Vanderbilt University v. Scholastic, Inc.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE NASHVILLE DIVISION VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) No. 3:18-cv-00046 ) SCHOLASTIC, INC.; ) HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT ) PUBLISHING COMPANY; and ) TED S. HASSELBRING, ) ) Defendants. ) MEMORANDUM OPINION In the hit television series, Shark Tank, investor Kevin O’Leary, a.k.a. “Mr. Wonderful,” is partial to deals structured with royalties.1 Royalties are payments made over a period of time, sometimes in perpetuity, based on someone’s licensure of intellectual property. Most entrepreneurs who appear on the show are wary of…