Features
Transformative Use Favored in Sports Video Game Case
In the context of alleged unauthorized uses of an individual's personal indicia, inconsistency ' in how different courts determine whether there are viable claims under state right of publicity laws or for false endorsement or association under the federal Lanham Act ' makes it difficult for attorneys who view content through a First Amendment lens when counseling entertainment production companies.
Features
Using Character Integrity Guidelines to Protect Franchise Characters
If you are the owner of a property that is being licensed into a potential motion picture franchise, how do you contractually protect the rights to your existing character or property so that the movies and related items being created do not damage your preexisting property? This article examines the approaches customarily utilized.
Features
Trademark Issues
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California recently entered a preliminary injunction against a former franchisee, where the franchisor had repeatedly notified the franchisee of various deficiencies, and the franchisor ultimately terminated the franchise agreement.
Features
Drug & Device News
Recent news of interest to you and your practice.
Features
e-Closings: When Convenience Creates Inconvenience ' and Complexity
Thanks to the Internet, e-closings (and traditional closings) have become quite streamlined. The most sophisticated deals are done in virtual deal rooms that allow multiple parties secure, controlled access to documents and procedures for signing the documents. But there is a definite negative impact.
Features
Hospital-Acquired Infections Are on the Rise
On Oct. 16, 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in Atlanta, issued a press release stating that, for the first time, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus auereus (MRSA) was killing more people than AIDS.
Features
Asserting the Attorney-Client Privilege in ERISA Cases
A spate of recent case law raises the question of which circumstances will enable advice rendered in benefits matters to be protected by the attorney-client privilege and the related work product doctrine.
Features
Court Watch
Highlights of the latest franchising cases from around the country.
Features
Same-Sex Unions: Marriage Equality Is Not Here Yet
There are many ways in which federal and sister-state laws will affect the rights of same-sex couples married in accordance with New York's new Marriage Equality Act (DRL ' 10-A). Here, discussion continues on what some of those laws mean to New York same-sex married couples and how certain problems created by them may be lessened by careful planning.
Features
Considering Public Policy When Drafting Separation Agreements
Separation agreements differ from other kinds of post-nuptial agreements because they are contracts between a husband and wife who remain married but live separate and apart. Where they contain the provisions required by law, these agreements have long been recognized in New York as being valid and binding, and not contrary to public policy.
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- Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent TrollsWith trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.Read More ›
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- Private Equity Valuation: A Significant DecisionInsiders (and others) in the private equity business are accustomed to seeing a good deal of discussion ' academic and trade ' on the question of the appropriate methods of valuing private equity positions and securities which are otherwise illiquid. An interesting recent decision in the Southern District has been brought to our attention. The case is <i>In Re Allied Capital Corp.</i>, CCH Fed. SEC L. Rep. 92411 (US DC, S.D.N.Y., Apr. 25, 2003). Judge Lynch's decision is well written, the Judge reviewing a motion to dismiss by a business development company, Allied Capital, against a strike suit claiming that Allied's method of valuing its portfolio failed adequately to account for i) conditions at the companies themselves and ii) market conditions. The complaint appears to be, as is often the case, slap dash, content to point out that Allied revalued some of its positions, marking them down for a variety of reasons, and the stock price went down - all this, in the view of plaintiff's counsel, amounting to violations of Rule 10b-5.Read More ›
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