Features

The Clock Is Ticking
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, government regulatory agencies, such as the SEC, have aggressively pursued civil enforcement actions to combat financial fraud. However, their efforts to extend their ability to seek monetary penalties and fines outside of relevant limitations periods have been recently rebuffed by the courts.
Features

Supreme Court Limits Patent Liability for Component Makers in Global Supply Chain
<b><i>Life Technologies v. Promega</b></i><br>In a decision that should please American manufacturers that feed into the global supply chain, the U.S. Supreme Court has narrowly interpreted a 33-year-old law that imposes patent liability on components made in the U.S. for assembly overseas.
Features

The Battle over the Scope of Rule 17(c) Subpoenas
Before considering the competing, less restrictive, interpretation of Rule 17(c), we briefly pause to explain how we got here. The restrictive interpretation of Rule 17(c) has its genesis in two Supreme Court decisions.
Features

Ruling Issued on IMDb.com Challenge to CA Actor-Age Law
A federal judge in San Francisco issued a preliminary injunction on February 22 halting a California state law that requires online entertainment database IMDb.com to remove actors' ages on request.
Features

The Joke is in the Bag! Parody at the Federal and TTAB Levels
On Feb. 13, 2017, the eve of Valentine's Day, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals extended no love to Louis Vuitton, effectively asserting that it would not rehear the infringement suit against My Other Bag, Inc., denying the en banc request in a brief order.
Features

Creditor Exclusion<br><b><i><font="-1">The Perils of D&O Coverage</b></i></font>
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently held that a Creditor Exclusion provision in D&O insurance policies may result in significant limitations on the coverage provided to the D&Os when the underlying dispute is with a creditor acting in its creditor capacity.
Features

Landlord Harassment of Commercial Tenants<font="-1"><b><i>What Can Be Done?</b></i></font>
<b><i>Part One of a Two-Part Article</b></i><br>Landlord harassment of tenants is a common problem, not only in the housing arena, but also in the commercial leasing sector. Certainly, landlords often have good reasons to be angry with their tenants. However, a landlord that resorts to bullying tactics does so at its own risk.
Features

Chapter 13<br><b><i><font="-1">Best Practices in Credit Reporting</b></i></font>
There is a new trend emerging in FCRA litigation involving Chapter 13 bankruptcy, under which debtors propose a repayment plan to make installment payments to creditors over three to five years. Increasingly, plaintiffs are filing suit based on certain credit-reporting actions taken (or not taken) during a pending Chapter 13 bankruptcy case, after plan confirmation but prior to the entry of the discharge — when a debtor has met all requirements set by the court.
Features

What Constitutes 'Proper' Notice?
Proper notice is a hallmark of all bankruptcy proceedings. If a creditor or party-in-interest has no notice of a particular matter, many courts have ruled that the creditor or party-in-interest will not be bound by a particular court's determination.
Features

Landlord Solutions For Avoiding Uncertainty
<b><i>Key Considerations When Negotiating Personal Guarantees to Commercial Real Estate Leases</b></i><br>In today's commercial real estate market, uncertainty is about the only real thing that is certain. In this period of flux, where landlords no longer enjoy the same position of strength and leverage they once had over prospective tenants, it is critical to try and negotiate independent guarantees that best suit each particular deal and (hopefully) hedge against the downside of a potential tenant default and resulting litigation.
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