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Celebrities, Bands & Athletes

Fross Zelnick understands how to navigate the unique challenges in representing entertainers, athletes, and other well-known personalities in trademark, copyright, and related matters. With a long history of working with celebrities, both directly or through management or entertainment counsel, we have deep experience in addressing issues relating to individual branding and merchandising, personality rights, and licensing that are vital in today’s marketplace. Our broad client roster of actors, solo musicians and bands, athletes and other personalities ensures that there are few problems we have not seen before and cannot help solve.

Sensitive to the fast-moving world of celebrity representation, Fross Zelnick’s responsive team is well-suited to handle all manner of branding and copyright issues.  We know how to create and protect a personality name portfolio for merchandising and lifestyle branding both in the U.S. and abroad, as well as how to develop strategies to leverage our clients’ notoriety when dealing with clearance issues. Our lawyers deliver real-world, practical advice suited to the audience – be it a direct client relationship, client management, or outside entertainment counsel and we know the different messaging necessary to manage these relationships.


Strengths that Matter to our Clients:

We have a special understanding of issues that matter to celebrities, including:

  • Deep understanding of surname registration challenges
  • Trademark registration strategy in the licensing and merchandising areas
  • Personality rights and tie-ins with works subject to copyright protection
  • Touring issues

Decisions

  • Revelations Perfume v. Prince Rogers Nelson

    August 4, 2011

    Index No. 603350/2008, Slip Op. (N.Y. Sup. Aug. 4, 2011)

    The firm obtained partial summary judgment dismissing the plaintiff’s entire $5.6 million claim for damages against our client Universal Music Corp. d/b/a Universal Music Publishing Group in a license dispute concerning a celebrity fragrance for Prince,More

  • UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Siggy Music, Inc.

    July 19, 2018

    2018 WL 3529479, Opp. No. 91200616, Canc. No. 92053622 (T.T.A.B. July 19, 2018)

    After a seven-year battle before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the Firm prevailed on behalf of client UMG Recordings, Inc. (“UMG”)—owner of the JACKSON 5 trademark—in its challenge to an attempt to register the mark J5 for clothing and related merchandise by Siggy Music,More

  • Hits From the Bong, Inc. v. Javen Mitchell

    July 26, 2017

    Opp. No. 91224082 (T.T.A.B. July 26, 2017)

    The Firm prevailed in an opposition brought by a company affiliated with the seminal hip-hop group Cypress Hill against an application to register the mark GREENE THUMB in connection with music based on our client’s rights in the mark DR.More

  • Frank Sinatra Enters., LLC v. Loizon

    September 12, 2012

    Opp. No. 91198282 (T.T.A.B. Sept. 12, 2012)

    The Firm successfully represented our client, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, LLC, which holds the exclusive right to commercially exploit Mr. Sinatra’s name and likeness, in its challenge before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S.More

  • Glow Indus., Inc. v. Lopez

    January 1, 2003

    252 F. Supp. 2d 962 (C.D. Cal. 2002), 273 F. Supp. 2d 1095 (C.D. Cal. 2003)

    On behalf of Jennifer Lopez and Coty Inc., defeated a motion for a preliminary injunction brought by Glow Industries in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.More

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Representative Experience

  • Clients include Beck, Ellen DeGeneres, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, Dr. Dre, Green Day, Snoop, Foo Fighters, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mariah Carey, Nirvana, Mary J. Blige, Cypress Hill, Quincy Jones, Ernie Els, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Ina Garten
  • Overcame surname objection by the USPTO to registration of SINATRA for a wide range of goods and services.
  • Represent conceptual artist David Datuna in action brought by photographer over use of iconic image of Steve Jobs

Newsroom

  • Nadine Jacobson Quoted on EU General Court’s Adidas Decision

    June 25, 2019

    Bloomberg Law quoted Nadine Jacobson in its article about the the recent EU General Court decision upholding the invalidity of the EU registration for a simple three-stripe design by Adidas. Nadine is quoted on how it seems that the EU is becoming somewhat strict about the proof of use required to demonstrate acquired distinctiveness –More

  • Richard Lehv Quoted in Bloomberg Law on “Lookalike” Models

    September 20, 2019

    Bloomberg Law’s Kyle Jahner quoted Richard Lehv extensively in his article about a recent case filed by Ariana Grande against fashion retailer Forever 21.More

  • What an IP Lawyer Needs to Know about the Colorful World of NFTs

    June 3, 2021

    On June 23, 2021 in FZ’s first Happy Hour CLE, Richard Lehv, Robin Warren, and Michael Antonucci discussed the IP issues that are implicated by this new technology. More

  • Ninth Circuit affirms dismissal of copyright suit against Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse”

    March 11, 2022

    By Richard Z. Lehv

    Christian hip-hop artists Marcus Gray (“Flame”), Emanuel Lambert, and Chike Ojukwu, composers of the song “Joyful Noise,” sued Katy Perry and others, claiming her hit song, “Dark Horse,” copied the ostinato – a short musical phrase consisting of eight notes – in plaintiffs’ song.More

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Focus

  • Celebrities, Bands & Athletes
  • Consumer Products
  • Entertainment Properties
  • Fashion
  • Food & Beverage
  • Hospitality & Hotels
  • Jewelry & Watches
  • Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
  • Personal Care & Cosmetics
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Professional Services
  • Publishing
  • Sports
  • Startup & Emerging Growth
  • Toys

Related

People

  • Maritza C. Schaeffer

    Associate

  • Cole S. Mathews

    Associate

  • Karen Lim

    Partner

  • Tamar Niv Bessinger

    Partner

  • Ashford Tucker

    Partner

  • Daniel M. Nuzzaci

    Associate

  • Barbara A. Solomon

    Partner

  • Carlos Cucurella

    Partner

  • Cara A. Boyle

    Partner

  • Leo Kittay

    Partner

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