Features
Consumer Fraud Actions: The Applicability of the Learned Intermediary Doctrine
There is much uncertainty surrounding if and how well-established defenses to traditional product liability claims will translate in non-personal injury consumer fraud actions. At the forefront of this uncertainty is the applicability of the learned intermediary doctrine in consumer fraud actions involving pharmaceuticals or medical devices.
Features
Verdicts
Recent rulings of interest to you and your practice.
Features
Microsoft Sues Auction Site Users For Counterfeiting
Microsoft is moving against alleged counterfeiters who use online auction sites like PriceGrabber.com and eBay to sell software that is packaged to look like the real thing, but is far from it.
Features
Band Name Dispute Over Recording and Concert Uses
The Miami girl group Expos' ruled the charts in the 1980s, turning out a multiplatinum album and numerous hits, including the No. 1 single, 'Seasons Change.' But some things never change. Turmoil with management roiled the group during its hey-day, and rancor has returned now that the trio is on a popular reunion tour, riding high on 1980s dance nostalgia. The singers have been sued to stop using the name Expos' after breaking with promoters in August, just months before the music group's trademark licensing agreement was set to expire.
Features
Bit Parts
Copyright/Joint-Authorship Test<br>DMCA Safe-Harbor Bid/Declaratory Suit<br>File-Sharing Suit/Anti-Trust Counterclaims
Features
Practice Tip: Is It Necessary to Sue a Foreign Auto Manufacturer?
Foreign auto manufacturers often have American subsidiaries that import their products and market them with a warranty from the importer. If such a product injures an American due to a design defect, do you need to sue the manufacturer as well as the importer/seller/warrantor?
Features
Waiver of Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-Product Protection: Proposed New Federal Rule of Evidence Is under Consideration
At its Sept. 18, 2007 meeting, the Judicial Conference of the United States approved a proposed new Federal Rule of Evidence regarding waiver of attorney-client privilege and work-product protection. Because Rule 502 is a rule dealing with privilege and because the Rule would govern state courts regarding certain issues, the Rule must be enacted directly by Congress. Accordingly, at press time, the Judicial Conference will now submit the Rule to Congress, which will vote 'yay or nay' by no later than December 2007. If Congress approves the new Rule 502, the Judicial Conference will transmit the Rule to the U.S. Supreme Court by Dec. 18, 2007, keeping it on the path to be enacted on Dec. 1, 2008.
Features
Survey Power
Courts and lawyers should pay particular attention to survey findings such as there is 'no likelihood of confusion,' 'there is no likelihood of dilution,' and ensure that the power of the test is high to rely on such conclusions. Anytime a commissioned survey indicates 'no effect,' in addition to issues such as question clarity, randomness of the sample, and other methodological issues, there is the additional critical issue of statistical power.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- 'Customary Operations' or A Vacant Building?Many times, courts are faced with the question of whether a loss location is 'vacant' under a commercial property policy when trying to determine if the building owner or lessee is conducting customary operations. This article explores various decisions across the United States as to what is considered 'customary operations,' thereby rendering the property 'vacant.'Read More ›
- Redefining Attorney-Client Collaboration with Technology That Delivers Greater ValueIf savvy law firm attorneys haven't done so yet, they should take this time to adjust their expectations and increase their comfort levels with new technologies, processes, and workflows. Going forward, their clients will expect the emphasis to be on relationships and outcomes, not billable hours.Read More ›
- Mixed Ruling in Jefferson Starship Band Name SuitWhat's in a rock band's name? Plenty, if you are talking about Jefferson Starship, which goes back more than 40 years, has had more than 30 members and was born from the 1960s psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane.Read More ›
- Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the RoughThere is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.Read More ›
- Authorship and Copyright In Hybrid AI-Human Collaborative WorksThe United States Copyright Office recently issued a letter ruling on the copyrightability of Kristina Kashtanova's comic book-like work, Zarya of the Dawn. The Kashtanova ruling indicates that the Copyright Office's determination of copyrightability of works involving use of AI will rely on whether the author is able to control and foresee with some measure of predictability the output of the authorial processRead More ›