Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Search


e-Commerce Website Methods Are Patent Eligible
January 31, 2015
On Dec. 5, 2014, a divided Federal Circuit panel held that claims directed to systems and methods of generating a composite Web page combining certain visual elements of a "host" website with content of a third-party merchant were "necessarily rooted in computer technology in order to overcome a problem specifically arising in the realm of computer networks," and, therefore, were patent-eligible. However, the court cautioned that not all claims addressing Internet-centric challenges are patent-eligible.
Supreme Court Rules Trademark Tacking Is a Question of Fact
January 31, 2015
Priority of use is a hallmark of trademark law. Over the years, lower courts have recognized a doctrine called "tacking," under which a trademark owner may "clothe a new mark with the priority position of an older mark." The key to the tacking doctrine is that the new trademark must "create the same, continuing commercial impression" as the old mark. In <i>Hana Financial</i>, the U.S. Supreme Court considered the question and settled the circuit split, holding that tacking is a question for the jury.
Ethics and Obligations Regarding Global Big Data
January 31, 2015
It is a basic tenet of professional responsibility that lawyers obtain sufficient proficiency to ensure competent representation of their clients. The challenge in today's world of Big Data and corporate globalization and outsourcing of IT infrastructure is that the level of technological proficiency required is not always clear. Understanding your obligations and establishing defensible processes will be necessary to fully demonstrate competence in discovery should an issue arise.
'Independent Covenant' Language
January 31, 2015
It is a defense that has become perfunctory in restrictive covenant litigation ' "my former employer is barred from enforcing the restrictive covenant because it committed a prior breach of the agreement!" When such a defense is raised, an injunction hearing that should focus on the former employee's wrongful post-employment conduct instead often digresses into a hearing at which an argument about what compensation agreement existed and whether the former employer breached that agreement takes place instead.
Bounties for Wandering Whistleblowers
January 31, 2015
Last year, a number of important new developments, judicial and otherwise, expanded the rights of individuals, even those based overseas, to assert whistleblower rights under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Report and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. This article explains what you need to know.
Net News
January 31, 2015
In This Facebook Threats Case, No Wait for High Court <br>Judge Gives Go-Ahead To Facebook Privacy Suit<br>Appeals Court: No Privacy for Facebook Photo In Slip-and-Fall Case
Asymmetrical Reporting
January 31, 2015
As the regulatory state continues to grow with every passing year, businesses' obligations to provide information to, and file reports/forms with, local, state, and federal governmental agencies increases. Each filing also represents justification to the IRS to audit a business (to the extent that justification is needed).
Information Security
January 31, 2015
For the past few years, considerable public discussion about the need for law firms to address information security, or InfoSec, issues with their clients. InfoSec can hardly qualify as the next big thing. However, the Sony story has brought the issue front and center and, as we get further into 2015, we can be sure that the issue will only grow.
Judge Sides with Dish on Copyright Claims by Fox over Ad-Skipping Service
January 31, 2015
Dish Network LLC came out ahead in an important early test of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in <i>American Broadcasting Cos. Inc. v. Aereo,</i> largely escaping Fox Broadcasting Co.'s copyright claims over technology that records network television and replays it commercial-free.
When Forensic Neuropsychiatric Expertise Is Indicated, Early Retention Is Best
January 31, 2015
Many defense lawyers and in-house corporate supervisors make the mistake of waiting until a case is on the eve of trial before retaining the requisite expert witnesses, With no category of expert witnesses is this need to retain one's own expert early more true than with a forensic neuropsychiatrist.

MOST POPULAR STORIES

  • Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
    This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.
    Read More ›
  • Considerations When Entering Into a Tolling Agreement
    Defense counsel in complex white-collar investigations are often asked to waive these important protections by entering into tolling agreements, stopping the clock on the statute of limitations at issue. Whether such an agreement is actually in a target or subject's best interest presents a difficult question, and COVID-19 has impacted the calculus.
    Read More ›
  • Voice of the Client: Hearing the Client Through the Noise
    At the end of the day, a lot of noise is created in the effort to hear the voice of the client. We propose that while these efficiencies and innovations in law are valuable, the clients keep asking for something different: a lawyer who deeply understands their business and their specific issue — at the time they need it.
    Read More ›
  • Legal Possession: What Does It Mean?
    Possession of real property is a matter of physical fact. Having the right or legal entitlement to possession is not "possession," possession is "the fact of having or holding property in one's power." That power means having physical dominion and control over the property.
    Read More ›