Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners
July 01, 2024
Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.
Appellate Courts Skeptical About Bankruptcy Court Sanctions
July 01, 2024
Recent appellate decisions reflect a distaste for appeals from bankruptcy court sanction orders. A split Fourth Circuit even refused to hear such an appeal. Other courts tend to limit sanctions or, alternatively, accept a bankruptcy judge's findings under a stringent "abuse of discretion" standard.
DOJ's Cyber Fraud Initiative: A Wake-up Call That Keeps Ringing
July 01, 2024
DOJ's Cyber Fraud Initiative has been a wake-up call for companies to prioritize cybersecurity and adhere to stringent standards. By leveraging the FCA, DOJ has used a powerful enforcement tool to target a wide range of cybersecurity failures and misrepresentations. The increasing focus on cybersecurity by enforcement agencies means that robust cybersecurity practices are becoming a standard expectation, not just a best practice.
Landlord Liable for Retaliating Against Maker of False Discrimination Claim
July 01, 2024
What responses are available to a landlord after a false claim of discrimination? The Court of Appeals faced that issue and held that a landlord may not seek to recover the damages it has suffered as a result of a false discrimination claim, so long as the claim was made in good faith.
Fourth Circuit Could Decide Fate of the 'Texas Two-Step'
July 01, 2024
An influential appellate court has agreed to take up a bankruptcy involving the controversial "Texas two-step," potentially deciding the merger tactic's fate in future Chapter 11 cases. The Fourth Circuit agreed to hear a petition to dismiss the bankruptcy of Bestwall, a subsidiary of Koch Industries-owned Georgia-Pacific, created through a "Texas two-step" to resolve 60,000 lawsuits over asbestos exposure.
CRM Success: A Playbook for Disrupting Traditional CRM
June 01, 2024
Here's the playbook for disruption: Take attorneys out of the equation. Stop building CRM that succeeds or fails on their shoulders. We need to shift the focus and, instead, build the technology from the ground up for the professionals who actually use it: marketing and business development.
Trade Secret Protection Plans Provide Certainty to Employers
June 01, 2024
The protection of trade secrets has long been understood to be a legitimate business interest, and, traditionally, companies have used non-competition clauses to protect their trade secrets. Now, with non-competition agreements in doubt and facing greater scrutiny, companies will need to rely on other protection mechanisms.
Supreme Court Limits Impact Fees
June 01, 2024
In April, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Sheetz v. County of El Dorado, holding that legislatively-imposed fees on development are subject to the same constitutional scrutiny as fees imposed by administrative bodies. The Court's decision may have an impact on fees New York municipalities impose on developers in lieu of developer-provided parkland.
