Paul I. Menes

Silence Isn’t Golden If You’re an Influencer

Most influencers are aware of their obligations to clearly disclose when they have a “material connection“ to a brand they’re endorsing. (For those of you unfamiliar with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) Endorsement Guides’ disclosure requirements, you can check out a short blog or longer article I wrote that talks about them.   But, a…

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How Influencers Can Influence More Revenue and Stay Out of Trouble

Social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram have become the go-to destination for video content consumption by teens and millennials. It far surpasses what they consume on television. These platforms (often referred to simply as “social”), collectively generate billions of views, and hundreds of millions of hours of watch time, every single day. Teens…

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‘Fyre’ Danger! 7 Ways Influencers, Brands and Agencies Can Avoid Getting Burned for Not Disclosing Endorsements, Entrepreneur (April 10, 2019)

In an article published by Entrepreneur, Paul I. Menes, Co-Head of the Entertainment and Media Practice at Adli Law Group, and known as The Influencer Lawyer ™, discusses the fallout from the Fyre Festival fiasco. He explores the implications and consequences for Festival promoter Billy McFarland and his associates, the influencers who promoted and endorsed…

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Register Your Copyright Before You Register Your (Infringement) Complaint

There have been several high-profile copyright infringement lawsuits filed in the last few years. Two high profile ones were Marvin Gaye’s estate sued Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, for allegedly appropriating some of Gaye’s famous song “Got to Give It Up”, into their big hit, “Blurred Lines”. Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson were sued twice,…

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“Dilbert” On Contracts

As those of you who know me well, or have caught my article or presentations on it, I’m evangelical about writing and revising contracts in understandable, conversational English. To me, a contract’s primary objective is to be a clear set of instructions. This puts the parties on the same page about its subject matter, and…

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Influencers Need to Be Under the Influence – of the Laws Governing Endorsement Disclosures

Being a social media Influencer can be very lucrative. Brands are more willing than ever to pay popular Influencers lots of money to tap into their millions of followers, to promote their products to what has proven to be willing consumers. The Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) is paying attention. They’ve consequently ramped up enforcement…

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Got Rights? A Jenner or Kardashian Will Probably Infringe Them

I really thought I wouldn’t be writing about this again. I thought that Kylie Jenner and her sisters would hire and listen to knowledgeable and competent trademark and copyright attorneys for their future business endeavors, after: Kylie Jenner infringed several of multi-platinum singer Kylie Minogue’s trademarks; and, then she and her sister, Kendal Jenner, infringed…

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Your Trademark Can Become Useless If You Can’t Prove Use

A U.S. trademark registration must be maintained every five years, and renewed every ten, to keep it active and enforceable.  A component of this is the trademark owner filing an affidavit with the Trademark Office, stating the trademark owner is still using the mark in connection with the goods and services in the registration.  The…

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Kylie and Kendall Jenner Don’t Know Wrong from Rights

Earlier this year, Kylie Jenner tried to register a U.S. trademark for “Kylie” as a brand for her celebrity and her branded goods.  For some reason, she or her legal counsel neglected to first find out if that name/brand was available for trademark registration in the trademark classes Kylie sought.  It wasn’t. As early as…

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Got Bad Reviews? That’s Too Bad, Under New Law

It’s been said that “opinions are like a________s – everyone has one”.   But they can do serious damage to a business when they take the form of negative reviews online. People are entitled to express their opinions (it’s that pesky free speech thing).  Reviews have become powerful influencers.  Most of us won’t consider buying or…

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