For those in the fashion world, the first Monday in May is one of the most important nights of the year. May 1 marks the annual Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, better known as the Met Gala. The lavish benefit for the Costume Institute celebrates the opening of its spring exhibit and is the curatorial department’s main source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions and capital improvements.
Read MoreBy Oliver Herzfeld and Jared Mermelstein - Marijuana’s classification as an illegal substance makes brand protection under trademark law problematic and uncertain. But it is not impossible for cannabis companies to protect their brands. It just takes some creative problem-solving!
Read MoreBy Oliver Herzfeld - A well-functioning corporate licensing program can help a brand to expand into new categories and territories, adapting to new trends and a changing marketplace. However, setting up such a program takes hard work and ongoing care.
Read MoreBy Oliver Herzfeld - Using another’s trademark on your goods and services usually requires a license. However, there are exceptions to that general rule. For example, under certain circumstances, you are not required to obtain a license in connection with trademark uses for purposes of parody. The recent decision in the case of Louis Vuitton v. My Other Bag provides a good example of this legal principle.
Read MoreBy Michael Stone - Why are corporate marketing leaders and others turning to licensing as never before? With the exponential growth of targeted marketing through the internet, the decline of traditional advertising, and the readily available information about products on the internet, brand owners are now compelled
Read MoreBy Lisa Reiner - Times are tough in the food and beverage world, especially if you are looking to get a new product on the sought after shelves of supermarkets.
Read MoreBrand extension through licensing, a business model in which a third party manufacturer produces and distributes products on behalf of another brand, has long been flying under the radar for marketers.
Read MoreBY OLIVER HERZFELD, FORBES IP COUNSEL, MARCH 7, 2014 The New York Times, the BBC and the Guardian have all reported on chefs who either discourage, regulate or outright prohibit customers from taking pictures of the food they order. The chefs’ grievances range from a breach of etiquette and disruption to ambiance caused by customers climbing on chairs and engaging in other antics to get the best angle, irritation and annoyance suffered by other patrons subjected to the glare of flashes, poor quality pictures reflecting negatively on the chefs’ creations, and the fact that photograph-taking elongates dining times causing a loss of business through fewer turns.
Read MoreYAHOO CELEBRITY, FEBRUARY 22, 2014 Michael Stone, the CEO of Beanstalk (a top branding and licensing company), notes that, "Snooki's personal appearances command a reported $20,000. Her product updates, which are sent to her almost 7 million Twitter followers and over 10 million Facebook fans, tend to create frenzy. So is she branching into products like other celebrities? Yes. But is she reliable long-term, or just a rapidly burning flame (the latter being a common characteristic of reality TV stars)? That remains to be seen."
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