Hobby litigator Lesko joins The Chase

By David Yarger

Co-Host The Chase

Happy Monday to all the chasers out there. Today The Chase crew started off another week with live guest Paul Lesko. 

If you don’t know Lesko, he’s been deemed the hobby’s litigator by many. Anything going on in the legal world of the hobby, Lesko has you covered with all the legal jargon majority of the time. 

Lesko took the time to discuss some legal situations going on in the hobby and also how his collecting background has helped him in his time as a litigator. 

He also discussed his publication of “Law of Cards,” which talks about lawsuits in the hobby. Lesko said the blog was eventually picked up by Cardboard Connection. Any time there was an update in the lawsuit, Lesko would write about what was going on. In total, he said he has over 600 articles on the internet relating to the subject. 

Lesko said he’s been a lawyer since 1999 and started doing intellectual property litigation, which consists mainly of patents, but also trademarks and copyrights. On top of that, Lesko said his affection for collecting began in the ’80s.

“I really dove in collecting and then I noticed all the legal issues that were there,” he said. “It’s one of those things where intellectual property is a smaller set of litigation that I was really interested in. And you had this entire hobby that had a lot of intellectual property involved there.”

He added that he really began writing about the legal side of the hobby to help collectors better understand what was really going on. 

“First and foremost, I’m a litigator, so my job, especially for intellectual property cases, is to be able to take complex actions and explain them to a jury of six people,” Lesko said.

All in all, Lesko said transparency in the hobby for collectors is “really important,” and that a lot of the issues that pop up “is because manufacturers try to hide the ball, whether because it’s their legal department tells them not to talk about it or the corporation doesn’t want to do it.”

Lesko also touched on some of the pressing legal issues in the hobby, including TikTok potentially banning breaks, an 82-year-old man who was arrested for selling fake Michael Jordan rookie cards and then Backyard Breaks attempting to trademark the name of Nicky Ripz. 

To see the full interview with Lesko, head to the YouTube replay! Additionally, for more of the hobby litigator, check out Lesko’s Twitter account.  

Also on The Chase

Following the interview, the crew ripped a box of the new Upper Deck Signature Edition Legends hockey. 

The box was definitely a trip down memory lane, as we saw names from our childhood days and even some from our parents’ youthful days. As far as the hits go, the two autos were Mike Zuke and Jim Peplinski out of 10. 

To win all the cards, comment on the YouTube replay who you think is one of the most underrated hockey superstars. A winner will be announced on Wednesday’s episode of The Chase. 

For more information on everything Dave & Adam’s Card World related, visit dacardworld.com or visit all the social media platforms here.  Additionally, check out all of The Chase’s social media here!