Mergers and Acquisitions
A few recent decisions from the Delaware Court of Chancery provide useful information to corporate executives who are involved in the sale or purchase of businesses, or who are involved in joint ventures in which the sales price or the post-closing profit distribution is based on certain milestones being reached.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided that the Fox TV show Empire didn't violate federal Lanham Act or California trademark rights of the urban music record label Empire Distribution.
Written opinions of counsel are gaining renewed interest as a valuable tool to limit liability for willful patent infringement. A patent opinion that is competently written by a registered patent attorney sets forth the factual and legal basis for finding a patent not infringed, invalid, and/or unenforceable. However, to be effective, the timing of the rendered patent opinion may be critical.
Part One of a Two-Part Article
As of August 2017, the seminal case in New Jersey deciding the issue of the appropriate legal standard for a divorced parent seeking to relocate outside of the state is Bisbing v. Bisbing. This case is an important example that can be used to explore this topic throughout the country.
Part One of a Two-Part Article
A company that finds itself the target of a federal fraud investigation often faces the fraught question of whether it may, or even must, disclose the existence of that investigation to third parties, such as its investors, shareholders, major creditors, or insurers. The question can be even more complicated if that investigation is being pursued under the False Claims Act and arises as the result of a sealed qui tam complaint.
Just a few days after the Florida Supreme Court ruled the state's common law doesn't provide pre-1972 sound recordings with rights to public performance royalties, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments on whether remasterings inject pre-1972 sound recordings with federal copyright protection.
Where the borrower's default is not in dispute, the First Department appears to have recognized that there is little reason to delay the inevitable foreclosure. Discussion of a case in point.
SCOTUS Review of Dodd-Frank to Change the Landscape
In June, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Digital Realty Trust Inc. v. Somers, to review a Ninth Circuit decision regarding SEC whistleblowing protections. The Court's ruling is highly anticipated, as it will clarify the landscape for whistleblower protections.
In 2016, concerns about protecting trade secrets in the European Union resulted in Directive (EU) 2016/943 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 8, 2016. Directive (EU) 2016/943, which will impact the entertainment industry, seeks to protect undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) against their unlawful acquisition, use and disclosure.
When an injury occurs, the first reaction of those in the medical office might be to ask, "Did the patient sign an informed consent form?" When the answer is "Yes," and the harm that occurred is listed as a possibility on that signed form, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief. Right? Not so fast.
