Category Archives: UMBLR Insights

The SEC v. Ripple Lawsuit Exposes the Limits of the Howey Test

Meryl R. Jimenez—Amidst the global pandemic of 2020, the SEC filed a complaint against Ripple Labs Inc. and two of its top executives, Chris Larsen and Bradley Garlinghouse, alleging that Ripple raised $1.38 billion through the sale of 14.3 billion units of unregistered securities. The SEC’s complaint resurfaces an old legal question, this time with […]

The Age of the Digital Celebrity is Here

Alexander Plansky—Contrary to reports that Bruce Willis sold the rights to use his face to a deepfake company, representatives for both the actor and the company have denied those rumors. Willis’ recent aphasia diagnosis led to his retirement from acting after a decades-long Hollywood career. It was originally reported that by selling his image to […]

The Landscape and Impact of AI as an Inventor: Is AI the next Edison?

Aaron Ostler – On August 5, 2022, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals released Thaler v. Vidal, an important decision concerning patent law with implications for future research and development (R&D) practices. Stephen Thaler develops and runs artificial intelligence (AI) systems that generate patentable inventions. Thaler submitted a patent application to The United States Patent […]

The Broader Implications of An Unexpected Dispute: Athlete Luka Dončić vs. His Mother

 Ryan Brida – The business of sports occasionally creates rifts between athletes and those who seek to profit from their name, image, likeness (“NIL”). Filed in September 2022, the petition for trademark control filed by NBA player Luka Dončić against his mother, Mirjam Poterbin, made evident the complexity of mingling sports and business. It is […]