Features
Is Band's Name Too Offensive For Trademark Approval?
Offensive band names are a staple of rock music. Rock fans of a certain age will remember The Dead Kennedys of punk rock fame. The Butthole Surfers, Pussy Galore and Dying Fetus developed substantial followings despite, or because of, their outrageous names. Oregon dance rock band The Slants is another that seems determined to provoke.
Features
The Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014
On Dec. 19, 2014, the President signed into law the long-awaited year-end tax package, the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 (TIPA). This law extended to the end of 2014 many but not all of the individual, business, and energy provisions that expired at the end of 2013. In addition, the law provides for a new tax-advantaged savings program to aide in meeting the financial needs of disabled individuals, called the " Achieving a Better Life Experience" (ABLE) program.
Features
Federal Circuit Finds Claims Directed to DNA Primers and Methods of Use Unpatentable
The Federal Circuit's decision in <i>Univ. of Utah Research Found. v. Ambry Genetics Corp.</i> is the latest in the series of <i>Myriad</i> cases dealing with the patentability of genetic material.
Features
Pricing It Right: Restructuring Billing
As pressure on pricing continues, Big Law firms are buying (or building) analytics technology and hiring pricing specialists ' people who use market data, internal firm data and economics/pricing experience to ensure that firms are smart about bidding on work. The mission: Educate clients about the value the firm brings, while making sure to charge enough to make a profit.
Features
Unpaid Royalty Suits Rain Down on Music Streaming Services
Sirius XM Radio's recent clubbing in litigation over the rights to pre-1972 sound recordings has unleashed a series of suits against Google, Apple, Sony and music streaming service Rdio.
Features
Georgia Fed. Ct. Dismisses Suit Over <i>Honey</i> Films
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, dismissed a lawsuit brought by hip-hop dancer Ereina "Honey Rockwell" Valencia over Universal's <i>Honey</i> and <i>Honey 2</i> movies, released respectively in 2003 and 2011.
Features
Discovery Sanctions In Litigation over Soap Opera
A copyright infringement lawsuit centered on the Telemundo network's popular Spanish-language telenovela <i>El Rostro de Analia</i> has some melodrama of its own.
Columns & Departments
IP News
Federal Circuit Finds Internet Method Unpatentable Under <i>Alice</i><br>Federal Circuit: No Collateral Estoppel For Similar, But Unrelated, Patent
Features
Sirius XM Lawyers' Blunder in Pre-1972 Recordings Case
Soon after swooping in to represent Sirius XM Radio in potentially industry-shaking copyright litigation, O'Melveny & Myers suffered a nasty setback when a judge ruled that newly cited precedent trumpeted by the firm had been overruled 60 years ago.
Features
Are Franchisors 'Employers'?
The franchise agreement almost always contains a clause specifying that the franchisee is an independent contractor and that the franchisor and franchisee are not intending to create an employment relationship. But a number of recent decisions from around the country have raised the question: Is a franchisee really an employee of the franchisor, despite the written disclaimer in the franchise agreement?
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