All You Need is .... A Trademark?

From the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office:

Are you a solo performer?  A member of a band?  Do you want nationwide protection for your name?

As your music grows in popularity, so does your need to help consumers identify you as the source of your unique sound.  One way to do that is by registering your name as a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  Federal registration provides nationwide benefits that you can use to enforce your trademark rights.

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office provides the answers to many frequently asked questions regarding musical trademarks, such as:

• What happens to a trademark if the band's drummer, Pete is replaced by a new drummer, Ringo?  
• Can you object if a proposed mark is likely to cause confusion with your protected mark? 
• Which goods or services are used in connection with your mark?

In addition to obtaining trademarks, musical artists should consider forming a limited liability company to protect their assets or filing federal copyright applications to preserve rights in individual works.  Contact our office today if we can be of assistance with these or other legal matters related to your music.

Opening Day Read: Baseball Mascots and the Law

Just in time for Opening Day 2017, Attorney Christian H. Brill and Prof. Howard W. Brill have published a comprehensive examination of legal disputes involving mascots and America's national pastime.

"Baseball Mascots and the Law" discusses a variety of legal questions involving mascots, such as:

• Can a Dayton Dragons fan sue if she was distracted by a mascot’s performance when she was injured by a foul ball?
• Do the actions of an “unofficial mascot” tarnish the protected trademarks of the Chicago Cubs?
• Can a Pittsburgh Pirates mascot be fired for disparaging comments posted on social media?
• Does the arrest of protestors burning a Cleveland Indians mascot effigy violate free speech rights?

Originally presented at the 27th Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, the article covers such areas of law as tort law, intellectual property law, and employment law.

The entire article is available from the Kansas Law Review.