On January 17, 2015, veteran horse jockey Roman Chapa and his horse “Quiet Acceleration” were holding steady in the Richard King Stakes Race at Sam Houston Park in Texas. Suddenly, the horse shifted gears and ended up winning the $50,000 purse by a mere half a length. What may have looked like a valiant effort […]
Due to an alleged use of an expired license, the future of the most recognizable sneaker line logo is now at risk. Jacob Rentmeester says he took a photograph of Michael Jordan in his Olympic warm-ups in 1984 and that he granted Nike use of the logo for two years. During the two-year period, Nike […]
HEITNER LEGAL filed the trademark application and handled all necessary follow-up tasks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount. The trademark, ‘Blount Force Trauma’ has received full registration on the principal register. Blount will be able to move forward with federal protection when he uses the phrase […]
HEITNER LEGAL was honored to be retained by Moves Magazine to assist with the negotiation of contracts surrounding the event described below. Successfully negotiated contracts were entered into with the venue as well as live performers The Ting Tings and DJ Grandmaster Flash. Moves magazine announced today that Grammy-nominated pop rockers The Ting Tings will perform […]
DraftKings, Inc., the largest U.S.-based destination for daily fantasy sports, today unveiled Daily Fantasy MMA, the biggest daily fantasy contest for mixed martial arts. The company also announced an exclusive marketing partnership with light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones. To celebrate the launch, DraftKings is offering its players a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience […]
A lot has happened between the National Football League and National Football League Players Association these last few weeks regarding the scope and ability of Commissioner Roger Goodell to discipline players. Here is a brief summary of what has transpired: Ray Rice, the former Baltimore Raven’s running back, is now free to sign with any […]
Popular sports commentator Bill Raftery is well known for his use of flamboyant words and phrases on the air. The most popular of said words and phrases include “Onions” and “With a Kiss.” When Raftery came to HEITNER LEGAL inquiring whether he could seek trademark protection of each, HEITNER LEGAL quickly got to work regarding […]
On June 16, 2014, a meeting took place at NFL headquarters in New York City. Those present were as follows: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell; NFL attorneys Jeff Pash and Kevin Manera; Adolpho Birch, NFL Vice President of Labor; now-former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and his wife, Janay Palmer (at the time); attorney Heather […]
Back in May 2014, former NFL players filed a lawsuit in a San Francisco federal court on behalf of over 600 former NFL players from 1969 to 2008. The complaint alleges that the NFL illegally supplied the players with narcotics and painkillers to mask their injuries during games. This alleged medical malpractice has since led […]
Last week I wrote an article describing Marshall v. ESPN (see the Complaint here), the latest federal class-action lawsuit in which college athletes are seeking damages against the broadcasting firms, college athletic conferences, and licensing firms they allege violated their rights of publicity. Now I will analyze the fourth cause of action of the lawsuit, […]
An NCAA emerging sport is defined as: “A women’s sport recognized by the NCAA that is intended to help schools provide more athletics opportunities for women, more sport sponsorship options for institutions and help that sport achieve NCAA championship status.” Unfortunately, beginning in 2017, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (“CWA”) has recommended the NCAA […]
Ten former college football and basketball players, mostly residents of Tennessee, filed a class action lawsuit on October 3, 2014 in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division. The plaintiff athletes, having played football and/or basketball for Vanderbilt University and The University of Tennessee, among other schools, seek to […]