Never Tell Me the Odds: How to Avoid Infringement When Alluding to Copyrighted Works in Branding

March 16, 2023

(Madison, WI) – One of the top-ranked IP journals in the country published an article written by Axley Attorney Paul Matenaer titled, “Never Tell Me the Odds: How to Avoid Infringement When Alluding to Copyrighted Works in Branding.” In this article, Attorney Matenaer brings together trademark and copyright doctrine to provide a practical, step-by-step guide to avoiding infringement when alluding to copyrighted works in branding. The piece takes a more fun and humorous route and includes over three dozen movie references and quotes from “Harry Potter,” “Top Gun,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Sandlot,” and more. Additionally, Attorney Matenaer uses the craft beer industry’s frequent allusions to popular films as a case study (pun intended). The article can be found in the Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property, or through the link below.

Paul M. Matenaer, Never Tell Me the Odds: How to Avoid Infringement When Alluding to Copyrighted Works in Branding, 22 Chi.-Kent J. Intell. Prop. 86 (2023).