WB Hobbit Lawsuit The estate of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkein has sued Warner Brothers, producers of the upcoming trilogy of Hobbit movies, for copyright and trademark infringement over an alleged breach of the original 1969 contract that assigned merchandising rights to Tolkein’s novels. The Tolkein estate is demanding funds in excess of $80 million, and is asking the court to order WB to cease all allegedly infringing uses of the works and for all such works to be recalled from the market.
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Archives: Entertainment Law
Beastie Boys v. Monster Energy
September 12, 2012
Beastie Boys v. Monster Energy Adam Yauch, a member of the Beastie Boys, sadly passed away in May 2012. Several days after Yauch’s will became public, the Beastie Boys filed a lawsuit against Monster Energy Company for copyright and trademark infringement and violation of the New York Civil Rights law. The suit alleges that Monster used parts of the band’s songs, including “Sabotage,” “So Whatcha Want,” and “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” in promotional videos for Monster Energy Drinks. These videos were used to promote Ruckus in the Rockies, a Monster-sponsored snowboarding event. How did Monster allegedly violate…
San Diego Comic-Con Panel Preview
July 10, 2012
San Diego Comic-Con Panel Preview For the 5th year in a row, I will have the opportunity to participate in a panel during the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con (or, if you insist, Comic-Con International). The panel will be moderated, as always, by Michael Lovitz, and the panelists will include David Branfman and Professor Marc Greenberg. Please join us on Saturday, July 14, 2012 from 10:30am to noon in Room 11AB.
SUPER HEROES: Marvel & DC’s Joint Trademark
July 5, 2012
SUPER HEROES: Marvel & DC’s Joint Trademark In 2006, Dan Taylor, the creator of the critically acclaimed Super Hero Happy Hour comic, announced that he had to change the name of his comic. The reason behind the change? Taylor had received a cease and desist letter from trademark attorneys for both DC and Marvel Comics, claiming they jointly owned the trademark SUPER HEROES and any variations of the word. It turns out that DC and Marvel own U.S. trademark registrations for the mark SUPER HEROES for toys (US Reg. No. 1140452 – Oct. 14, 1980) and comic books…
