fbpx

‘Magic City’ name fight has parallels to fight between Beatles and Apple

The Magic City Casino has filed a lawsuit against the Magic City Innovation District, citing trademark infringement.

TheĀ  lawsuit by casino owner West Flagler Associates says it has received phone calls amid negative press regarding MCD Miami’s Magic City Innovation District, with callers thinking the casino is associated with the project. Most notably, the Innovation District has received pushback from some residents in the Little Haiti neighborhood who are concerned they will be pushed out byĀ  gentrification.

Magic City’s lawsuit says examples of its usage includes Magic City Casino, Magic City Racing, Magic City Hustle, Magic City Jai-Alai and Put a Little Magic in Your Night.

Magic City says there has already been confusion, citing a tweet by sports reporter Omar Kelly calling the development “troublesome” and using @MagicCityCasino. The lawsuit notes that Kelly has 66,800 followers on Twitter. The lawsuit says the casino also got phone calls about a Banksy exhibition and some callers were angry when casino employees said they didn’t know anything about it. Another time, an event manager said on Facebook she was appearing at the casino, but the event associated with the Innovation District.

The counter argument to the casino company’s case might be that this trademark is an overreach of a long established city nickname.

The roots of the Magic City nickname for Miami go back to a promotional article written about the city at the behest of Henry Flagler

The nicknamed goes back to when the city was being promoted by railroad baron Henry Flagler, according to a 2017 Miami Herald article. Historian Paul George told writer E.V. Blackman to write a ā€œstrong, positive storyā€ about Miami’s population boom.Ā  Blackman may have swiped the nickname from Birmingham, Alabama, which was already known as the Magic City when Flagler’s railroad arrived in Miami. Birmingham boomed from 100 people on 1865, to just over 250,000 people in 1878 amid construction of steel and iron mills.

Outside of the history books, such as Ava Moore Parks; excellent “Miami, the Magic City,” the nickname seems to me to pop up rarely, these days. It’s not exactly the Miami equivalent of New York’s “The Big Apple.”Ā  For example, I had to go through several pages of Google search results to find other businesses using the Magic City name besides the casino.

There seems to be some head scratching in the local dailies about how “Magic City” could be protected by a trademark, but the lawsuit reminds me of the battle between the Beatles’ Apple Corps and Apple Computers. Apple Corps. sued newcomer Apple Computers for trademark infringement. The initial lawsuit was reportedly settled in 1981 by the computer company paying the Beatles’ company $80,000 and agreeing not to enter the entertainment business.

The parallel in the current Magic City lawsuit is that the casino’s attorney says it has trademarked its entertainment operations under the Magic City name and there are entertainment elements to the Innovation District that infringe.

The Beatles/Apple Computer fight flared up again in 1991 when the computer company paid out $26.5 million over use of a computer chime sound. Apple also said it wouldn’t distribute physical material music materials. The attorney for the Innovation District indicated the lawsuit was an overreach and should be directed at entertainment lessees.

Apple Corps lost a subsequent lawsuit when Apple launched iTunes, but the two sides kissed and made up in 2007 when Apple Computer, according to some newspaper accounts, paid $500 million to buy the Apple Corps trademark rights.

The casino owner’s lawsuit doesn’t name a dollar figure, but says it has suffered irreparable harm. “Plaintiff has been damaged in an amount that will be ascertained at trial. It would be difficult to ascertain the amount of compensation which could afford Plaintiff adequate relief for such continuing acts,” the lawsuit says.

The Innovation District may be preparing to counter in court.

Mark Stein, an attorney for the Innovation District, told the South Florida Business Journal that his client is basically a real estate development company and it went through the trademark process without the casino’s registration ever coming up, indicating the trademark office didn’t think there was a likelihood of confusion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You May Also Like
Real Estate Company Secures Four Law Firm Office Leases in Boca Raton

The offices are at the Eighteen Zero One andĀ BocaĀ Corporate Plaza buildings.

Read More
Office Leases in Boca Raton
How Attorneys Can Overcome Common Law Firm Challenges

Discover expert tips from a Networking and Business Coach for building a successful firm.

Read More
Law firms
South Florida Lawyer Finds Success Representing TopĀ Olympians

Alan Fertel will be in Paris forĀ theĀ Olympics to support his clients.

Read More
South Florida lawyer
Conrad & Schererā€™s Pathways to Careers in Law Reveals NSU Scholarship and Summer Intern

The goal is to provide students from underrepresented backgrounds with the opportunity to fully explore the path to a career in law.

Read More
Pathways to Careers in Law
Other Posts
Enjoy the Ultimate Holiday Pampering Experience at Steiger Facial Plastic Surgery in Boca Raton

TheĀ holidayĀ season is an ideal time forĀ plasticĀ surgery and nonsurgical procedures.

Read More
Dr. Steiger Plastic Surgery
Hilton West Palm Beach Introduces Exclusive Dining Specials

Diners can experience a prix fixe dinner.

Read More
Hilton West Palm Beach
Discover the Charm of Mallorca: An Increasingly Popular Destination for South Floridians

The area offers one-stop connections by several airlines from Miami International Airport.Ā 

Read More
Mallorca
Diplomat Beach Resort Plans to Rebrand as Signia by Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort

Many celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Liza Minelli and Jay Leno, have all frequented the property over the years.

Read More
Diplomat Beach Resort

Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. ā€œAs sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,ā€ Limsky says, ā€œSFBW reflects South Floridaā€™s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.ā€

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, ā€œIā€™m a doctor, but I canā€™t operateā€”except on your brand.ā€ He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the worldā€™s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limskyā€™s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the countryā€™s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Menā€™s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.