January 15, 2020 Baseball / Celebrities / Intellectual Property / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / MLB / Trademark

MLB’s Shane Bieber Faces Surprising Opposition to “Not Justin” Trademark

Cleveland Indians pitcher Shane Bieber is facing opposition to his attempt to register “Not Justin” as a trademark, though it’s not coming from pop star, Justin Bieber.

In August 2019, Shane Bieber applied to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to register “Not Justin” as a trademark. He wore a special jersey with the phrase on it, humorously referencing his uncommon last name that he shares with the pop star. Shane Bieber plans to use the phrase in standard character on various types of …

January 15, 2016 Sponsorships

Nike and Ohio State Ink 15-Year Sponsorship Contract

The apparel and sportswear war continues. On January 14, 2016, Ohio State and Nike, Inc. announced their deal to extend Nike’s sponsorship of Ohio’s flagship university. The $252 million deal — $112 million in Nike merchandise and $103 million in cash, including royalty income — will extend into the next 15 years.

The competition for contracts among apparel companies is greater than ever, with more companies entering the big stage in recent years — or at least, the big stage in America. Over the last …