Whether it’s Kanye for president in 2020 or Justin Bieber shedding a tear, this year’s MTV Video Music Awards were memorable for the performances and the crazy outfits. But Nicole Leinbach-Reyle writing in Forbes says protecting the latter from intellectual property infringements deserves an award in and of itself.
There can be many potential pitfalls that come when celebrities wear a company’s brand at an award show. Edward Maluf of Seyfarth Shaw says one of the most problematic is implied endorsement. “For example, using the image of the celebrity wearing the fashion at issue, while marketing the designer’s celebrity-inspired clothes. Sometimes that rises to the level of a violation of the celebrity’s right of publicity,” he explains.
