I originally intended to call this article Challenges For Structuring Interior Design Purchasing Fees and Mark-ups, but felt that might be too alarmist.

Nevertheless, Interior Designers often find it challenging to craft the best structure and find the right way to charge clients for interior design services, as well as related services like purchasing and project management. Whether you plan to start up an interior design business or you are already a seasoned interior designer, having clear terms on charges for art, furniture, finishings, fixtures, and other decorative items (sometimes generally referred to as “FF&E” for convenience), will avoid problems…
Continue Reading Ping® by AdlerLaw – Structuring Interior Design Purchasing Fees

When a party seeks to protect a mark that is unregistered, the plaintiff has the burden to establish its entitlement to protection under the Lanham Act due to the “distinctiveness” of the mark. Platinum Home Mortg. Corp. v. Platinum Fin. Grp., Inc., 149 F.3d 722, 727 (7th Cir. 1998).

“The first step in determining whether an unregistered mark or name is entitled to the protection of the trademark laws is to categorize the name according to the nature of the term itself.” Int’l Kennel Club of Chi., Inc. v. Mighty Star, Inc., 846 F.2d 1079, 1085 (7th Cir. 1988). “Marks…
Continue Reading Ping® by AdlerLaw A Note On Protecting Descriptive Words

This month’s issue of Ping® highlights recent changes in State laws in Illinois and New York. Effective January 1, 2023, Illinois joins at least 18 other states to have a Title Act authorizing Registered Interior Designers to seal any bound set or loose sheets of technical submissions. This change can only benefit everyone in the industry including, designers, tradespersons, and most importantly, consumers. Also noteworthy is New York’s legislative approval of NY State Senate Bill S8369B relating to protections for freelance workers. The Freelance Isn’t Free Act (the “Act”) if signed, would amend the New York Labor Law to establish rights for…
Continue Reading Ping® by AdlerLaw July 2022 – Recent State Laws in Illinois & New York Affect Contractors, Interior Designers

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) approved a request for public comment related to updating its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. These are better known as the “Endorsement Guides” or just the “Guides.” The current version of the Guides can be found at 16 CFR part 255. These updates were released in May 2022.

The proposed updates are fairly sweeping and touch many aspects of the Guides. I recently discussed these updates at AM Days as part of Affiliate Summit East in New York. Here are the highlights from responses to the questions I get…
Continue Reading Ping® June 2022 – FTC Updates Endorsement Guides 2022 Part I

Review Your Contracts Every Year.

One of the most important tools to protect your business – your ideas (copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, confidential and proprietary information), customer relationships and talent pool – is your written contract. Your contract is the foundation for a reliable relationship for you, your customers and your employees. More importantly, it helps to prevent misunderstandings and false expectations that can lead to a breakdown in your customer relationship, jeopardize projects, or even worse, result in litigation.    

Starting with a form is just OK.

Many companies start with a model or “form” contract adapted from forms available…
Continue Reading Ping® January 2022 – Reminder To Review Your Contracts

Scope

The law goes into effect January 1, 2022 and amends the Freedom to Work Act (the Act), which restricts the use of non-compete agreements for low wage workers. For the first time, Illinois will have statutory requirements for mandatory review periods, definitions of adequate consideration and legitimate business interests, as well as specific salary minimums for employees subject to restrictive covenants. 

Application

The law will apply to non-compete and non-solicit covenants. The law does not apply to contracts covering confidential and proprietary information, protection of trade secrets, or inventions assignment agreements. The law also does not address covenants for independent contractors, and expressly…
Continue Reading Ping® October 2021 Changes Coming to Non-Compete Agreements in Illinois

Herman Miller, Inc. – a leading furniture brand and purveyor of the iconic Eames Chair Design – suffered a loss at US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) in its bid to protect as “trade dress” the design of the chair. The case involves a well-known chair design dating from the 1940’s, by designers Ray and Charles Eames. The chair ultimately was recognized by Time Magazine as the Best Design of the 20th Century, and now is in the design collections of numerous museums. Herman Miller sought registration of most of the chair’s configuration as a mark, depicted in more…
Continue Reading Ping® – Arts, Entertainment, Media and Advertising Law News – Protecting Furniture Design Keeps Getting Harder

“Five Rs” To Remember When Letting Employees Go

It is inevitable in almost every business. You will need to let an employee go. Whether it’s a seasoned designer coming with plug-and-play experience or a fresh face just out of design school, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Recently, several of my designer clients have had to fire an employee due to the employee’s misconduct. This could be anything from soliciting and directing company clients and prospects, to doing personal consulting work on the company’s dime, to taking property and information. Regardless of the reason, here are five “R”s to keep…
Continue Reading Ping® – Arts, Entertainment, Media & Advertising Law News – “Five Rs” To Remember

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee: The Gold Standard for Trademark Protection. By Kelli Ovies August 3, 2021

The Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act is a United States law (codified at 36 U.S.C. Sec. 220501 et seq. of the United States Code) that charters and grants monopoly status to the United States Olympic Committee, and specifies requirements for its member national governing bodies for individual sports.

Minefield or Mint? Endorsement deals come thick and fast for college athletes, as NCAA floodgates open. BY Khristopher J. Brooks July 29, 2021 MONEYWATCH

The NCAA must now let student athletes…
Continue Reading Ping® – Arts, Entertainment, Media & Advertising Law News

The motivation to create Ping® stems from my experiences running the Entrepreneurial & Start-up Ventures Committee, and the Media, Arts & Entertainment Committee of the Chicago Bar Association, participation in Illinois State Bar Association committees, and public speaking engagements on the subjects of intellectual property, information technology, privacy, security and entertainment law. 

Every forum meeting or presentation ends with in-depth questions from the audience. I publish Ping® to share knowledge and educate creative professionals and entrepreneurs to be better business owners and managers.Is the Ping® Newsletter useful or informative for you? Let us know in the comments section, below.
Continue Reading Tell Us How We’re Doing

Perhaps you’ve seen them, those television and radio ads that talk about the “creepy” nature of some adverting on the Internet that follows consumers across their social media. According to Pew Research, most Americans believe their online activities are being tracked and monitored.

The fact is, most companies can and do share data with social media platforms to ensure targeted advertising reaches receptive audiences. As more tools become available and the variety of data sources grows globally, platforms and advertisers are re-examining their rights and obligations when it comes to something as simple as matching customers’ email addresses with…
Continue Reading Social Media Advertising Tools And User Consent: What Are The Requirements?

On November 13, I had the honor of providing a lecture on Cyberlaw to students at the Boston College Law School. Virtually, of course. I had been asked to talk about trends in Cyberlaw with a specific focus on issues related to intellectual property.

So what is Cyberlaw? Simply put, it is the “Rules of the Road” for the “information superhighway.” Cyber law is the law that governs rights, obligations and remedies of people and transactions conducted over global computer networks.

In a year that has seen hyperbolic growth in technology, commerce, and communications, this topic couldn’t be more timely.
Continue Reading What Is Cyberlaw?