Hobbit

• NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- JRM Construction Management is proud to announce the completion of an enchanting interactive play area at the Center for Toddler Development in Barnard College.
• This carefully curated environment creates a magical atmosphere that encourages exploration and imaginative play, fostering the development of young minds.
• JRM Construction Management's dedication to the mission of Barnard College is evident in the creation of this joyous and functional space.
• The completion of the interactive play area reaffirms JRM's commitment to delivering projects that exceed expectations, bringing innovation and creativity to the heart of education.

• 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.

• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230626833413/en/
  With The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™, players will join the Fellowship and relive or create their journey through Middle-earth.
• “Much like The Lord of the Rings, Magic: The Gathering is about fellowship,” said Bill Rose, global play lead for Magic: The Gathering.
• The One of One Ring Promotion is an extraordinarily rare promotion only for The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™.
• The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™ is also available now on Magic: The Gathering Arena in Alchemy and Historic formats.

• Amazon Games and Embracer Group, through its wholly owned subsidiary Middle-earth Enterprises, part of the operative group Freemode, today announced they have reached an agreement for Amazon Games to develop and publish a new massively multiplayer online (MMO) game based on The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.
• The game is in early stages of production, with the Amazon Games Orange County studio—makers of the popular open-world MMO game New World—leading development.
• “We’re committed to bringing players high-quality games, whether through original IPs or long-beloved ones like The Lord of the Rings,” said Christoph Hartmann, VP, Amazon Games.
• Separately, Amazon Studios produces the hit series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for Prime Video, which takes place during Tolkien’s Second Age of Middle-earth and is unrelated to this upcoming MMO game in development with Amazon Games.