Washington
Historic preservation groups sue to block Kennedy Center changes
WASHINGTON (AP) — A coalition of cultural and historic preservation groups is suing to block further physical changes to the Kennedy Center ahead of a two-year closure that President Donald Trump insists is necessary to renovate the prominent performing arts venue.
The lawsuit against Trump, the Kennedy Center and others in the administration, doesn’t dispute the need for routine maintenance and repairs. But it argues that the more substantial changes Trump has hinted are in the works should go through the typical review process that governs many major projects in the nation’s capital.
Trump has suggested changes at the Kennedy Center could be so dramatic that the steel supporting the structure could be “ fully exposed.”
“Demolition, new construction, major reconstruction, major renovation, or major aesthetic transformation of the Kennedy Center would permanently destroy historic fabric, degrade the monumental core’s vistas and public grounds, and compromise the Kennedy Center’s memorial purpose and architectural integrity, causing permanent, irreversible harm that no subsequent remedy can fully undo,” the suit argues.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston said Trump is “committed to making the Trump-Kennedy Center the finest performing arts facility in the world.”
“We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue,” she said.
A representative for the Kennedy Center didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some of the lawyers involved in Monday’s lawsuit have pursued separate legal cases challenging other moves by Trump to alter Washington’s historic core, including his decision last year to suddenly knock down the East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom. In the Kennedy Center suit, the lawyers pointed to a “broader pattern of unauthorized damage to historic buildings in the capital district.”
A judge rejected the ballroom suit last month, ruling it was unlikely to succeed on the merits.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees that named him chairman. He brought in Richard Grenell to serve as president, a position he held until last week when Matt Floca assumed the role.
The center’s lineup has included more Trump-friendly programming, serving as the venue for events such as the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s documentary, “Melania.”
The board also announced it had renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a change scholars and lawmakers say must be initiated by Congress, and physically added the president’s name to the building’s facade.
The fallout from the arts community was swift and intense. Actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny were among the numerous artists who withdrew from appearances, while consultants such as musician
Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Earlier this month, the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, left to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Indianapolis
NCAA asks court to stop DraftKings from using trademarked terms such as ‘March Madness’
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA filed a complaint in federal court Friday seeking an emergency restraining order to stop online sportsbook DraftKings from using registered trademarks associated with the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
The complaint for trademark infringement was filed in the Southern District of Indiana and requests that DraftKings stop using terms including “March Madness,” “Final Four,” “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen” or variations of them in sports betting products, promotional campaigns or marketing.
The NCAA said in the complaint its trademarks are used to identify, brand, advertise and distinguish the tournaments across broadcast media, digital platforms, merchandise, sponsorships and licensed commercial activities.
“On the eve of the Tournaments, DraftKings deliberately adopted and prominently began using the NCAA’s iconic NCAA Basketball Marks, including confusingly similar variations thereof, to trade on — and usurp — the immense goodwill, recognition, and consumer trust embodied in those Marks at the precise moment of peak public attention,” the complaint said.
Screenshots of DraftKings wagering platforms were included in exhibits attached to the complaint.
“DraftKings’s unlawful use quickly proliferated across its consumer-facing websites and mobile applications, embedding the marks and logos into betting menus, promotional graphics, and marketing publications, to deliberately exacerbate consumer confusion and reinforce a false association with or sponsorship by the NCAA in order to continuously capitalize on the goodwill of the NCAA,” the complaint said.
DraftKings said in a statement that it is not engaging in trademark infringement.
“DraftKings does not use the term March Madness as a trademark, but rather uses it in plain text and as a fair use in the same manner that other tournaments are displayed, such as the NIT, in order to accurately identify the different tournaments and their respective games,” DraftKings said. “This is protected speech under the First Amendment and is not a violation of any brand’s trademark. We are confident that the courts will deny this request for an injunction.”
The NCAA said it avoids any appearance of affiliation with gambling companies and has declined sportsbook sponsorships, banned sports betting by athletes and staff and publicly opposed prop bets and micro-bets. The NCAA noted it has launched initiatives to prevent harassment and improper influence in college sports and preserve the integrity of its competitions.
“Every day that DraftKings continues to use these marks, millions of sports fans — and, critically, college students and young adults who are particularly susceptible to gambling harm — are exposed to the false suggestion that the Association has authorized or endorsed DraftKings’ gambling platform,” the NCAA said in a statement.
Historic preservation groups sue to block Kennedy Center changes
WASHINGTON (AP) — A coalition of cultural and historic preservation groups is suing to block further physical changes to the Kennedy Center ahead of a two-year closure that President Donald Trump insists is necessary to renovate the prominent performing arts venue.
The lawsuit against Trump, the Kennedy Center and others in the administration, doesn’t dispute the need for routine maintenance and repairs. But it argues that the more substantial changes Trump has hinted are in the works should go through the typical review process that governs many major projects in the nation’s capital.
Trump has suggested changes at the Kennedy Center could be so dramatic that the steel supporting the structure could be “ fully exposed.”
“Demolition, new construction, major reconstruction, major renovation, or major aesthetic transformation of the Kennedy Center would permanently destroy historic fabric, degrade the monumental core’s vistas and public grounds, and compromise the Kennedy Center’s memorial purpose and architectural integrity, causing permanent, irreversible harm that no subsequent remedy can fully undo,” the suit argues.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston said Trump is “committed to making the Trump-Kennedy Center the finest performing arts facility in the world.”
“We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue,” she said.
A representative for the Kennedy Center didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some of the lawyers involved in Monday’s lawsuit have pursued separate legal cases challenging other moves by Trump to alter Washington’s historic core, including his decision last year to suddenly knock down the East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom. In the Kennedy Center suit, the lawyers pointed to a “broader pattern of unauthorized damage to historic buildings in the capital district.”
A judge rejected the ballroom suit last month, ruling it was unlikely to succeed on the merits.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees that named him chairman. He brought in Richard Grenell to serve as president, a position he held until last week when Matt Floca assumed the role.
The center’s lineup has included more Trump-friendly programming, serving as the venue for events such as the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s documentary, “Melania.”
The board also announced it had renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a change scholars and lawmakers say must be initiated by Congress, and physically added the president’s name to the building’s facade.
The fallout from the arts community was swift and intense. Actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny were among the numerous artists who withdrew from appearances, while consultants such as musician
Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Earlier this month, the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, left to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Indianapolis
NCAA asks court to stop DraftKings from using trademarked terms such as ‘March Madness’
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA filed a complaint in federal court Friday seeking an emergency restraining order to stop online sportsbook DraftKings from using registered trademarks associated with the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
The complaint for trademark infringement was filed in the Southern District of Indiana and requests that DraftKings stop using terms including “March Madness,” “Final Four,” “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen” or variations of them in sports betting products, promotional campaigns or marketing.
The NCAA said in the complaint its trademarks are used to identify, brand, advertise and distinguish the tournaments across broadcast media, digital platforms, merchandise, sponsorships and licensed commercial activities.
“On the eve of the Tournaments, DraftKings deliberately adopted and prominently began using the NCAA’s iconic NCAA Basketball Marks, including confusingly similar variations thereof, to trade on — and usurp — the immense goodwill, recognition, and consumer trust embodied in those Marks at the precise moment of peak public attention,” the complaint said.
Screenshots of DraftKings wagering platforms were included in exhibits attached to the complaint.
“DraftKings’s unlawful use quickly proliferated across its consumer-facing websites and mobile applications, embedding the marks and logos into betting menus, promotional graphics, and marketing publications, to deliberately exacerbate consumer confusion and reinforce a false association with or sponsorship by the NCAA in order to continuously capitalize on the goodwill of the NCAA,” the complaint said.
DraftKings said in a statement that it is not engaging in trademark infringement.
“DraftKings does not use the term March Madness as a trademark, but rather uses it in plain text and as a fair use in the same manner that other tournaments are displayed, such as the NIT, in order to accurately identify the different tournaments and their respective games,” DraftKings said. “This is protected speech under the First Amendment and is not a violation of any brand’s trademark. We are confident that the courts will deny this request for an injunction.”
The NCAA said it avoids any appearance of affiliation with gambling companies and has declined sportsbook sponsorships, banned sports betting by athletes and staff and publicly opposed prop bets and micro-bets. The NCAA noted it has launched initiatives to prevent harassment and improper influence in college sports and preserve the integrity of its competitions.
“Every day that DraftKings continues to use these marks, millions of sports fans — and, critically, college students and young adults who are particularly susceptible to gambling harm — are exposed to the false suggestion that the Association has authorized or endorsed DraftKings’ gambling platform,” the NCAA said in a statement.
