alex roberts
@lexlanham.bsky.social
law professor teaching & writing about trademark, false advertising, IP, & entertainment law at northeastern
because i have published empirical research on multi-level marketing & advertising law i have a google alert set up for "mlm & marketing" & that is how i have come to be aware of a GRUESOME HERBALIFE-RELATED MURDER
don't google it, just take my word
don't google it, just take my word
February 12, 2026 at 10:12 PM
because i have published empirical research on multi-level marketing & advertising law i have a google alert set up for "mlm & marketing" & that is how i have come to be aware of a GRUESOME HERBALIFE-RELATED MURDER
don't google it, just take my word
don't google it, just take my word
February 12, 2026 at 1:17 AM
everybody keeps recommending kettlebell swings but i feel so confident i would somehow smash my own face in? like i like fitness but i also like having teeth
February 11, 2026 at 5:49 PM
everybody keeps recommending kettlebell swings but i feel so confident i would somehow smash my own face in? like i like fitness but i also like having teeth
the woman across from me on the green line just took a cuticle trimmer out of her backpack & is now trimming her cuticles
what is happening here is this the mbta manicure express
what is happening here is this the mbta manicure express
IT HAPPENED TO ME: lady next to me on the green line just took out a nail clipper & is clipping all ten of her fingernails!
probably too cold to do toes this morning 😅 💅🏼 🚂
probably too cold to do toes this morning 😅 💅🏼 🚂
February 10, 2026 at 3:12 PM
the woman across from me on the green line just took a cuticle trimmer out of her backpack & is now trimming her cuticles
what is happening here is this the mbta manicure express
what is happening here is this the mbta manicure express
you can pry my double iced doppio out of my cold* dead etc etc
*be sure to double check: just because they're cold doesn't mean i'm dead
*be sure to double check: just because they're cold doesn't mean i'm dead
Cafes across the U.S. are embracing the low- and no-caffeine lifestyle, with options that are a far cry from dusty tea bags and rewarmed decaf. nyti.ms/3XKlqoj
February 9, 2026 at 6:26 PM
you can pry my double iced doppio out of my cold* dead etc etc
*be sure to double check: just because they're cold doesn't mean i'm dead
*be sure to double check: just because they're cold doesn't mean i'm dead
Reposted by alex roberts
on weds., uspto director squires described uspto as “america’s branding agency" while another speaker at the same event pointed out the rise in people asserting “ownership in their own personal brands.”
& yes, personal brand lawsuits are on the rise:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
& yes, personal brand lawsuits are on the rise:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:41 PM
on weds., uspto director squires described uspto as “america’s branding agency" while another speaker at the same event pointed out the rise in people asserting “ownership in their own personal brands.”
& yes, personal brand lawsuits are on the rise:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
& yes, personal brand lawsuits are on the rise:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
OpenAI argues the claude superbowl ads are misleading b/c the chatGPT ads "will appear labeled at the bottom...in banners & will not alter the chatbot’s answers"
BUT...the chagpt ads will still be conversation-specific, i.e. prompted by the content of the chat.
arstechnica.com/information-...
BUT...the chagpt ads will still be conversation-specific, i.e. prompted by the content of the chat.
arstechnica.com/information-...
OpenAI is hoppin' mad about Anthropic's new Super Bowl TV ads
Sam Altman calls AI competitor "dishonest" and "authoritarian" in lengthy post on X.
arstechnica.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:21 PM
OpenAI argues the claude superbowl ads are misleading b/c the chatGPT ads "will appear labeled at the bottom...in banners & will not alter the chatbot’s answers"
BUT...the chagpt ads will still be conversation-specific, i.e. prompted by the content of the chat.
arstechnica.com/information-...
BUT...the chagpt ads will still be conversation-specific, i.e. prompted by the content of the chat.
arstechnica.com/information-...
pats lost so my temple has to send a box of mike’s cannoli & a big bag of cape cod potato chips to a temple in seattle along with a pic of the clergy holding a sign that says “mazel tov seahawks”
February 9, 2026 at 3:42 AM
pats lost so my temple has to send a box of mike’s cannoli & a big bag of cape cod potato chips to a temple in seattle along with a pic of the clergy holding a sign that says “mazel tov seahawks”
ok nerds, what do we think about pepsi coopting the coke polar bears for its super bowl ad? any trademark rights actually implicated here?
mouthattack says “fans are split between calling it clever marketing & accusing pepsi of crossing an unwritten branding line” 👀 🥤
mouthattack says “fans are split between calling it clever marketing & accusing pepsi of crossing an unwritten branding line” 👀 🥤
February 9, 2026 at 12:33 AM
ok nerds, what do we think about pepsi coopting the coke polar bears for its super bowl ad? any trademark rights actually implicated here?
mouthattack says “fans are split between calling it clever marketing & accusing pepsi of crossing an unwritten branding line” 👀 🥤
mouthattack says “fans are split between calling it clever marketing & accusing pepsi of crossing an unwritten branding line” 👀 🥤
bet the family group chat spinoff devoted entirely to sports commentary* is popping off tonight
*includes all family members except me and my mom
*includes all family members except me and my mom
February 9, 2026 at 12:16 AM
bet the family group chat spinoff devoted entirely to sports commentary* is popping off tonight
*includes all family members except me and my mom
*includes all family members except me and my mom
when your kid is sick & hasn’t really eaten anything in 22 hours & all your energy is focused on cheering for her so hard like “eat that popsicle!! you can do it! sip of pedialyte, just a quick sip, so yummy, you got this!!” 😬 this cup of blue raspberry pedialyte is my superbowl
February 8, 2026 at 8:18 PM
when your kid is sick & hasn’t really eaten anything in 22 hours & all your energy is focused on cheering for her so hard like “eat that popsicle!! you can do it! sip of pedialyte, just a quick sip, so yummy, you got this!!” 😬 this cup of blue raspberry pedialyte is my superbowl
on this day last year i was on tv for a hot second as part of @CBSNews' pre-superbowl coverage talking about trademark registrations for THREEPEAT 🏈® 😆
www.facebook.com/watch/?mibex...
www.facebook.com/watch/?mibex...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:35 PM
on this day last year i was on tv for a hot second as part of @CBSNews' pre-superbowl coverage talking about trademark registrations for THREEPEAT 🏈® 😆
www.facebook.com/watch/?mibex...
www.facebook.com/watch/?mibex...
on weds., uspto director squires described uspto as “america’s branding agency" while another speaker at the same event pointed out the rise in people asserting “ownership in their own personal brands.”
& yes, personal brand lawsuits are on the rise:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
& yes, personal brand lawsuits are on the rise:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:41 PM
on weds., uspto director squires described uspto as “america’s branding agency" while another speaker at the same event pointed out the rise in people asserting “ownership in their own personal brands.”
& yes, personal brand lawsuits are on the rise:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
& yes, personal brand lawsuits are on the rise:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
sorry but we don’t have any room for more snow? we are already full up on snow idk how this is even going to work
www.nbcboston.com/news/local/s...
www.nbcboston.com/news/local/s...
NEW SNOWFALL MAP: Parts of Mass. could see 8 inches on Saturday
The northeast is prepping for snow on Saturday, with bitter arctic cold to follow by Sunday morning.
www.nbcboston.com
February 7, 2026 at 1:32 AM
sorry but we don’t have any room for more snow? we are already full up on snow idk how this is even going to work
www.nbcboston.com/news/local/s...
www.nbcboston.com/news/local/s...
my 8 y/o and I are wearing matching clueless pajamas that say “total betty” & “ugh, as if” & “that was way harsh” & are decorated with flip phones & feather pens & cassette tapes
I think we will probably stay in them all weekend
I think we will probably stay in them all weekend
February 7, 2026 at 12:51 AM
my 8 y/o and I are wearing matching clueless pajamas that say “total betty” & “ugh, as if” & “that was way harsh” & are decorated with flip phones & feather pens & cassette tapes
I think we will probably stay in them all weekend
I think we will probably stay in them all weekend
yesterday i spoke on an "IP year in review" trademark panel hosted by the boston bar association
my co-panelists & i focused on a) AI in TM practice; b) university/sports TM disputes, & c) dupes
bostonbar.org/conferences/...
my co-panelists & i focused on a) AI in TM practice; b) university/sports TM disputes, & c) dupes
bostonbar.org/conferences/...
IP Year In Review Conference - Boston Bar Association
Steering Committee Sponsorship For more information on sponsoring this conference, contact Lucy Battle at lbattle@bostonbar.org.
bostonbar.org
February 6, 2026 at 7:16 PM
yesterday i spoke on an "IP year in review" trademark panel hosted by the boston bar association
my co-panelists & i focused on a) AI in TM practice; b) university/sports TM disputes, & c) dupes
bostonbar.org/conferences/...
my co-panelists & i focused on a) AI in TM practice; b) university/sports TM disputes, & c) dupes
bostonbar.org/conferences/...
tracking a really juicy false advertising case by a company called apeel & looking forward to the inevitable punny headlines if an adverse ruling leads apeel to appeal
February 6, 2026 at 4:28 PM
tracking a really juicy false advertising case by a company called apeel & looking forward to the inevitable punny headlines if an adverse ruling leads apeel to appeal
WHOOP gets a preliminary injunction against a lookalike fitness tracker that copies its asserted trade dress, "a continuous fabric band that wraps over the device (i.e., a faceless device) with thin metal accents on the side of the device"
www.mobihealthnews.com/news/whoop-s...
www.mobihealthnews.com/news/whoop-s...
February 6, 2026 at 3:05 PM
WHOOP gets a preliminary injunction against a lookalike fitness tracker that copies its asserted trade dress, "a continuous fabric band that wraps over the device (i.e., a faceless device) with thin metal accents on the side of the device"
www.mobihealthnews.com/news/whoop-s...
www.mobihealthnews.com/news/whoop-s...
birthday presents from my parents last weekend & my reactions:
throw blanket & glass candlesticks
me: these are nice
jewelry
me: oh, very pretty, thank you
heated gloves:
me: ARE YOU KIDDING ME THIS IS THE BEST GIFT I HAVE EVER RECEIVED IN MY LIFE
throw blanket & glass candlesticks
me: these are nice
jewelry
me: oh, very pretty, thank you
heated gloves:
me: ARE YOU KIDDING ME THIS IS THE BEST GIFT I HAVE EVER RECEIVED IN MY LIFE
February 4, 2026 at 4:29 PM
birthday presents from my parents last weekend & my reactions:
throw blanket & glass candlesticks
me: these are nice
jewelry
me: oh, very pretty, thank you
heated gloves:
me: ARE YOU KIDDING ME THIS IS THE BEST GIFT I HAVE EVER RECEIVED IN MY LIFE
throw blanket & glass candlesticks
me: these are nice
jewelry
me: oh, very pretty, thank you
heated gloves:
me: ARE YOU KIDDING ME THIS IS THE BEST GIFT I HAVE EVER RECEIVED IN MY LIFE
democracy dies in…
Among the many Washington Post staff that got laid off: the reporter who covered Amazon.
How convenient for Jeff Bezos.
How convenient for Jeff Bezos.
February 4, 2026 at 3:12 PM
democracy dies in…
when you’re afraid to say “superbowl” because the NFL is a trademark bully but you have no qualms about using an athlete’s name in commercial advertising (use code MAYE10) 🤔
February 4, 2026 at 3:08 PM
when you’re afraid to say “superbowl” because the NFL is a trademark bully but you have no qualms about using an athlete’s name in commercial advertising (use code MAYE10) 🤔
IT HAPPENED TO ME: lady next to me on the green line just took out a nail clipper & is clipping all ten of her fingernails!
probably too cold to do toes this morning 😅 💅🏼 🚂
probably too cold to do toes this morning 😅 💅🏼 🚂
February 4, 2026 at 2:57 PM
IT HAPPENED TO ME: lady next to me on the green line just took out a nail clipper & is clipping all ten of her fingernails!
probably too cold to do toes this morning 😅 💅🏼 🚂
probably too cold to do toes this morning 😅 💅🏼 🚂
hey 😒 I’m not that bad
Roberts is easily the worst American in history
February 4, 2026 at 2:48 PM
hey 😒 I’m not that bad
me, a trademark law professor: when you see shirts with a professional sports team logo, do you expect them to come from/be licensed by the team? why or why not?
my local facebook group: come get your pats merch for the superbowl from a tent in the pahking lot of the packy!
my local facebook group: come get your pats merch for the superbowl from a tent in the pahking lot of the packy!
February 4, 2026 at 3:24 AM
me, a trademark law professor: when you see shirts with a professional sports team logo, do you expect them to come from/be licensed by the team? why or why not?
my local facebook group: come get your pats merch for the superbowl from a tent in the pahking lot of the packy!
my local facebook group: come get your pats merch for the superbowl from a tent in the pahking lot of the packy!
class action alleges FLORIDA'S NATURAL grapefruit juice misleads consumers by advertising the brand as “owned by florida farmers” & displaying an image of a US flag when its products contain grapefruit juice from mexico
truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/u...
truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/u...
February 3, 2026 at 9:28 PM
class action alleges FLORIDA'S NATURAL grapefruit juice misleads consumers by advertising the brand as “owned by florida farmers” & displaying an image of a US flag when its products contain grapefruit juice from mexico
truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/u...
truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/u...