Mattel Creations appoints ProjectFirst and Little Dot Studios to manage its AVOD platforms and grow channel subscribers for its brands in Russia and France, respectively. Spin Master sues Chinese manufacturer, Dongguan Moral Region Co. Ltd., for an alleged patent infringement against its Hatchimals toy. MCM Comic Con owner, MCM Central, takes a major stake in children’s … [Read more...] about M&A & Legal
Licensing Law
M&A and Legal
Macy's and (now Sequential Brand Group's) Martha Stewart make up with a renewal of their 10-year partnership. Macy's is the exclusive retailer for the Martha Stewart Collection brand that covers over 1,000 SKUs. The partners were previously embroiled in a 5-year legal dispute after JCPenney made a deal for Martha-branded bed, bath and kitchen products as its exclusive deal with … [Read more...] about M&A and Legal
Licensing Shorts
Government seizures of counterfeit products totaled over 31,560 goods in fiscal year 2016, up over 9% to an estimated $1.3 billion based on the MSRP of seized goods. The top categories were apparel and accessories (over 20% of all seizures, valued at $110.8 million). Watches and jewelry continued to be the top products seized, with a value of more than $635.5 million. Handbags … [Read more...] about Licensing Shorts
M&A And Lawsuits
Jet.com, which was acquired by Walmart for $3.3 billion in September, buys out apparel and accessories site Shoebuy.com for $70 million from IAC. The e-tailer is a direct competitor of Amazon.The United Kingdom Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) approves VTech's acquisition of educational toy firm LeapFrog, stating that the deal will not lead to competition … [Read more...] about M&A And Lawsuits
Pitfalls & Protections in Licensing Agreements
Before signing any licensing agreement, a licensee has to ensure they are completely covered. Here are the basic steps every manufacturer should take before putting pen to paper. In reviewing licensing agreements you must know what your critical business requirements are and whether the agreement that you are reviewing grants them to you or not. This is one of those difficult … [Read more...] about Pitfalls & Protections in Licensing Agreements
Trap to Avoid: Using Licensee’s Brand to Define “Licensed Articles” in Your Exclusive
By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. THE SITUATION Film studio Nonexistent Cinema licenses the characters from its highly anticipated sci-fi movie XYZ Force to manufacturer Fictitious Toys for an exclusive line of action figures to be sold under Fictitious's registered trademark, Pseudo Heroes®. THE AGREEMENT The licensing agreement grants Fictitious exclusive rights to use the XYZ … [Read more...] about Trap to Avoid: Using Licensee’s Brand to Define “Licensed Articles” in Your Exclusive