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Why You Should Retain Outside General Counsel And Why It Should Be Heitner Legal

Everyone should have general counsel on a retainer. Certainly, as a lawyer who stands to benefit from same, I am biased. But I also have a unique perspective, working for roughly 10 years with a variety of individuals and business as their legal counsel. What I have learned during that time is that, 99% of […]

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Copyright Entertainment

Lizzo Says The Truth Will Hurt People Who Claim Co-Ownership Of Her Song

When you are threatened with litigation, whether it be in the realm of intellectual property or otherwise, you don’t need to sit around waiting and wondering if/when an action will be filed against you. Instead, there is a type of action called a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment that allows you to go on offense, essentially […]

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Copyright

House Of Representatives Gives Green Light To Copyright Small Claims Option

On October 22, 2019, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (the CASE Act), was approved by a 410-6 vote in the House of Representatives. The intention of the Act  is to establish a small claims court for content creators to more easily take legal action against alleged infringers.

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Defamation

Cleveland Browns Fan Sues Team For Being Falsely Accused Of Pouring Beer On Titans Player

Eric Smith says he was falsely identified as the Cleveland Browns fan who threw his beer on Tennessee Titans player Logan Ryan during the Browns home opener on September 8, and now he is filed a lawsuit seeking relief. On October 14, Smith and wife Antinuch Naowarat filed a Complaint in the Court of Common […]

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Copyright

Chuck D Seeks To Bring The Noise To Michael Closter In Copyright Case

Carlton Ridenhour, better known as the rapper Chuck D., who founded hip-hop group Public Enemy, has filed a Complaint for declaratory relief regarding the ownership of copyrights, as well as causes of action for fraud and conversion against Michael Closter and Closter’s fully owned Reach Global, Inc. He claims that the defendants used false copyright […]

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Trademarks

The Vitamin Shoppe Is Too Generic To Be Registered, Says Trademark Trial And Appeal Board

Is “The Vitamin Shoppe” too generic of a name for the parent company to obtain trademark registration? After a year-long battle within the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) system, the answer is a resounding yes. Without a disclaimer for the entire mark, the TTAB was unwilling to reverse the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s […]

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Gaming Law

Riot Games Is Not Cool With Anyone Else Using RIOT In The Esports Industry

Is the word “RIOT” now so attached to the company Riot Games that no other company can use the word in its name? Riot Games seems to think so based on its recent initiation of a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

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Contracts Sports Law

Naomi Osaka Wins Florida Court Case Against Trainer Who Asked For Indefinite, Big Commission

Before one can sue for breach of contract, he must be able to prove that there is an enforceable contract under which to sue. In Florida, it has been stated many times that contracts with minors can be voidable, and a minor has a legal right to disavow a contract, because of minority.

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Sports Law Trademarks

Why LeBron’s Taco Tuesday And Ohio State’s THE Failed The Trademark Test

Ohio State was denied the trademark registration to “THE” and LeBron James lost in an attempt to register “TACO TUESDAY.” Neither outcome should be shocking, whether you are a trademark attorney or not.

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False Advertising Gaming Law

New Jersey Enforces Its Fantasy Sports Law For The First Time

Many states have fantasy sports laws in place that are intended to create regulatory bodies within their borders for the purpose of overseeing and regulating fantasy sports operators. The big fantasy sports companies that come to mind are FanDuel and DraftKings, but many other corporate entities are doing business and thinking about launching gaming products […]