Illinois (IL) Intellectual Property CLE Course Catalog

These days, manufacturers of nearly every consumer product under the sun are catching false advertising claims. If you make a consumer-facing product, the odds are, litigation like this is not a matter of if but when, which means, false advertising litigation is just another business risk to be managed, mitigated, and optimized. This program takes a closer look at the landscape, and offers some practical advice and key considerations for how a business might implement some systems to manage this risk. Social media can be a powerful tool for companies to help build relationships with their customers and employees. However, with the benefits of this tool come corresponding risks. If your company distributes content on-line, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act can be your best friend -- and your worst enemy -- often at the same time. This program gives you the advice you need to prosecute or defend on-line copyright infringement claims.

Did the TV series “Battlestar Galactica” infringe on the copyrights owned by Lucasfilm in the movie “Star Wars”? Experienced intellectual property litigator Peter Afrasiabi reviews this famous case and several others where the copyright, trademark and right of publicity interests in “Star Wars” were litigated. Along the way, Peter provides an expert overview of copyright, trademark and right of publicity law that will be useful for all practitioners.

This program reviews how courts have applied the substantial similarity test for copyright infringement in the context of popular feature films and television series. The presenter also shares several important practice tips for litigating copyright infringement cases when feature films and television series are in issue.

Using some examples of lawsuits involving Ford, Ferrari and other famous cars, this program review show courts have applied the standards for trade dress protection in the context of litigation over automobile designs.  The presenter also shares several important practice tips for litigating claims of trade dress infringement involving any type of product.

Veteran intellectual property lawyer Peter Afrasiabi traces the origins of the right of publicity and explains how this right applies when recordings of mimicked human voices are used for commercial exploitation.

The NFT marketplace has exploded as commercial entities and consumers alike see NFTs as marketing tools, investment strategies, and business drivers. In this Studio Briefing, we will look at a hypothetical NFT startup and its business model. Our panel will issue-spot legal and business issues to help guide lawyers counseling NFT clients on operational, third-party stakeholder, and regulatory concerns.