From the Who, How, Now series, Bonus parts four and five.

Bryce Kanights shares memories from his early days skating with San Francisco crew the Sick Boys, his first years at Thrasher Magazine, and what skateboarding is to him.

Bryce Kanights- Bonus- Part 4 from Nemo Entertainment on Vimeo.

Bryce Kanights explains his passion and dedication to skateboarding, shares his time capsule of magazines and memories.

Bryce Kanights- Bonus- Part 5 from Nemo Entertainment on Vimeo.

Part three from the Who, How, Now series.  Bryce Kanights takes his dog to the park, then meets up with Chet Childress to skate.

Bryce Kanights- Part 3 of 3 from Nemo Entertainment on Vimeo.

Bryce Kanights- Part 2 of 3 from Nemo Entertainment on Vimeo.

Ok, celebration time again, this time as a fundraiser – NEMO presents Mixed Mania, a benefit exhibit for Burnside Skate Park, opening Friday, June 26, 2009, 7-11pm. The show will run through Monday, July 31, 2009 at NEMO: 1875 SE Belmont Street in Portland, OR.

Artists include: Jon Humphries, Chet Childress, Gus Van Sant, Rick Charnowski

Reception follows Red Bull Manny Mania Amateur Finals, 1pm at Pioneer Square

Bryce Kanights- Part 1 of 3 from Nemo Design on Vimeo.

Bryce’s work will be part of the Mixed Mania exhibition at Nemo Friday June 26th – details here.

2009 Seen of Change at Artery! from Dave Allen on Vimeo..

Artery opened a skateboarding photography exhibit called The Seen of Change, curated by Bryce Kanights. Fellow artists in the show include Grant Brittain, Jon Humphries, Joe Brook, and Ryan Flynn. The Seen of Change opened on Friday March 13, 2009 at Artery, 4114 N. Vancouver Avenue in Portland.

The retail market of skateboarding is saturated with a dizzying array of shoe brands releasing signature models featuring athlete names. The athlete benefits from the deals through both sponsorship and cash payment. In return, the brand can earn a tidy sum from sales fueled by the buzz of a hot athlete name. But, what happens to a design once the athlete and sponsor decide to part ways?

The situation can be sticky because ownership differs with each brand. Etnies and its sub brands retain full rights when an athlete leaves, but some brands like Osiris will reissue a shoe without the athlete’s imprint. Others throw caution to the wind and keep an original design on the market.

Often, it’s accepted that the ownership of a model lies with whomever was responsible for the initial design and concept. If the athlete develops the design, they usually have rights to the shoe when they switch sponsors. But, if they initially did little more than picking the style out of a lineup of options and had their name stamped on it, the sponsor will usually retain the rights.

Kelly Bird of Lakai relates that “you can patent or trademark technology, but you can’t really do that with design.” Because of this, it’s completely possible that multiple brands can output similar models. If the demand and money are there, it’s likely to happen.

How do you think this gray area should be defined? Would you be more likely to side with the athlete or manufacturer if contention arises?