September 2011

 –Susan Perera, Attorney

If you have a pup accustomed to gourmet dog treats from the Mall of America you might have an unhappy canine on your hands.  Megamall kiosk owner, Chewzy Dogs, has filed suit after its franchisor and maker of its dog treats abruptly ended its agreement to supply Chewzy Dogs with its trade

Debbie Laskey, MBA

Many television shows are successful, but few become brands. Some shows that have attained brand status include the annual Super Bowl, Cheers, The Jay Leno Show (remember the Jay Leno-Conan O’Brien dual for NBC’s late night timeslot?), The Today Show, Law & Order, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

As our Minnesota-born Kris Humphries has now married into the Kardashian Klan, I thought I would check out what trademarks his in-laws have registered. Mother-in-law Kris Jenner (formerly Kardashian) has built an empire for her family. She manages the careers of her daughters through the company Jenner Communications that is very active in branding. Attorney Jennifer K Craft

As I was perusing the recent intellectual property newsfeed, I came across a notice the Gilbert Arenas (NBA Player) had recently filed an appeal with the 9th Circuit attempting to prevent the airing of Basketball Wives L.A. Turns out Mr. Arenas is concerned that this series will unfairly capitalize on his fame and celebrity (translation:

—Mike McMillan, Chief Creative Officer, Introworks

I’m passionate about differentiation. Why? Because in this automated, hypercompetitive and rapidly evolving world we live in, commoditization is the norm. It has become imperative to differentiate how we communicate what we offer and/or differentiate the offer altogether. This first entry in a series on the subject explores how our own