Despite First Amendment Challenge, Seventh Circuit Allows High School Sports Association to Exclusively License Broadcasting Right By Abby Lauer – Edited by Andrew Segna Wis. Interscholastic Athletic Ass’n v. Gannett Co., Inc., No. 10-2627 (7th Cir. Aug. 24, 2011) Slip Opinion The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, which had granted summary judgment to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Associate (WIAA) in a declaratory judgment action against local news media company Gannett ... Read More...

Federal Circuit Affirms TTAB’s Refusal of South Carolina Baseball Logo Registration By Harry Zhou – Edited by Davis Doherty Univ. of S. Carolina v. Univ. of S. Cal., No. 2009-1064 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 19, 2010). Slip Opinion In a nonprecedential ruling, the Federal Circuit affirmed a decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board (“TTAB”) refusing the appellant’s (“South Carolina’s”) registration of its Carolina Baseball Logo mark and granting summary judgment against the appellant on its counterclaim for cancellation of ... Read More...

Class Action Seeks Compensation for Use of Likeness of Former NCAA Players By Ian B. Brooks – Edited by Sarah Sorscher Class Action Complaint, O’Bannon v. NCAA, No. CV 09-3329 (N.D. Cal. July 21, 2009) Complaint Former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) player Edward C. O’Bannon, Jr. filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of former NCAA student-athletes in the US District Court for the Northern District of California against the NCAA, the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), and multiple alleged ... Read More...

Fame Helps Sales Director Survive Bon Jovi’s Motion to Dismiss By Jad Mills – Edited by Caitlyn Ross AFL Philadelphia LLCl v. Krause, June 4, 2009, No. 09-614. Slip Opinion hosted by Exclusive Rights. On June 4, 2009, Judge Baylson of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania denied Philadelphia Soul’s motion to dismiss defendant Joe Krause’s counterclaims for trademark infringement and misappropriation of name in AFL Philadelphia LLC v. Krause. The judge allowed both counterclaims to go forward because Krause had sufficiently alleged ... Read More...

Supreme Court Leaves in Place Eighth Circuit Test Favoring First Amendment Protection for Fantasy Sports By Dmitriy Tishyevich — Edited by Evie Breithaupt Major League Baseball Advanced Media v. C.B.C. Distribution and Marketing 8th Circuit, Oct 16, 2007, cert. denied June 2, 2008 Eighth Circuit Opinion, Supreme Court Order On June 2, the Supreme Court denied petition for a writ of certiorari from Major League Baseball Advanced Media (“MLB”). MLB had sought to appeal the Eighth Circuit’s decision, which held ... Read More...