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Developments of Note
Virginia Governor Signs 'Toughest in the Nation' Anti-Spam Bill
On April 29, Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner signed first-of-its-kind legislation that makes high-volume spamming a felony in that state. House Bill 2290 and Senate Bill 1139 amend the Virginia Computer Crimes Act's anti-spam provisions to make it a Class 6 felony to falsify header or routing information and to attempt to send unsolicited bulk e-mail exceeding 10,000 messages a day, 100,000 messages a month or 1 million a year. Also covered are e-mailings that generate $1,000 revenue for a single mailing or $50,000 from total transmissions. According to the governor's press release, the underlying statute has survived constitutional challenges and is grounded on e-mail passing through Virginia-based Internet service providers and so allows Virginia prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against spammers in other states and jurisdictions.
University Students Settle Music Piracy Charges with RIAA
Four university students, sued separately by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for operating search engines that scoured their schools' local area networks for files to trade, settled music piracy charges with the RIAA. Without admitting any guilt, each of the students agreed to make payments to the RIAA of between $12,000 and $17,000, in annual installments until 2006, and to shut down their search engines. The RIAA's actions against these individual file traders were the first of their kind but, according to the RIAA, any future such actions could lead to 'stiffer settlement obligations.'
Yachts, Jets, Horses & Hooch: Specialized Commercial Leasing Models
Defining commercial real estate asset class is essentially a property explaining how it identifies — not necessarily what its original intention was or what others think it ought to be. This article discusses, from a general issue-spot and contextual analysis perspective, how lawyers ought to think about specialized leasing formats and the regulatory backdrops that may inform what the documentation needs to contain for compliance purposes.
Hyperlinked Documents: The Latest e-Discovery Challenge
As courts and discovery experts debate whether hyperlinked content should be treated the same as traditional attachments, legal practitioners are grappling with the technical and legal complexities of collecting, analyzing and reviewing these documents in real-world cases.
Identifying Your Practice's Differentiator
How to Convey Your Merits In a Way That Earns Trust, Clients and Distinctions Just as no two individuals have the exact same face, no two lawyers practice in their respective fields or serve clients in the exact same way. Think of this as a "Unique Value Proposition." Internal consideration about what you uniquely bring to your clients, colleagues, firm and industry can provide untold benefits for your law practice.
Risks and Ad Fraud Protection In Digital Advertising
The ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, coupled with the industry-wide adoption of programmatic advertising, poses a significant threat to the effectiveness and integrity of digital advertising campaigns. This article explores various risks to digital advertising from pixel stuffing and ad stacking to domain spoofing and bots. It will also explore what should be done to ensure ad fraud protection and improve effectiveness.
Turning Business Development Plans Into Reality
This article offers practical insights and best practices to navigate the path from roadmap to rainmaking, ensuring your business development efforts are not just sporadic bursts of activity, but an integrated part of your daily success.