kyle-Beth:

On September 7, 2021, El Salvador will be the first sovereign nation to start using Bitcoin as unrestricted legal tender.  This significant move comes after lawmakers in the Central American country’s legislature voted by a “supermajority” in favor of the Bitcoin Law in early June.  The U.S. dollar will remain El Salvador’s official currency and

Updated: September 30, 2021 Celebrities… they’re just like us, right?  Under common law and most state statutes, every person, whether they are famous or an average Joe, has a right of publicity.  The right of publicity allows individuals to prevent others from commercially exploiting their name and likeness without consent.  However, a celebrity’s name and likeness are

“America’s public schools are the nurseries of democracy. Our representative democracy only works if we protect the ‘marketplace of ideas.’ ”  – Justice Stephen Breyer, writing for the majority of the Supreme Court of the United States The everyday life of a public school student has drastically changed since 1969, when the U.S. Supreme Court

What happens when the manager of a company acts in their own self-interest, rather than for the benefit of the company or those that own the company?  This is where the concept of “fiduciary duties” comes into play.  Fiduciary duties obligate the people who make important decisions for an entity act in the best interests

Smart contracts are one of the most popular and interesting areas being developed in the rapidly growing blockchain industry.  Depending on the particular situation or transaction, their application can be a great alternative to traditional contracts, which are sometimes complex, slow, and expensive.  Smart contracts, however, are not suited for all transactions and, sometimes, a

Trademark law provides legal protection to company brands.  However, there are different levels of protection depending on whether the trademark is registered and how it is used and for how long.  Every business should try to meet the requirements for trademark incontestability status because it offers the most advantages in the event of a trademark