Media & Communications Corner
September 29, 2006
Meet Nicole Quigley, Assistant Director of Media, Public Relations and Communication with Crowell & Moring LLP.
Blogging and the Workplace
September 29, 2006
You may not know about it, but it is happening: At least one, and probably more, of your business' employees has entered the 'blogosphere.' The world of blogs, or interactive diaries posted on the Internet, has expanded exponentially over the past 3 years, and 'bloggers' cannot seem to resist the urge to talk about their jobs. These sometimes quasi-journalistic postings raise a host of concerns for employers, such as protecting a hard-won public image, safeguarding confidential information, and preventing defamation of managers and co-workers. Such concerns arise because blogs can reach millions of readers long before the employer even learns about the posting. No laws specifically regulate 'blogging,' and there is virtually no case law to provide guidance. Consequently, employers need to look elsewhere for guidance on the balance between their employees' interest in having a life away from work and ensuring that employees' activities in the blogosphere do not damage business interests ' a blogging policy.
Role for Patents In Videogame Industry
September 28, 2006
For videogame developers, publishers and investors, the most important asset is the intellectual property rights they own or control in a game. All of the elements of a videogame ' the story, audiovisual elements, underlying computer code and even 'gameplay' elements (ie, that specify the way a user interacts with and experiences a game) ' are subject to one or more forms of intellectual property protection. Traditionally, intellectual property protection for videogames has been based upon either trade secret, copyright or trademark. Patents, however, are quickly becoming an important part of the videogame industry.
Total Staff Training in Legal Ethics
August 31, 2006
Legal ethics training has traditionally focused on attorneys. Law school training and continuing legal education are staples of the professional development require-ments for lawyers. Ethical training must be widened, however, due to tremendous growth in the num-ber of law office support personnel, the complexity of practicing in a multi-jurisdictional environment, and the ever-changing use of technology. Failure to implement an office-wide ethics plan with training for all employees can have practical and financial repercussions for lawyers.
The Progressive Lawyer
August 31, 2006
Part One of this article defined the newly evolving role of the parenting coordinator and discussed various statutory authorities for the PC role; the role's purpose and scope; how PCs are appointed; what decision-making authority PCs have or do not have; the timing of PC appointments; and the court's jurisdiction to make such appointments. Part Two dealt with additional PC topics, including continuing jurisdiction and judicial review of PC decisions or recommendations. Part Three addresses PC proceedings; ex parte communications; confidentiality; referral for third-party services; access to non-parties, children and privileged information; submission and exception to PC recommendations or reports; and PC immunity.
HIPAA Gets 'Teeth'
July 31, 2006
Memories of HIPAA Compliance likely have long faded for many HR and benefits professionals. You distributed your Privacy Notices, trained your staff, conducted a 'risk assessment' of your information systems under the Security Rule, and formally adopted a thick binder of HIPAA Privacy and Security policies. HIPAA, like Y2K, has come and gone, and health plan compliance has turned to bigger and more pressing issues, right? Not quite.
Attacking Attorney-Client Privilege the Old-Fashioned Way
July 31, 2006
Federal prosecutors continue to attack attorney-client privilege through aggressive use of the crime-fraud exception ' a government tactic easy to forget amidst the hoopla surrounding the government's attempts to exact attorney-client privilege waivers as the sine qua non of cooperation. A recent Third Circuit case illustrates the worrisome potential breadth of the exception.
Blogging and the Workplace
July 27, 2006
You may not know about it, but it is happening: At least one, and probably more, of your business' employees has entered the 'blogosphere.' The world of blogs, or interactive diaries posted on the Internet, has expanded exponentially over the past 3 years, and 'bloggers' cannot seem to resist the urge to talk about their jobs. These sometimes quasi-journalistic postings raise a host of concerns for employers, such as protecting a hard-won public image, safeguarding confidential information, and preventing defamation of managers and co-workers. Such concerns arise because blogs can reach millions of readers long before the employer even learns about the posting.
Cameo Clips
June 29, 2006
Recent cases in entertainment law.
Some Old Lessons For New Enterprises
June 28, 2006
e-Commerce firms have aggressively marketed themselves as the new kids on the block. They eagerly discard old ways of doing business, confident that their way of doing business ' online ' is better. It's an e-commerce article of faith that everyone can work more efficiently if he or she would only eliminate outdated practices that don't take advantage of the conveniences available online.<br>But maybe some supposedly 'old' laws and ways of doing business have survived ' for decades and centuries ' for reasons other than that the Internet had not yet been invented. Sometimes, the tried and true is sufficient for what's needed. The old way may work more reliably, and perhaps even better than, the new path offered by e-commerce.
