In a new article published by Trademark Lawyer Magazine, LaKeisha Marsh and Kourtney Mulcahy explore the potential benefits and pitfalls facing schools and athletes as new Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules go into effect. Marsh chairs Akerman's Higher Education and Collegiate Athletics Practice and Mulcahy is an experienced partner in the Intellectual Property and Trademarks Practice Group.

"NIL opportunities can be exciting and lucrative prospects for college athletes, but it is important that athletes and their representatives recognize that these opportunities are not without limitation and even risk," Marsh and Mulcahy write. "Athletes need to protect their own brands, and just as importantly, seek to protect themselves from IP infringement liability. Timing in conjunction with effective legal strategy are the keys to both."