The IILP hosted “IP Surprise: Roller Derby” this past
Thursday, November 12, 2009 at NYLS.
Our guest lecturer was Ms. Quinn Heraty, a 2000 graduate of NYLS, and
the founder of Heraty Law PLLC. Ms. Heraty focuses her legal practice
on negotiating deals, advising clients about business issues, and dealing with
trademark, copyright, licensing, and other intellectual property matters.
Ms. Heraty’s presentation began with the history of Roller
Derby in the U.S. Did you know
that Roller Derby evolved from Depression-era “Dance Marathons” where
out-of-work contestants attempted to stay on their feet
long enough to outlast the competition for a cash prize? Neither did we!
Ms. Heraty, represents various Roller Derby leagues, as well as the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, the governing body for Roller Derby in the U.S. In her role as counsel to New York’s Gotham Girls Roller Derby league, Ms. Heraty spearheaded the case that allowed the league to use the “Roller Derby” trademark. While researching the origin of the trademark, she discovered that the original owners were no longer using the mark in commerce – and had therefore lost the right to prohibit its use.
Ms. Heraty has also represented individual teams and skaters in trademark matters, for example:
Seattlle’s Rat
City Rollergirls’s dispute
with Starbucks over their logo:
Colleen “Crackerjack” Bell’s dispute
with Frito-Lay over her nickname.
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