The Licensing Letter

Articles

Who’s News

By Karina Masolova Viacom promotes international brand management VP Charlotte Castillo to SVP of brand management and creative for Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products.   Mark Caplan is promoted to SVP Global Consumer Products for Sony Pictures Consumer Products. Elias Hofman steps down as President of Exim Group, the company that he helped found. The IP and … [Read more...] about Who’s News

Social Media Ledger

By Karina Masolova At Brand Licensing Europe, keynote speaker Cassey Ho outlined the history behind her successful merchandising program (over 200 SKUs available from her online store and speciality boutiques). Her key points for building a successful brand—staying true to oneself, listening to the fan community—ring true for all digital celebs TLL identified as licensing … [Read more...] about Social Media Ledger

Unlicensed Use of Trademark Brands in Video Games

EA shows Bell Helicopters in its Battlefield 3 video game Activision depicts the "Delta Force" logo in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 In Sony's Gran Turismo 6, race cars pass under a bridge displaying the Virag® trademark Video games look and feel more realistic when they depict brands from real-life. But using a trademark brand without a license can also result in … [Read more...] about Unlicensed Use of Trademark Brands in Video Games

The Colorforms Revival: A Convergence of the Business & Social Trends Driving Licensing

Colorforms is the perfect paradox. In an era of computer gaming and digital toys, the new Colorforms that hit the shelves of Toys 'R Us this week is unapologetically low-tech and faithful to its 64-year-old roots. Equally paradoxical is how the relaunch of a brand as old-fashioned as Colorforms reflects so many of the trends driving modern licensing. Brand Revival: … [Read more...] about The Colorforms Revival: A Convergence of the Business & Social Trends Driving Licensing

King, Patterson are America’s Favorite Authors

The J.K. Rowling-created world of Harry Potter has been licensed for everything from pajama pants to theme parks (already in Orlando, Fla, and Japan, the newest Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2016). Yet, the powerful author ranks only No. 3 on the list of the 10 most popular authors with U.S. readers. The only other author on the … [Read more...] about King, Patterson are America’s Favorite Authors

Licensed Digital Celebrities

By Karina Masolova The licensing industry is looking towards digital celebrities as the new frontier. For the first time, a YouTube celebrity is set to lead the keynote address at Brand Licensing Europe 2015 (BLE) on October 13, 2015. Fitness guru Cassey Ho will take the stage alongside YouTube's Global Head Top Creators, Benjamin Grubbs. You might recall that Grubbs had also … [Read more...] about Licensed Digital Celebrities

Lucky Brand Joins Bands

With its recent deal to develop a national apparel and accessories program around classic rock bands KISS, Journey, Def Leppard and others, apparel company Lucky Brand is plugging into a harmonious spot in the more generally discordant market for music licensed products. Lucky's deal with licensing agency Epic Rights will put music brands KISS, Journey, Def Leppard, Billy … [Read more...] about Lucky Brand Joins Bands

Licensing By The Numbers

Scandal Costs VW $10 Billion in Brand Value Earlier this year, the VW brand was calculated to be worth $31 billion, the third most valuable auto brand in the world. But the recent emissions scandal has tarnished the "people's car" company's longstanding reputation for reliability and trust. By the time the dust settles, VW is expected to lose an estimated $10 billion in brand … [Read more...] about Licensing By The Numbers