NY Federal Court Sends 'Typosquatter' To Prison
November 01, 2004
Several months ago, U.S. District Judge Michael Mukasey of the Southern District of New York sentenced one of the most notorious "typosquatters," John Zuccarini, to two and a half years for violating the Truth in Domain Names Act, which was enacted by Congress last year. <br>Although his arrest and conviction remain the most significant actions taken under the statute, the Domain Names Act adds another possible step that can assist companies that are victimized by typosquatting on the Internet.
Content Agreggator Agreements With Online Music Services
November 01, 2004
Legitimate online music services have struggled to provide content from the fragmented independent music world. Until recently, independent artists were not very present on the legitimate online music services. This is partly because the major labels control the best-known recordings, partly because the major labels usually support online distribution with significant marketing budgets and partly because it is not very efficient for an online service to negotiate agreements with thousands of independent artists. <br> But after securing licenses from the major labels, the major online services sought to differentiate their offerings by adding independent artists. This created opportunities for a few companies to enter into "middleman" distribution agreements with many independent artists, and then enter into a licensing agreement with an online service for the artists' content. (Aggregators may also represent smaller independent labels, but this article will focus on independent artists who are also copyright owners.)
Workplace E-mail: Employers Beware!
November 01, 2004
E-mail has become a way of life. Its advantages in the business world are widely known: It is an inexpensive, easily distributed medium, which can be accessed, even wirelessly, almost instantaneously anywhere in the world. In this fast-paced global economy, these features are highly desired. E-mail in the workplace is a double-edged sword, however, and the problems associated with workplace e-mail, particularly in connection with litigation-related discovery, have been recognized with increasing frequency by courts and litigants around the country.
U.S. Recognition of International Financial Restructurings
October 29, 2004
There has been a significant increase in litigation in the U.S. under Section 304 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. It is through that statutory mechanism that foreign issuers, having sold debt in the U.S., restructure the debt under foreign restructuring regimes and then return to the U.S. for "recognition." Recognition under ' 304 has been read to cut off claims and litigation by U.S. creditors in U.S. courts, avoid U.S. judgments for collection, and hence can pave the way for the foreign company to access the U.S. capital markets in the future.
Making the Case for a 'Good Faith' Chapter 11 Filing
October 29, 2004
The distinction between recourse to Chapter 11 protection as a legitimate means to maximize the value of a company's assets and/or to restructure its financially troubled yet otherwise viable operations, on the one hand, and clear bankruptcy abuse, on the other, is sometimes murky. A court called upon to make such a distinction is obliged to "get into the debtor's head" and investigate the board's motives for commencing a bankruptcy case and, in some cases, to decide whether the debtor's otherwise permissible use of the powerful provisions of federal bankruptcy law is impermissible because the debtor's motives are antithetical to the basic purposes of bankruptcy.
Practically Applying Business Intelligence
October 27, 2004
With more than 38,000 open matters at any given time, summarizing and analyzing practice, client and attorney information was nearly impossible to do efficiently using manual process and flat reporting. We decided it was time to implement reporting-based business intelligence (BI) software. <br>Over a 1-year period, we reviewed software and services from four vendors, including our accounting system vendor and third party providers. We selected Redwood Analytics because they are business and finance professionals that specialize in developing data warehouses and analytic cubes (note: defined below) specific to law firm performance.
SEC's New Disclosure Rules
October 14, 2004
On March 16, 2004, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued final rules amending Form 8-K to increase significantly the number of events that trigger the requirement to file and shorten the deadline for filing. The new rules became effective on Aug. 23, 2004 and significantly expand the filing and disclosure requirements applicable to public companies with respect to mergers and acquisitions and other material transactions. The rules are another in a long series of measures adopted by the SEC pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and are intended to improve the dissemination of information regarding public companies to investors in a timely manner.
Managing IP Value at Risk
October 08, 2004
In Part One of this article, we examined the risks to intellectual property (IP) value that would most preoccupy IP professionals, including: third-party risks for infringement liability, first-party risks to IP assets, and Directors & Officers (D&O) risks arising out of relevant valuation and disclosure. However, as IP specifically accounts for a higher ratio of market capitalization and shareholder value for publicly traded corporations, strategic choices relating to IP impact the firm's financial fortunes in more subtle ways, commensurate with that increased value. To cite one salient example: For IP-rich companies, tax planning is increasingly intertwined with Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) strategy.
Managing the Risks of Doing Business in Latin America
October 08, 2004
This is the second article of a two-part series about managing the risks of doing business in Latin America. Last month's installment described Latin America as a region blessed with impressive worker productivity and natural resources, but also troubled by pockets of political and economic unrest. The article concluded that Latin America represents a fertile business frontier for equipment leasing and finance companies that are willing to manage risks proactively. It covered potential market entry risks and suggested strategies for reducing exposure. This month's article explores operational and exit-strategy risks to consider before expanding into Latin America. Risks are summarized in the Risk Map for Doing Business in Latin America (Table 1), published last month, which I developed based on experiences in the region. The map is intended as a checklist that outlines typical risks and management strategies. However, as every business is unique, companies should also attempt to identify additional risks and/or their own approaches.
