In late April, Shaun Gray filed a lawsuit against Paramount seeking a share of profits for work he alleges he did on the studio’s 2022 megahit Top Gun: Maverick. The cousin of one of the film’s credited screenwriters, Eric Singer, Mr. Gray claims that Singer and...
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney
In Fireball vs. Firebull, Everyone Wins… and Loses?
Sometimes, trademark confusion battles between brands can start to sound a bit like an elementary school playground fight. Case in point? Bullshine v. Sazerac, which was just decided in both brands’ favor… sort of. Back in 2015, Baltimore-based distiller Bullshine...
To What Degree Should Clips of Copyright-Protected Music Be Allowed in Social Videos?
Recently, Sony Music Entertainment sued USC for posting promotional videos to social media accounts linked to the university that use unlicensed musical tracks. According to the suit, USC used 170 unlicensed music recordings on 283 social media videos across 30 social...
$222M Decision against Walmart: A Case of ‘Be Careful What You Wish For’
If you are a smaller B2B business with an innovative technology, service, or product, chances are good that you will have to present your innovation to larger companies. You want these companies to see how amazing your creation is because the goal is to get them to...
INTA’s Annual Meeting: Exciting and Scary Times
Protection of company trademarks and copyrights is becoming increasingly important. This point was driven home to me last week when I attended the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) Annual Meeting in San Diego along with a wide variety of trademark...
In the Style of Studio Ghibli: You Can Not Copyright an Aesthetic
We have written several articles touching on how it is not possible to obtain copyright protection for an idea. What is protectable is the specific tangible execution of that idea. A variation on this concept has come into play regarding the recently added ability of...
Lady Gaga and California Surf Company in Battle Over Who Owns “Mayhem”
About a decade ago, California surf company Lost International received trademark protection for the stylized “Mayhem” logo it uses on merchandise. So, when they learned that Lady Gaga would be using “Mayhem” in conjunction with her new album (it is the name of her...
Dua Lipa Flying High after “Levitating” Lawsuit Dismissed
Ever since “Levitating” became a monster hit in 2020, the Dua Lipa song has been a magnet for legal action. In 2022, both Artikal Sound System – a Florida reggae group – and L. Russel Brown and Sandy Linzer – a pair of songwriters – filed lawsuits arguing that Lipa’s...