Features
Marilyn Monroe's Right of Publicity Not Descendible
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the heirs to Marilyn Monroe's estate did not inherit the rights to her publicity because she was a resident of New York, where such rights are not recognized posthumously.
Features
Class Action Waivers in Employment-Related Arbitration Agreements
For all employers, especially franchisors and franchisees who often utilize unique employment models, <i>Concepcion</i> and the cases interpreting it provide valuable lessons. Businesses have been given a road map for every contractual agreement in which arbitration provisions might appear, and the signposts point to fairness.
Features
Hostile Use of 'Friend' Request Puts Lawyers in Ethics Trouble
Two New Jersey defense lawyers have been hit with ethics charges for having used Facebook in an unfriendly fashion.
Features
Coverage Disclaimer May Not Await Investigation of Other Defenses
In <i>George Campbell Painting v. National Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, PA</i>, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department ruled that because an insurer had sufficient knowledge of a late notice defense nearly four months before it provided a written disclaimer to the insured, the disclaimer was ineffective as a matter of law.
Features
Eighth Circuit Ends Thomas-Rasset File-Sharing Fight
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has reinstated statutory damages of more than $220,000 against a woman who illegally file-shared two dozen songs, finding the damages to be constitutional.
Features
Decisions of Interest
Discussion of several key rulings.
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MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar InvestigationsThis article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.Read More ›
- The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year LaterThe DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.Read More ›
- Surveys in Patent Infringement Litigation: The Next FrontierMost experienced intellectual property attorneys understand the significant role surveys play in trademark infringement and other Lanham Act cases, but relatively few are likely to have considered the use of such research in patent infringement matters. That could soon change in light of the recent admission of a survey into evidence in <i>Applera Corporation, et al. v. MJ Research, Inc., et al.</i>, No. 3:98cv1201 (D. Conn. Aug. 26, 2005). The survey evidence, which showed that 96% of the defendant's customers used its products to perform a patented process, was admitted as evidence in support of a claim of inducement to infringe. The court admitted the survey into evidence over various objections by the defendant, who had argued that the inducement claim could not be proven without the survey.Read More ›
- The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance ProgramsThe parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.Read More ›
- In the SpotlightOn May 9, 2003, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that Bayer Corporation, the pharmaceutical manufacturer, had been sentenced and ordered to pay a criminal fine of $5,590,800 stemming from its earlier plea of guilty to violating the Federal Prescription Drug Marketing Act by failing to list with the FDA its drug product, Cipro, that was privately labeled for an HMO. Such listing is required under the federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act. The Federal Prescription Drug Marketing Act, Pub. L. 100-293, enacted on April 22, 1988, as modified on August 26, 1992 by the Prescription Drug Amendments (PDA) Pub. L. 102-353, 106 Stat. 941, amended sections 301, 303, 503, and 801 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, codified at 21 U.S.C. '' 331, 333, 353, 381, to establish requirements for distributing prescription drug samples.Read More ›
