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Intellectual property has been a legal area rife with game changing cases in the past several years. This year is no different. This article dives into two recent legal battles - Pennsylvania State Univ. v. Vintage Brand, LLC and Warner Chappell Music v. Nealy - that reshape the landscape of intellectual property in sports. We analyze how these rulings impact everything from team logos on apparel to the music used in highlight reels. The results of these cases will have massive ripple effects for nearly everyone in the sports industry, and interested parties need to take note of what may be coming their way sooner rather than later. 

The PGA TOUR (“Tour”) has decided to do an about-face that is surrounded by controversy. The Tour’s commissioner, Jay Monahan, has been at the center of the debate due to his zero-tolerance stance for LIV Golf (“LIV”). In June of 2023, the world of golf spun into a frenzy due to the rumblings of, and eventual admission of, the intended merger between the Tour, LIV, and DP World Tour.

The astronomical rise and downfall of Non-Fungible Tokens ("NFTs") have led to many legal uncertainties surrounding these blockchain-based digital assets. While some leagues, teams, and players have launched their own NFT projects to enhance the fan experience, such as digital commemorative tickets or access to fan communities, a few NFT projects have been caught in the legal crossfire. One of those companies tied up in a lawsuit is Dapper Labs, which has licensing deals with the NBA, NFL, and UFC. Read more about Dapper Labs' NBA Top Shot lawsuit here. 

Boy did I love you.  Regional play with long-standing rivalries.  Home and away with conference games that did not burden athletes with the long travel that could, heaven forbid, impact studies, (and bowl games don’t count!).   Alas, that is fast becoming a memory as the Pac 12 (let alone Pac 10 or my beloved Pac 8) has an expiration date as UCLA and USC announced that as of ’24 they are both off to the Big Ten.  One can only surmise that the logistics and stresses of East Coast games are all worth the bigger payday for being a part of the Big Ten.  Cynical?  Absolutely.

The future of in-venue sports technology will continue to transform the in-person experience at live sporting events. Specifically, facial recognition technology has played a significant role in that transformation. Facial recognition technology has evolved, allowing fans to scan their faces to enter venues, pick-up mobile orders, and make purchases at concession stands.

As the Sports Lawyers Association embraces our diverse membership and encourages our members to live with pride, we are excited to announce the 2023 Diversity Reading Book List!

Check out this year's Diversity Reading Book List!

February 2023: the month in which we celebrated Black History; the month of love; and the month in which the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) issued its first-ever penalties for name, image, and likeness (“NIL”) violations. Ten (10) months since the inception of the Interim NIL Policy, the NCAA found that the head coach of the University of Miami, Florida (hereinafter, “Miami”) women's basketball team violated the NCAA rules by facilitating impermissible contact between two team prospects and a booster, as well as violating regulations on publicity before signing. The NCAA determined that there were violations as it relates to the rules on a head coach’s responsibility.

From his franchise-history-making signing back in 2019 to last week’s move to the Dallas Mavericks, Kyrie Irving has continuously made both himself and the Brooklyn Nets the main topic of discourse surrounding the sport. Among these discussions were allegations of Irving spreading antisemitic rhetoric, when he received public backlash after posting a link to a film on his social media.