Jennifer Ko Craft Quoted in Managing IP Article on "Four Ways IP Lawyers Can Make Stars Shine in Court"
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Jennifer Ko Craft shared her experiences and insights on successfully representing celebrity clients with Managing IP’s, Rani Mehta. Mehta, authored the article, “Four Ways IP Lawyers Can Make Stars Shine in Court,” identifying the following things for attorneys to keep in mind while working with celebrities.
1. Top Security
“Craft at Dickinson Wright says cybersecurity is important to protect the privacy of celebrities, especially because many people are eager to learn information about them. Craft adds that she once had a situation where one of her celebrity clients got married and sent over confidential documents associated with the wedding. ‘The event was on such a lockdown that there were documents that were watermarked that I couldn’t print and that I could only view and not download.’”
2. Preconceived Notions
“Craft says she represents clients in mixed marital arts, and not everyone is familiar with the sport. ‘I might get a specific judge or a trademark examiner who has no idea about MMA, and it becomes more difficult to explain the industry and why a trademark should or should not be registered,’ she says.”
3. Emotional Investment
“Craft says trademarks are often very personal to celebrities, even more so than they are for corporate clients. ‘It’s almost always their actual name, and if anything happens to their brand name or their personal name, they feel very impacted,” Craft says. “One of the biggest challenges is there is a lot of emotion and personal investment in the brand.’”
4. Mind the Middleman
“Craft says that while some celebrities might have business backgrounds, others do not, and lawyers must make sure their clients understand the legal issues. ‘It’s helpful to be able to distil very complex issues into text speak, or two to three sentences where you can get a yes or a no.’”
Click here to read the full article.
1. Top Security
“Craft at Dickinson Wright says cybersecurity is important to protect the privacy of celebrities, especially because many people are eager to learn information about them. Craft adds that she once had a situation where one of her celebrity clients got married and sent over confidential documents associated with the wedding. ‘The event was on such a lockdown that there were documents that were watermarked that I couldn’t print and that I could only view and not download.’”
2. Preconceived Notions
“Craft says she represents clients in mixed marital arts, and not everyone is familiar with the sport. ‘I might get a specific judge or a trademark examiner who has no idea about MMA, and it becomes more difficult to explain the industry and why a trademark should or should not be registered,’ she says.”
3. Emotional Investment
“Craft says trademarks are often very personal to celebrities, even more so than they are for corporate clients. ‘It’s almost always their actual name, and if anything happens to their brand name or their personal name, they feel very impacted,” Craft says. “One of the biggest challenges is there is a lot of emotion and personal investment in the brand.’”
4. Mind the Middleman
“Craft says that while some celebrities might have business backgrounds, others do not, and lawyers must make sure their clients understand the legal issues. ‘It’s helpful to be able to distil very complex issues into text speak, or two to three sentences where you can get a yes or a no.’”
Click here to read the full article.
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