Examiner appointments in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases are uncommon, and despite Judge Peter J. Walsh's statement that he had appointed an examiner only two or three times during his career as a bankruptcy judge, he recently ordered the appointment of an examiner in In re DBSI, Inc.
- May 26, 2009David J. Baldwin and R. Stephen McNeill
Lawyers scurried to San Jose, CA, bankruptcy court in April to argue over the remains of SeeqPod Inc., the first big casualty on the newest front in the legal war between the record industry and the Internet.
April 30, 2009Zusha ElinsonCOPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT/JURY INSTRUCTIONS
TRADEMARK USES/QUALITY CONTROLApril 30, 2009ALM Staff | Law Journal Newsletters |Since 2004, Truth in Music Advertising statutes have been enacted in more than 26 states. These laws, aimed at preventing consumer confusion between a recording group and a performing group, set forth several conditions, at least one of which must be met to legally use the name of a music group in conjunction with a concert performance. In April 2009, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued a ruling in a case that involved the constitutionality of that state's law.
April 30, 2009Stan SoocherWhile it is helpful to be able to research issues online and communicate with key employees while sitting at the board table, I find that the level of distraction from the board's deliberations has diminished the value of these meetings, for me and for the company. While this problem is certainly not limited to e-commerce or technology firms, I think that the great reliance on such technology by their executives and directors makes the legal duty to "pay attention" even more of a pressing issue for such firms.
April 30, 2009Stanley P. JaskiewiczInternet communication necessitates sharing content and data with third parties. The voluntary transfer of such content and related data to third-party Internet communication facilitators reduces or eliminates First, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights of Internet users. The technology and protocols used to enable Internet communication, as interpreted by existing privacy statutes and case law, further compromises Internet users' privacy and publicity rights. Both legal notices and technological techniques may be used to ameliorate this outcome.
April 30, 2009Jonathan BickA state-court action cannot, as a general rule, be removed to federal court where a resident of the forum state has been joined as a defendant. 28 U.S.C. '1441(b). This is commonly known as the "forum defendant rule." The rule reflects the assumption that "[federal] diversity jurisdiction is unnecessary because there is less reason to fear state court prejudice against the defendants if one or more of them is from the forum state." Spencer v.
April 29, 2009Mary Clare Bonaccorsi and Dmitry ShifrinWith the financial crisis occupying the Obama administration, the anticipated barrage of new environmental laws, policies, and regulations has yet to materialize. When the switch is turned on, however, the costs to policyholders are likely to be substantial, and just as likely, policyholders will test whether some of those costs can be passed on to their carriers.
April 29, 2009ALM Staff | Law Journal Newsletters |Insurers are not required to "defend" affirmative claims. But "defense" of affirmative claims may be covered if factually related to and necessary to defense. A look at recent case law.
April 29, 2009Anne E. Briard and Seth A. SchmeeckleWhen pending a trial wherein a franchisor seeks to enjoin a franchisee from breaching a restrictive covenant or a franchisee seeks to enjoin a franchisor from terminating their relationship, Canadian courts have generally applied the following three-part test. This article explains.
April 29, 2009Jennifer Dolman and Aislinn Reid

