Creative expression through the sale of parody-based dog toys has recently caught the attention of the United States Supreme Court. On March 22, 2023, the Supreme Court listened to arguments to decide whether dog toys modeled after well-known alcohol brands should be...
Content By Kyle D. Stroup
Considering Your Audience for Cease-and-Desist Letters
So, you’ve identified a party infringing on your brand’s intellectual property rights, and in response, you issued a cease-and-desist letter to the infringer. What you say in that letter is just as important as how you say it. Today, more and more recipients of...
Spring-Time Brand Preparations
As spring comes into bloom, brands should begin planning and preparing for the not-so-far-off holiday season. Right now, a brand has approximately six months to strengthen its presence in ecommerce marketplaces until the holiday shopping season begins. In addition to...
NCAA Division I Transformation Committee Report Signals Greater Benefits for Athletes
The NCAA Division I Transformation Committee is a group commissioned by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to lead “modernization” efforts following issuance of the NCAA’s new constitution. Their report, published and approved by the DI Board in January, largely...
New NCAA President Marks Change from Long Line of Predecessors in College Administration
On March 1, 2023, the NCAA officially welcomed its ninth president, Charlie Baker. The 66-year-old former governor of Massachusetts and private-sector CEO breaks the typical mold of college administrators at the helm of the organization, leaving commentators...
IRA Clean Energy Incentives and Guarantees: Electric Vehicles – What’s in it for Consumers and Businesses?
On Aug. 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the Act), which allocates over $369 billion in funding for clean energy, energy-efficiency and other eco-friendly technology (CleanTech) development and deployment in the U.S. over...
U.S. Aims to Boost Semiconductor Production With the CHIPS Act
[UPDATED 8/10/2022: CHIPS Act signed by President Biden] This week, President Biden signed H.R. 4346, the CHIPS for America Act of 2022, which is designed to provide over $50 billion in appropriations aimed at driving massive industrial growth and innovation within...
Gibson’s v. Oberlin College: How False Accusations Led to a $32-Million Judgement
For the most part, the First Amendment guarantees free speech. But when that speech is false and aimed at inflicting economic harm, it can lead to real liability. Such was the case in Gibson’s Bakery v. Oberlin College. As this case proved, organizations should beware...
Congress Aims to Fund Domestic Technology Businesses
Last week, just days ahead of the March 11 funding deadline, President Biden signed into law a $1.5 trillion Omnibus budget, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, to fund federal agencies for the rest of the year. Included in the budget were significant...
Ohio Supreme Court Makes “Final” Decisions
Recently, the Supreme Court of Ohio interpreted statutory language to determine that certain administrative agency decisions may be final and not appealable. It was once a foregone conclusion that an entity or individual would have a right to appeal an agency’s...