Features
Court Watch
Highlights of the latest franchising cases from around the country.
Features
Courts' Intervention in Arbitration Disputes Keeps Franchises Busy
The decision in <i>ATT Mobility v. Concepcion</i> was announced on April 27, just a few days before a panel of three franchise attorneys presented an update on arbitration trends at the 44th Annual International Franchise Association Legal Symposium.
Features
NASAA Proposes Four Exemptions for State Registrations
The North American Securities Administrators Association ("NASAA") has proposed four exemptions to state registration and disclosure requirements, representing a welcome effort to standardize exemptions at the state level.
Features
Job Discrimination Against Muslims
Despite the EEOC's dire predictions, Muslims, Arabs, and other people of eastern descent living in the United States have not seen the social ostracism experienced by these groups in other countries.
Features
When Office Tenants Go Dark
Most office leases require tenants to actively carry on business from their leased premises, and prohibit tenants from vacating or abandoning the premises. It is becoming increasingly common, however, for tenants to object to these provisions and to request the lease include a "go-dark" provision.
Features
Insurance Coverage for Damage to Tenant Improvements
Multiple factors are often involved in the analysis and determination of ownership interests and insurance obligations for tenant improvements and betterments, furniture, fixtures and equipment, and other "personal property" within leased premises. Here's why it matters.
Features
In the Spotlight: Unique Retail Considerations of Branch Bank Leasing
When representing bank tenants, simply following established retail principles, even zealously on some issues, is not enough. There are certain banking-specific concerns, even pitfalls, about which bank counsel must be aware.
Features
Understanding and Mitigating the Legal Risks of Cloud Computing
There can be significant economic efficiencies realized by moving to the cloud. However there are also potential risks involved if an entity does not adequately consider the information governance implications, especially those involving electronic discovery.
Features
Waging Trademark War Against 'i-Pirates'
Trademark infringers have preyed on the fertile software marketplaces opened by companies like Apple and Google by offering apps for download under names that are identical or confusingly similar to other well-known brand names. These online trademark bandits are effectively engaging in a form of "i-piracy," whereby they attempt to profit from the goodwill associated with established trademarks by pirating those marks for use in their own knock-off apps.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- The 'Sophisticated Insured' DefenseA majority of courts consider the <i>contra proferentem</i> doctrine to be a pillar of insurance law. The doctrine requires ambiguous terms in an insurance policy to be construed against the insurer and in favor of coverage for the insured. A prominent rationale behind the doctrine is that insurance policies are usually standard-form contracts drafted entirely by insurers.Read More ›
- A Lawyer's System for Active ReadingActive reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.Read More ›
- The Brave New World of Cybersecurity Due Diligence in Mergers and Acquisitions: Pitfalls and OpportunitiesLike poorly-behaved school children, new technologies and intellectual property (IP) are increasingly disrupting the M&A establishment. Cybersecurity has become the latest disruptive newcomer to the M&A party.Read More ›
- Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric CodeIn an effort to minimize the release of toxic gasses from cables in the event of fire, the 2002 version of the National Electric Code ("NEC"), promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, sets forth new guidelines requiring that abandoned cables must be removed from buildings unless they are located in metal raceways or tagged "For Future Use." While the NEC is not, in itself, binding law, most jurisdictions in the United States adopt the NEC by reference in their state or local building and fire codes. Thus, noncompliance with the recent NEC guidelines will likely mean that a building is in violation of a building or fire code. If so, the building owner may also be in breach of agreements with tenants and lenders and may be jeopardizing its fire insurance coverage. Even in jurisdictions where the 2002 NEC has not been adopted, it may be argued that the guidelines represent the standard of reasonable care and could result in tort liability for the landlord if toxic gasses from abandoned cables are emitted in a fire. With these potential liabilities in mind, this article discusses: 1) how to address the abandoned wires and cables currently located within the risers, ceilings and other areas of properties, and 2) additional considerations in the placement and removal of telecommunications cables going forward.Read More ›
- Guidance on Distributions As 'Disbursements' and U.S. Trustee FeesIn a recent case from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, In re Paragon Offshore PLC, the bankruptcy court provided guidance on whether a post-plan effective date litigation trust's distributions constituted disbursements subject to the U.S. Trustee fee "tax."Read More ›