A new federal bill aims to put golf courses on “par” with other architectural designs by expanding federal copyright protection to golf courses. Copyright law in the United States, rooted in the U.S. Constitution, ensures protection for “original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression” (17 U.S.C. § 102(a)). This broad definition
Is Travis Kelce’s newfound status as Taylor Swift’s boyfriend enough to meet the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) “acquired distinctiveness” standard? He plans to find out with the help of Time Person of the Year, Taylor Swift. Swift is no stranger to using intellectual property to effectively protect her brand and music. In
In just over two years since the inception of college Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights, a groundbreaking lawsuit has emerged, alleging a violation of Florida’s NIL laws. On September 1, 2023, Gervon Dexter Sr., a former University of Florida Gator and current Chicago Bear, filed a lawsuit aimed at invalidating an NIL contract that
A trio of senators have joined the list of federal lawmakers circulating drafts of federal college name, image, and likeness (NIL) bills. This time, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are joining across party lines to create the College Athlete Protection and Compensation Act. We’ll refer to it as the
Earlier this month, prominent figures in the realm of college sports gathered on Capitol Hill to advocate for federal name, image, and likeness (NIL) legislation. Currently, one NIL bill has been introduced in the House, and there are multiple other draft bills circulating in both the House and Senate. For example, as previously discussed, one
A sneak peek into the potential future of federal name, image, and likeness (NIL) regulations has emerged with the release of a draft bill. This development marks the first significant step towards a federal NIL law since the 2022 election, following the congressional hearing on NIL held in March of this year. The circulation of
The NIL arms race continues as states amend their name, image, and likeness (NIL) laws to gain a competitive advantage. The new trend is to allow colleges and universities within the state to be more involved in the NIL process and protect them from NCAA punishment. These moves come after the NCAA’s first NIL-related infractions
On March 29, 2023, Congress held a hearing on collegiate name, image, and likeness (NIL) issues in collegiate sports. The hearing comes a little over a month after the NCAA issued its first ruling in an NIL infractions case and less than a month after former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker assumed duties as president of
On February 16, 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 7B, which makes several amendments to Florida’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) law, adding Florida to the growing list of states loosening prior state NIL restrictions. Florida was one of the first states to enact NIL legislation, which provided the state with guidance and rules