Avoid unauthorized use of 'Super Bowl,' 'March Madness' in ads

This is the time of year when some of your advertisers will want to use certain phrases to draw customers to their establishments.

In the next few weeks, they'll want to know if they can use the phrase "Super Bowl" or "Super Bowl Sunday" in their ads. Sports bars are usually the first ones to ask you to place the phrases in their advertising.

Please keep in mind that a number of the phrases such as "Super Bowl," "Road to the Final Four" and "March Madness," among many others, are trademarked.

In other words, someone has paid big bucks for the rights to those phrases, so you need to exercise care in their use. It's better to just avoid using them at all by coming up with your own local phrases. However, if a local establishment can prove they have bought the right to use the phrases, and can prove it in writing, go ahead and take the plunge.

Here is the same link I've used in the past to a good article on the subject:

http://www.broadcastlawblog.com/2010/01/articles/advertising-issues/reme...