Where Katy Perry Went Catalog Shopping

We can look at record catalog sales to see how musicians guarantee current income rather than waiting for possible future earnings.

Why Cannabis Companies Have Naming Problems

We have a federal state contradiction when a business cannot get a marijuana trademark because it’s (legally) selling a Schedule 1 substance.

How Bowie Bonds Connected Music and Finance

Using securitization as an upfront payment to musicians for future royalties, Bowie Bonds were a Wall Street innovation.

How a Contest Can Encourage Ingenuity

In Taiwan, for two days, people whose name was “salmon” (and five of their friends) got all-you-can-eat sushi. Offered by a sushi restaurant chain, the promotion created “salmon chaos.” Because you just needed an identity card that included “gui yu” (the…

When Can T-Mobile Own Magenta?

Included in a long list of color trademarks, magenta belongs to T-Mobile but the precise hue and the industry where it’s owned have been challenged.

The Lay’s Potato Chip Lawsuit

Lay’s Potato Chips became more than a snack when PepsiCo decided that a group of nine Indian farmers should not grow its special potatoes.

Why Aretha Franklin Should Have Earned More From “Respect”

Looking at who did not pay Aretha Franklin for “Respect,” we can see why music copyright law is being rewritten by the Congress.

Weekly Roundup: From Aging in China to Smiling in Denmark

Our economic news summary includes social welfare and Denmark, crowdsourcing and contests, hitting the debt ceiling, aging concerns and expensive lobsters.

The Amazing Innovations That Contests Create

Through incentives that encourage participants to solve design problems, contests can use the benefits of crowdsourcing to stimulate innovation.

Weekly Roundup: From Skyscraper Shadows to Trendy Foods

This week’s everyday economics includes property rights, trade, creative destruction, entitlements, tradeoffs, conservation, externalities, price, and markets.