The following article was written by Benjamin Haynes, Esq. On February 1, 2013, ZICO Beverages LLC (ZICO) filed a Complaint against Chad Johnson, aka Chad Ochocinco, in the state of California. Back in June of 2012, ZICO entered into an endorsement agreement with Johnson. Pursuant to the terms of this agreement, Johnson was to “refrain from […]
“Thirty years from now, I don’t think it will be in existence. I could be wrong. It’s just my opinion, but I think with the direction things are going – where [NFL rules makers] want to lighten up, and they’re throwing flags and everything else – there’s going to come a point where fans are […]
Modern music offers a wide variety of innovations, genres, styles, and sounds that are more available to the public then ever before. Not only has the Internet made this wide world a smaller place, but technology has made it both easier and more affordable for bands and artists to record their music at home. In […]
The following article was written by Benjamin Haynes, Esq. A morals/morality clause is a provision within a contract, which holds a party to a certain behavioral standard. Generally, athletes and actors will see this type of clause in endorsement contracts with various businesses. Recently, a lawsuit filed on behalf of Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall against […]
There does not seem to be any decrease in the number of defendants accused of engaging in copyright infringement through the use of BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing program. However, courts continue to show a reluctance to give plaintiffs, in those cases, all the tools they wish to use in an effort to squeeze every single […]
The following article was written by Benjamin Haynes, Esq. The term “Gross Negligence” was mentioned in a recent article written by the TheBigLead.com. This term was in reference to the Washington Redskins Head Coach, Mike Shanahan playing Robert Griffin III (RGIII) in the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. Robert Griffin initially injured his knee during a […]
Have a scandalous mark that you wish to get protected for statutory purposes through filing an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)? Make sure to think long and hard before spending the time and money filing that application. The USPTO defines scandalous material as “shocking to the sense of truth, decency or […]
The following article was written by Benjamin Haynes, Esq. Jason Terry has filed a 24-page complaint in Federal Court against former financial advisor William C. Crafton. Terry has also named Suntrust Bank, Martin Kelly Capital Management, Adam Fein, and CSI Capital Management as Defendants in the complaint. The complaint states that Terry’s financial advisors cost him […]
The following is a guest contribution by David Greene, Esq. of Greene and Greene, Attorneys at Law. In the last year or so, I have been hearing a lot about a newish technology known as 3D printing. Before this past year, these printers were expensive, but lately have come down in price to the point of […]
The following article was written by Benjamin Haynes, Esq. Starting October 30, 2012, the NCAA will implement a new rule with regards to Head Coach’s responsibilities. The specific rule is NCAA Division I Bylaw 11.1.2.1, which will state: “An institution’s head coach is presumed to be responsible for the actions of all assistant coaches and administrators […]
The following article was written by Benjamin Haynes, Esq. In game two of the ALCS, Detroit Tigers’ Omar Infante overran second base and was desperately trying to dive back to the bag. New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano applied the tag to Infante and clearly tagged him before Infante could even get remotely close to […]
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Cybersquatters in Professional Sports
The following article was written by Benjamin Haynes, Esq. Cybersquatting is the registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with the bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. The cybersquatter typically offers to sell a domain to a person or company who owns a trademark contained within the […]