Commercial Law

Unfortunately, on occasion, a franchisee's actions are so egregious that a franchisor decides that it needs to immediately terminate the franchise and declare that the relationship is irrevocably harmed: an incurable default.

Since Jan. 6, 2012, new rules have been in effect regarding removal and venue procedures for federal litigation. The impact of the Federal Courts Jurisdiction and Venue Clarification Act of 2011 in business disputes, including franchising, is gradually being felt as actions are filed in federal district courts or removed from state court to federal courts. This article outlines some of the key changes and their potential relevance for franchisors and franchisees.

As employment disputes commonly involve communications between or among employees, management and customers, it should come as no surprise that social media's role in workplace disputes has drastically increased in the last year. This article discusses recent social media cases and makes recommendations for what employers can do to better protect confidential information and trade secrets.

The e-book format continues to be a growing force in book publishing. Worldwide sales are predicted to reach nearly $10 billion by 2016 ' compared to $3.2 billion in 2011. Current publishing agreements offered by book publishers unambiguously transfer electronic rights as well as print rights. But whether licenses granted by authors in older book publishing agreements can be construed to embrace this new technology is a major question for the industry. The answer will determine whether traditional publishers, or authors and the digital startups that some of them now choose to license to, will control e-book publishing of lucrative classic titles. This

A class action filed by older television writers alleging widespread age discrimination by the Creative Artists Agency Inc. (CAA) settled recently, marking the end of related litigation against the major players in the entertainment industry.

The law is, no question, significant ' even record-setting ' patent legislation. For proponents, the new law holds the promise of accomplishing two things, each of which is potentially profound, and each of which applies not only to traditional markets, but to e-commerce as well.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a proposed rule to include debt collectors and credit reporting agencies under its nonbank supervision program. These consumer financial market participants are not currently subject to federal supervision.

Although acknowledging that the COACH mark for handbags and other luxury goods was famous enough for that fame to be a strong factor in a likelihood of confusion analysis, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has concluded that there was insufficient proof that the mark was a "household name" that was famous enough to support a claim of dilution against a third party's COACH-branded educational materials.