Wait, is that already a saying?: Copyright/Trademark




With intellectual property, there are three basic rules. These rules are the following: What is it? Why does it exist? Where does it come from? This can be a simple design, slogan, or any other invention. It depends on the creator/manufacturer. Most creators opt for copyright. If someone would try to steal or profit from their idea, they can be sued for copyright infringement. I could open a chicken shop and say that the food is “finger-lickin’ good”. KFC would slap me with a lawsuit so quickly I would be out of business before it started.


An example would be WWE 2K games and the issue with a tattoo artist. Randy Orton is one of WWE's most popular wrestlers and he is known for his numerous tattoos. There was an incident with his tattoo artist (Catherine Alexander) and the 2K developers. They decided to use his tattoos in the game, but did not obtain permission from her, LawInSport states “with respect to Orton’s tattoos, and argued that her consent to include Orton’s tattoos was required, but was not provided.  Importantly, Alexander had earlier registered copyrights for each of the tattoos at issue.” (Paragraph 3) This fell under 17 U.S. Code 501 which is copyright infringement, Catherine won the case and was awarded a sum of money. Remember to double-check for copyright before you attempt to profit from it.



With a trademark, it falls under the same category. An issue that comes to mind is the Lil Nas X situation. With the release of his song "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)", the music video involved him giving Satan a lap dance. This cause an out cry in the media and he decided to rub salt into the wound. He created these “Satan” Nike shoes with blood inside of them. However, Nike was not informed of the idea. CNN states, “In an emailed statement to CNN, Nike said it was not involved in creating the modified sneakers. "We do not have a relationship with Lil Nas or MSCHF," the company said. "Nike did not design or release these shoes and we do not endorse them." (Paragraph 3) There were pairs that were sold, but not after Nike sued the company that created them. Don’t ever think you can one-up a company such as Nike.  

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