Sports are a cornerstone of American entertainment, with football, basketball, and baseball traditionally dominating. However, soccer, hockey, and tennis have also grown significantly, generating high revenue. While professional leagues' financial value is clear, collegiate and amateur leagues have become multi-million-dollar industries. Athletes worldwide have criticized these leagues for profiting from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) without fair compensation, especially compared to the billions earned by organizations like the NCAA.

This paper will first examine the NCAA’s amateurism policies and their impact on intellectual property (IP) rights. It will then explore new technologies—NFTs, blockchains, social media, and video games—that offer …

Go to article

Licensing Lawlessness And The Public Domain Wild, Wild West: How Can Corporate Licensing Protections Evolve As Copyrightable Characters Go Into The Public Domain?, Sikudhani Foster Mccray Mar 2026

Licensing Lawlessness And The Public Domain Wild, Wild West: How Can Corporate Licensing Protections Evolve As Copyrightable Characters Go Into The Public Domain?, Sikudhani Foster Mccray

Denver Sports & Entertainment Law Journal

This Comment will explore the contours of corporate accountability to consumer stakeholders in the entertainment industry and how corporations may improve their market effectiveness through open notice communications. This Comment will then examine how corporations develop their copyright holdings in works containing popular characters. Further, this Comment will analyze how corporate copyright holdings in works containing characters become more complex as works enter the public domain. This inquiry will investigate issues about whether information regarding the shifting of protections of works containing copyrightable characters is properly and clearly disseminated to the public and potential users. Additionally, this Comment will analyze …

Go to article

The Power Of Self-Regulation: Justifying The Decriminalization Of Sports Manipulation & The Sports Bribery Act, Lynn Johnson Mar 2026

The Power Of Self-Regulation: Justifying The Decriminalization Of Sports Manipulation & The Sports Bribery Act, Lynn Johnson

Denver Sports & Entertainment Law Journal

The government has long involved itself in the world of sports. The Sports Bribery Act, and similar state laws, prohibit the bribery of any athlete, coach, official, or other participant with the intent of manipulating the outcome of a sporting event. Importantly, these laws require prosecutors to convince a jury beyond a shadow of a doubt that an athlete acted with intent, with the specific knowledge or purpose, to influence the outcome of a sporting event. This paper will argue that while acts of sports manipulation are certainly morally blameworthy acts, they are not acts that should be regulated by …

Go to article

Vol. 29, No. 1: Full Issue, University Of Denver Sports & Entertainment Law Journal Mar 2026