Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%
Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
Protecting Digital Database Content
The Fourth Circuit's ruling in Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. v. American Home Realty Network, Inc.,'722 F.3d 591'(4th Cir. July 17, 2013), is an important court decision relating to e-commerce and protecting digital database content. The ruling relates to a multiple-listing copyrighted database of real estate listings. In the MRIS'decision, the Fourth Circuit affirmed the validity of MRIS's copyright assignments based on the click-wrap agreement that MRIS used to acquire the ownership of the copyrights in the photographs in the MRIS Database. The Fourth Circuit also affirmed that MRIS's copyright registrations of the MRIS Database included MRIS's authorship in the collective work of real estate listings in the MRIS Database and extended as well to the photographs included in the database for which MRIS acquired the copyrights by assignment. We will discuss the importance of these holdings in this article. [Editor's Note: The author was part of the trial team for Metropolitan Regional Information Systems in this case. Further information relating to the case may be found in Metro Reg'l Info. Sys., Inc. v. Am. Home Realty Network, Inc., 888 F. Supp. 2d 691 (D. Md. 2012).]
The MRIS Database
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
Removing Restrictive Covenants In New York
In Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?
Coverage Issues Stemming from Dry Cleaner Contamination Suits
In recent years, there has been a growing number of dry cleaners claiming to be "organic," "green," or "eco-friendly." While that may be true with respect to some, many dry cleaners continue to use a cleaning method involving the use of a solvent called perchloroethylene, commonly known as perc. And, there seems to be an increasing number of lawsuits stemming from environmental problems associated with historic dry cleaning operations utilizing this chemical.
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It
Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?
Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners
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.