Less than a month after her attorneys put Shapeways’s unlicensed Left Shark figurines out of business, Katy Perry (Bravado Intl. Group Merchandising Services) has launched her own, official products featuring the choreographically clutzy fish that became an instant Internet sensation during the Super Bowl halftime show. There are two official Left Shark offerings…
Celebrity
Who Owns the Left Shark?
March 2, 2015
The loveable, rhythmically challenged “Left Shark” who stole the show during the Katy Perry Super Bowl halftime performance is at the center of a legal battle. Perry claims the dancing (and we use that term loosely) sea creature is her copyrighted intellectual property and sued Shapeways for selling Left Shark figurines without a license…
Furniture & Home Furnishings
Trisha’s Southern Home
March 2, 2015
Country music artist, cookbook author and Food Network star Trisha Yearwood is moving out of the kitchen with her first line of furniture, Trisha Yearwood Home Collection, in partnership with Klaussner Home Furnishings…
SCoReCaRD: STaR WaRS
Celebrities v. Licensees in Court
February 2, 2015
Celebrity licensing deals are like marriages: Some succeed but many end in divorce, recrimination and litigation. Here’s a Scorecard summarizing some high profile cases from recent years…
Digital Celebs
Digital Celebrities: YouTube Stars, Bloggers Enter the Licensing Arena
February 2, 2015
While mass media did, in fact, turn ordinary people into worldwide celebrities as Andy Warhol famously predicted, social media has made it possible for them to sustain celebrity status a lot longer than 15 minutes. Today’s digital celebrities use social media platforms to develop loyal followings in cyberspace. And, inevitably, many of those celebrities are now turning to licensing to cash in on their cyber-fame. Here’s an overview…
LEGAL PITFALLS
Star Wars: Steer Clear of Celebrity Licensing Pitfalls by Adding 7 Protections to Your Contract
January 19, 2015
Licensing a celebrity’s brand is a great strategy for selling consumer products. But it’s also risky. Celebrities are temperamental, especially where their brand is concerned. And if a dispute ensues, that same fame that attracted you to the celebrity in the first place could work against you. Although each case is different, break-ups tend to follow common patterns…
Cannabis
Marley’s Organic Growth
December 1, 2014
Marley Natural, the company that licenses the late reggae singer Bob Marley’s name, is adding the most organic of products to its offerings: Marley Natural Fine Cannabis grown from “heirloom Jamaican cannabis strains” as well as creams, topicals, balms, and accessories…
Celebrity
Ripped From Headlines
December 1, 2014
Tightrope artist Nik Wallenda has licensed mobile gaming companies Tapinator and Hyperpower Game Group to release of “SkyBalance by Nik Wallenda,” a licensed mobile game for iOS, Android and Amazon. The game commemorates a live Discovery Channel event in which Wallenda traversed skyscrapers in Chicago…
Music Celebs
Celebrity Business Models
November 17, 2014
It’s often difficult to tell celebrity licensing programs from other types of celebrity/corporate relationships and marketing alliances. Two different takes on recently announced deals by music celebrities…