MCA Records

• That Buzz Lightyear bubble bath, Lightning McQueen bedding or Elemental backpack all contribute to a movie’s overall income stream.
• Small businesses trying this kind of thing often get “cease and desist” letters from film studios, demanding they stop.
• But businesses in New Zealand and elsewhere need to consider the risk they face by infringing on Mattel’s intellectual property rights.

The rise of Barbie

• Mattel has been vigilant about controlling the Barbie image.
• It tried to stop conceptual artist Thomas Forsythe from creating artworks depicting Barbie in perilous positions – such as in cocktail blenders and under an oven grill.
• And in the late 1990s, Mattel tried to stop Danish pop group Aqua from singing about Barbie.

Investing in brand protection

• Millions of dollars are spent on creating and sustaining brand images.
• Will these poor imitations affect how people feel about the brand?
• As Mattel told the Canadian court, it is in the business of building brand equity – the commercial value that comes from consumer perception of a brand, which supports vast networks of licensing deals.
• Any unlicensed use of the brand can take away market share.

What is a brand?

• Brand equity is protected by an array of intellectual property (IP) rights.
• Trademarks, copyrights and business goodwill work together to create and protect the valuable asset known as a “brand”.
• This decision might have been different if the restaurant’s goods and services had been more similar to Mattel’s.

A global network of IP treaties

• But international protection of IP has been around since at least the end of the 19th century.
• Aotearoa New Zealand is now party to a network of international IP treaties that help prevent this from happening.
• Protecting IP is part of the quid pro quo for lowering tariffs for our goods in foreign markets.

• BAHAMA, N.C., June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast-growing adult beverage brand Loud Lemon has partnered with country music superstar Parker McCollum.
• Jeff Outlaw, Founder and CEO of Loud Lemon, said the pandemic allowed the brand and Parker to develop a vision for a true partnership.
• Parker McCollum praised Loud Lemon, saying it's a brand he shares values with and respects.
• Inspired by the motto "Live Out Loud," Loud Lemon is all about making refreshing drinks for enjoying life's greatest moments.

• Soundtrack Your Brand , the pioneer and market leader in digital music streaming for businesses, has named Lisa Farris Chief Marketing Officer, reporting directly to founder and CEO Ola Sars.
• In this capacity, Farris will oversee the global marketing function, as Soundtrack continues to unlock new revenue for artists and rights holders while helping businesses strengthen relationships with customers through music.
• Previously, Farris served as the Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer for the Recording Academy | GRAMMYs, leading the evolution of the organization's marketing, insights, and innovation that are reflective of the changes in music and its creators.
• In 2020, Soundtrack Your Brand launched Soundtrack Unlimited, the world's first on-demand music for business streaming offering, featuring more than 58 million tracks.

• LOS ANGELES, Nov. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Released in 1989, Lynyrd Skynyrd's five-times platinum-certified collection, Skynyrd's Innyrds: Their Greatest Hits, is reissued today by Geffen/UMe in new black vinyl LP and limited brown vinyl LP editions.
• Purchase Skynyrd's Innyrds: Their Greatest Hits on black vinyl and limited edition brown vinyl: https://lnk.to/SkynyrdPR
  For the new LP releases, the album's original 10-song vinyl tracklist is presented with faithfully replicated sleeve and label artwork.
• Skynyrd's Innyrds is stacked with many of the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band's biggest hits, including "Sweet Home Alabama," "Gimme Three Steps," "What's Your Name," "Saturday Night Special," "Don't Ask Me No Questions," "That Smell," and of course, "Free Bird" (Outtake Version).