American rapper Nipsey Hussle was tragically murdered on March 31, 2019, outside of his clothing store, Marathon Clothing, in Los Angeles. The word “Marathon” was used in several areas of Hussle’s professional career, including a record titled “The Marathon Continues,” released in November 2011. While Hussle owned several trademarks for various “Marathon” terms and phrases during his life, he never obtained a trademark for “The Marathon Continues.” Soon after Hussle’s untimely death, Crips LLC—an entity related to the California-based gang—swooped in and applied to register the trademark. Less than two weeks later, Hussle’s brother Samiel Asghedom also applied to register the trademark on behalf of Hussle’s estate, acting in his…
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COURT ORDERS PUBLIC RELEASE OF OFFICER NAMES IN VANESSA BRYANT INVASION OF PRIVACY LAWSUIT—WOULD HER CLAIM BE SUCCESSFUL IN NORTH CAROLINA?
On September 17, 2020, Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, filed a lawsuit in federal district court in California against Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles County Sheriff, alleging multiple causes of action including invasion of privacy, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit arises out of circumstances surrounding the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and their daughter, Gianna. Specifically, Vanessa’s claims relate to the actions of multiple deputies, who captured and distributed graphic photos from the crash scene of the deceased victims. “[O]ne deputy took between 25 and 100 photos on his personal cell phone—including some focused solely on the victims’ remains.” Sheriff Alex Villanueva…
