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Developments of Note
Recording Industry Makes New Royalty Deal with Noncommercial Webcasters
On June 3, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that it reached a deal with noncommercial Webcasters, such as college, nonprofit and religious radio stations, on the royalty rates that must be paid to broadcast copyrighted music over the Internet. The agreement follows similar deals that the recording industry struck earlier this year with large and small commercial Webcasters, and as with those deals, many questions about fairness and profitability remain.
Under the terms of the agreement, noncommercial Webcasters that average less than 200 listeners an hour must pay between $250 and $500 as a flat annual fee for Webcasting rights, and stations exceeding that audience must pay a small per song fee for each listener above 200.
First Online Law School Grads Pass Bar Exam
Six members of the first graduating class of Concord Law School passed the California bar in May, making them the first lawyers with Internet-based degrees. The online-only Concord Law School ' with its streamed audio and video lectures and e-mail or chat room interactions ' is not approved by the American Bar Association, but it is accredited by the California Bureau of Private Post-Secondary and Vocational Education, making its graduates eligible to take the California bar and practice law in that state no matter where their virtual education occurred. Concord was launched in 1998 by Kaplan, the test preparation company, and now has an enrollment of nearly 1,200 students.
European Union to Start Collecting VAT from U.S. Dot-Coms
Effective July 1, the EU began collecting value-added tax (VAT) on 'digital sales' ' including downloads, ISP subscriptions and online auction transactions ' made by U.S. and other non-European companies. For years, U.S. e-commerce companies have been exempt from this tax while their European counterparts have not. Now, U.S. companies face a choice: either set up a centralized office in one EU country and pay that country's tax rate, or operate without a European headquarters and pay the tax rate of the country where the customer lives ' ranging from a low of 12% in Madiera to a high of 25% in Sweden.
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.