This study explored how the market value of American athletes may be influenced by the presence of international teammates. Specifically, the study examined: (a) Chinese consumers’ feelings of attachment to American National Basketball Association (NBA) players who have a distinguished Chinese teammate; (b) the relationship between Chinese consumers’ attachment level to the American teammates and their credibility as product endorsers; and (c) whether Chinese consumers’ evaluation of athlete endorsement differs for sports products and non-sports products. Respondents felt more attached to...Read more

Thomas A. Baker III and Natasha T. Brison

Originality is “[t]he sine qua non of copyright” (Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Tel. Ser. Co., 1991, p. 345), meaning without originality there is no copyright. Yet, what if original work capable of copyright protection existed on the bodies of celebrity athletes? Should courts use copyright law to protect the copyright owner at the expense of the athletes’ right to control the commercial use of their own bodies? These are the issues presented in Solid Oak Sketches, LLC v. Take- Two Interactive Software, Inc., (2016), a copyright action brought by tattooists against video game...Read more