Ad Law Access

Updates on advertising law and privacy law trends, issues, and developments

Advertisers Should Be Wary of Olympics Themes

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games are about one month away. How do I know? I know because several companies have recently asked me to review concepts for ads that include Olympics-related themes, ranging from the…

Facebook Agrees to Pay $10 Million to Settle Right of Publicity Suit

Facebook has agreed to pay $10 million and make various changes to its terms in order to settle a lawsuit alleging that the company's Sponsored Stories violates members' rights of publicity. With Sponsored Stories,…

You May Not Be As Lucky As the NY Yankees

In working with brand owners large and small, I find a surprising number of instances where independent contractors are hired to create content without a proper work for hire or other agreement to protect the company.…

Obama Campaign Sues Company for Trademark Infringement

Last week, President Obama's campaign committee filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against a company for allegedly using the campaign’s trademarked “Rising Sun” logo without permission. According to the complaint,…

Brand Owners Take Note: New Domain Names Mean Big Changes

Just when you thought domain name enforcement couldn't get more expensive, ICANN presents: the New gTLDs! Starting January 12, 2012, ICANN began accepting applications for new generic top level domain ("gTLD") names,…