Branding

By Christina Severino | amdlawgroup.com The process of launching a new line of products or an addition to an existing collection often involves centering a marketing campaign on the reputation or quality of the brand producing it. The status of a brand itself is oftentimes heavily relied upon during promotions if the brand already carries the prestige of a higher-tiered luxury brand. Recently, Marc Jacobs launched its campaign for the addition of the “Incognito” handbag to its line. Rat

Brandon McCoy | www.amdlawgroup.com Taylor Alison Swift, world renowned country music and pop sensation, is no stranger to the world of intellectual property. In recent years she has been sued for Trademark Infringement of Her Brand Lucky 13, she has created, and obtained, copyrights in chart topping albums, and pulled her music off media streaming giant Spotify. Taylor is at it again. She has recently filed for trademark rights of her works “This Sick Beat”, “Party Like It’s 1989”,

  By Sindy Ding-Voorhees|www.amdlawgroup.com News about Zara is all over the press lately. Zara’s founder, Amancio Ortega, recently surpassed Warren Buffet as the world's second-richest man; several days later, the billionaire was also accused of being one of the most racist. Now, a $40 million discrimination lawsuit claiming he favors hiring employees who are “straight, Spanish and Christian”, has been filed against him. This lawsuit absolutely adds fuel to the flames for Zara,

By Kathy Stewart  | amdlawgroup.com To introduce one to domain names and domain registration, one must begin with a basic understanding of the World Wide Web, in particular websites. Every computer on the Internet has an Internet protocol or IP address, which is a unique string of four numbers separated by periods, such as 165.166.0.2. Since remembering the IP address of Websites would be nearly impossible, a domain name system was created to replace the length of IP address thereby assigning

By Eliana Rocchi | amdlawgroup.com Today’s expansion of social media websites has created a lot of new opportunities for companies to promote their brand, allowing for new forms of interactivity with countless customers simultaneously. At the same time, though, social networking websites like Facebook or Twitter also make it easier to lose control over one’s brand as anyone can create a Facebook or a Twitter account that contains the company’s brand name or engage in unauthorized uses of

Brandon McCoy | www.amdlawgroup.com Imagine meeting the man or woman of your dreams. You are in bliss as the two of you undertake the journey to build a loving, and comfortable relationship. The relationship is a safe haven, a place of solace. It is so sacred that the two of you become romantically involved. You trust one another so much that harmless photos or videos are shared, and saved on each other’s mobile or media devices for future viewing. Then the unthinkable happens…a nasty bre

By Gloria Han|www.amdlawgroup.com Why should a company protect its brand name? There is a multitude of reasons to register one’s trademark in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. One of the reasons is to stop others from copying your product and selling it as their own. To raise awareness of the harms the counterfeit market inflicts onto the fashion industry, New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology opened a new exhibit “Faking It”. Counterfeit items represent abou

By Gloria Han | amdlawgroup.com Lush is a beauty brand that produces products from fresh organic fruit and vegetables. Their products such as makeup, soap, and face wash are not animal tested and are made fresh by hand with little or no preservative. Lush brand chose not to sell their products on Amazon but when customers searched “lush” into the search bar, similar beauty products sold by Lush appeared in the results. Before resolving the issue in court, Lush trademarked the name “Chri

By Diana Chan | amdlawgroup.com Just when we thought the holiday season could not arrive any sooner, companies have already geared up for holiday shopping. Starbucks has begun promoting its holiday red cup and seasonal flavors, while the Wall Street Journal has set up a “Christmas Sale Tracker” that updates every hour to help readers monitor prices for the “hottest gifts.” As consumers prepare to buy gifts, they typically are looking for popular items at the lowest price. Michael Kors,

By Toshia Smith | www.amdlawgroup.com In an interview with DomainSherpa.com, domain expert Andrew Rosener expressed the keys to evaluating the value of a generic domain name. In the domain selling market, no specific method exists to accurately and consistently value generic domain names. However, Rosener, who works as a consultant with multiple media properties and is the CEO of the domain name brokerage firm Media Options, attempts to explain the method to his madness. Rosener’s method

By Toshia Smith | Editor: Kristen Daly | www.amdlawgroup.com In June of this year, it was reported that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) had been sold for a staggering $4.2 billion. This sale represents the largest sports acquisition to ever occur. UFC was sold to Beverly Hills talent agency William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME-IMG). Unlike normal sports acquisitions that involve teams or leagues, this purchase is unique in that it involves a promotional company rather than a sp

By Diana Chan | amdlawgroup.com Because of the sheer number of people (and potential consumers), businesses are often drawn to the idea of expanding their brand and marketing their products in China. But businesses should be wary when taking their brand to China especially if they have not yet registered their trademark in China. Several big name companies such as Apple, Pfizer, Hermès, Burberry and more recently, Tesla, have struggled to successfully win trademark disputes in China. Chin

(By Kelsey Laugel – www.amdlawgroup.com) At the 2015 Billboard Music Awards in May, Nasty Gal, an American-based retailer that specializes in providing more affordable versions of designer clothing, claimed credit for Taylor Swift’s white Balmain jumpsuit. For comparison, the average Balmain jumpsuit can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000 while the Nasty Gal version retails for $78. After copying Balmain’s design and then tweeting to claim credit for it, Nasty Gal received instantaneous

By: Brandon A. McCoy | www.amdlawgroup.com Curtis “50 cent” Jackson is the classic rags to riches tale. He grew up on the streets of Jamaica Queens, NY, where he was shot 9 times, and managed to survive the encounter. One could make an argument that the 39 year old rapper was destined to give the world something great. Not only has the mogul churned out one of the best-selling rap albums of all time with his debut “Get Rich or Die Tryin” in 2003, but he has also become a successful ac

By Chloe Coska | amdlawgroup.com What is a licensing agreement? Licensing means renting or leasing an intangible asset to another party who want to use the brand. A licensing agreement grants the right to develop, manufacture, to market and sell a product or service associate with the brand. Licensing is a way to be engaged in new business without the cost of manufacturing, marketing or facilities etc… Licensing is a tool widely used by major corporations but also small business,