Last week, Carl’s Jr. announced that in honor of Steven Spielberg’s new movie, Ready Player One, they would change the name of their Charbroiled Sliders to “SpielBurgers.” They tweeted: “@StevenSpielberg hasn’t signed off yet, but we’re pretty sure he’ll be down with it.” In fact, Spielberg was not down with it. He posted a video … Continue Reading
In 2014, Anheuser-Busch ran a contest on Facebook in which consumers were invited to submit photos of themselves “acting natural.” The contest rules stated that entrants could only submit their original works, and that the photos could not infringe anyone else’s copyrights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other rights. Moreover, the rules stated that entrants … Continue Reading
Earlier this year, Airbnb ran a contest in which one winner could “come stay in the former home of Julia Child.” The company advertised that entrants could imagine themselves “walking the halls of Julia Child’s former home,” and “channeling the culinary genius of Julia Child,” while “combing over the knick knacks in her kitchen exactly … Continue Reading
For years, Michael Jordan dominated opponents on the basketball court. Now, he seems to be doing the same in legal courts. Last week, a jury ordered Chicago grocery chain Dominick’s (now owned by Safeway) to pay the former NBA star $8.9 million for the unapproved use of his name in an ad. The case stems … Continue Reading
US 2; Germany 0 It’s only been a few hours since the US Women’s National Team beat Germany to secure a spot in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals, and we’ve already gotten questions from advertisers who want to capitalize on the victory. Is it OK to use soccer-related themes in our ads? Can we … Continue Reading
Last year, Duluth Trading Company ran ads promoting its henley-style shirts that urged customers to “Don a Henley and take it easy.” (Readers of a different generation, take note: Don Henley is one of the singers in the Eagles, and Take it Easy was the band’s first single in 1974.) If you’ve read our previous posts on right of … Continue Reading
Jennifer Love Hewitt doesn’t love The Marz Group or its vitamin sprays. In fact, last week, the actress sued the company for using her image in ads without authorization. The Marz Group spent a few minutes in the spotlight on ABC’s Shark Tank, a reality show in which entrepreneurs try to convince investors to take … Continue Reading
Last week, we posted that White House had objected when Samsung used President Obama’s image in a tweet. And before that, we posted that Michael Jordan had objected when Jewel-Osco used his name and a picture of his iconic shoes in ad. Now, the estate of Elvis Presley has filed a new lawsuit alleging that … Continue Reading
During a White House ceremony honoring the Boston Red Sox for the team’s recent World Series victory, David Ortiz took a picture of himself with President Obama. He later posted the picture on his Twitter feed. Samsung, who has an endorsement deal with Ortiz, re-tweeted the picture to its 5.26 million followers, and later noted … Continue Reading
Clients often ask us whether they can mention celebrities in their ad campaigns. A recent Seventh Circuit decision in Michael Jordan’s $5 million lawsuit against Jewel-Osco shows just how risky that can be. To commemorate Jordan’s 2009 induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Time, Inc., the publisher of Sports Illustrated, produced a special issue … Continue Reading
Last week, the White House asked Weatherproof to remove a Times Square billboard that featured President Obama wearing a Weatherproof jacket in front of the Great Wall of China. According to the White House, the billboard was misleading because it suggested that the clothing was endorsed by the President and that the White House had … Continue Reading
