Back in July we shared a story about ‘80s and ‘90s reggae duo Steely & Clevie. They are suing several reggaeton artists for using the drum beat Steely & Clevie created for their song “Fish Market.” In the years since the duo recorded that drum beat, it has...
Intellectual Property
Protecting Your Intellectual Property: A Guide for Small Business Owners
If you are like a lot of small business owners, you may not have given a whole lot of thought to protecting your intellectual property (IP) assets. You are probably extremely busy just trying to keep the lights on and grow your business into something sustainable....
Use Copyright Protected Music in a Social Post and You Could Get Sued
In the age of TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, music plays a pivotal role in creating engaging content. Whether it is a catchy background tune or a trending song, the right music can elevate a video and make it go viral. However, as the use of music on social media...
Jury Awards Teen Pop Group OMG Girlz $71.5 Million in IP Lawsuit with Toy Maker Over L.O.L. Dolls
MGA Entertainment has been ordered to pay a hefty $71.5 million in damages to Tameka “Tiny” Harris, her husband T.I., and the teen pop group OMG Girlz. The verdict in the IP lawsuit follows a three-week trial that accused the toy makers of stealing the looks, name,...
EU Court Ruling Expands Copyright Protection for International Works of Applied Art
In a recent landmark ruling, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) made a major change in how works of applied art – think designer furniture, sculptures, and other creative items – receive copyright protection across the EU. The ruling says that as long...
Grande Communications Held Liable for Contributory Copyright Infringement
Imagine you are an internet provider. You offer a service that lets people stream, browse, and download content. However, some of those users are engaging in illegal activities — like pirating copyrighted music. What do you do? What are you responsible for?...
Court Calls Out Nike for Trademark Infringement
A small Pennsylvania-based company, Lontex, is taking on Nike over a trademark infringement claim. Lontex specializes in compression technology for sportswear, marketed under the Sweat It Out brand. They developed a unique line of clothing featuring “Cool...
Pokémon Company Wins $15M in Damages from Mobile Game Makers Who Used Their Characters – Should Fans Worry They’re Next?
As a media franchise, Pokémon has been around since 1996, and a number of characters are immediately recognizable the world over. Because of this, the Pokémon Company is quite protective of their intellectual property, and there have been a number of Pokémon copyright...