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In The Marketplace
Cobra Capital wins major initial victory in its trademark infringement suit against LaSalle: The District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has denied the motion of defendant, LaSalle Bank Corporation and its affiliates to dismiss a trademark infringement case filed by Cobra Capital, a small finance and equipment leasing company. The court didn't simply deny the defendant's motion to dismiss, however; the judge also ordered LaSalle to pay Cobra Capital's attorneys' fees, finding that the defendant had wasted the time of both the court and plaintiff's counsel. “Under the circumstances,” the court stated, “at least after being warned, not to have withdrawn its motion is a violation of Fed. R. Civ. P. 11.” Cobra Capital LLC v. LaSalle Bank Corporation, LaSalle Bank N.A., and LaSalle National Leasing Corporation, No. 1:05-cv-02419 (Dec. 6, 2005).
Cobra Capital, a small Oak Brook, IL based company which competes in similar markets as LaSalle and its affiliates filed a trademark infringement lawsuit alleging that LaSalle infringed on Cobra Capital's registered trademark, “Making impossible possible” with LaSalle's subsequent use of a nearly identical new global tagline, “Making more possible.” The complaint alleges that Cobra Capital's trademark was awarded to its founder, Dale R. Kluga by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, almost 2 years before LaSalle released its global tagline. Kluga and his partner, Dexter Tong, are both former ABN LaSalle employees as Kluga was senior vice president and founder of LaSalle Bank's leasing company before leaving to start his first finance company 9 years earlier in 1996. Tong was formerly senior vice president and assistant treasurer of ABN AMRO, Inc. until 2001 when he received his final equity payout from ABN AMRO's acquisition of The Chicago Corporation.
LeaseSmart, Inc. of Toronto has announced plans to expand into heavy equipment and construction financing. The commercial loan company will now be offering heavy equipment financing to clients for capital equipment, hardware and in some cases software. The company noted that because many business owners currently don't realize “soft costs” (items such as training, installation and consultation) can be leased, LeaseSmart will also be offering this service.
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.