Carmen Electra, joined by models Dessie Mitcheson and Lucy Pinder, sued a Colorado strip club over the club’s allegedly unauthorized use of its photographs on its website and social media in late January of this year. The aggrieved trio claims that the Denver club “Shotgun Willie’s” posted photos of the models in online advertisements for
Andrew Levad
“Fiji Water Girl” Made Waves But Got Soaked, Alleges New Lawsuit
Model and meme icon Kelleth Cuthbert (real name Kelly Steinbach) became an overnight sensation as “Fiji Water Girl” after photobombing celebrities on the Golden Globes red carpet in January. Now, she is seeking to recover against Fiji Water Company and its parent company, The Wonderful Company, for allegedly misappropriating her likeness and violating her right…
Model Misbehavior? Gigi Hadid Faces Copyright Suit Over Instagram Post
Gigi Hadid found herself sued for copyright infringement by New York photo agency Xclusive-Lee, Inc. over a photo the fashion model posted to her Instagram account. The disputed photo was of Hadid herself, smiling at the camera while wearing a blue denim jacket and matching shorts with silver heels, and was snapped by paparazzi. Xclusive-Lee…
Jason Gordon Discusses 2019 Advertising Law Trends in Law360 Article
Jason Gordon and Andrew Levad published an article in Law360 this week titled, “6 Advertising Law Trends To Watch In 2019.” A copy of the article is available here. You may also view a PDF copy of the article here.
A License to Kill a License? SCOTUS to Resolve Trademark Bankruptcy Split
Trademark licensing is a driving force in business relationships. One common example is where one business owns a trademark, which it licenses out to other companies who manufacture and sell the products bearing the mark. But, what happens if the trademark owner goes bankrupt? Bankruptcy law gives a debtor the right to “reject” contracts to…
New SCOTUS Case Could Sharpen FCC’s Teeth in the Courtroom
Earlier this month the Supreme Court granted certiorari in PDR Network, LLC v. Carlton & Harris Chiropractic, Inc., the resolution of which will impact the judiciary’s power to interpret agency rules. The facts underlying case appear unremarkable on their face; a health information service and publisher sent a single fax to a chiropractor’s office…
Sunkist’s New Candy Packaging Is Forbidden Fruit, Welch’s Infringement Suit Says
Promotion in Motion Inc. (“PIM”) makes the popular Welch’s Fruit Snacks under a licensing deal with Welch’s, and Kervan USA LLC is a rival candymaker that has a similar licensing arrangement with Sunkist Growers Inc. PIM, however, contends that Kervan sought to capitalize on the fruits of PIM’s labors, and sued Kervan in the District…
NRA Is Full of Beans, Claims Sculpture Artist in Copyright Suit
The British artist Anish Kapoor, sculptor of the iconic Chicago art piece Cloud Gate, known colloquially as the Bean, filed suit against the National Rifle Association (“NRA”) for using imagery of Cloud Gate in online videos without his permission. Kapoor registered Cloud Gate with the U.S. Copyright Office in January 2016, and was “shocked…
Harshing My “Vibes”: Kim Kardashian Fragrance Line Faces Trademark Infringement Suit
Kim Kardashian West’s fragrance company, KKW Fragrance LLC, is the target of a reverse confusion trademark infringement suit launched by Chicago-based mobile marketing company, Vibes Media, LLC. According to Vibes’ complaint, KKW Fragrance intentionally copied Vibes’ name and speech bubble logo in a new perfume also called “Vibes” that Kardashian launched as part of her…
Scientific Studies Are “SuperStarch” Kryptonite, Class Action Suit Says
Plaintiff Kevin McCann launched a putative class action against The UCAN Company (“UCAN”), which markets and distributes a line of sports performance products including “Generation UCAN SuperStarch Drink Mix,” “Generation UCAN Protein Drink Mix,” and “UCAN Snack Bars powered by SuperStarch.” The products all contain “SuperStarch,” which UCAN claims to be an easily digestible carbohydrate…