LJN Newsletters

Setting the stage for a U.S. Supreme Court battle, a federal appellate court on May 31 held that the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally denies federal benefits to same-sex couples who are legally married under state laws.

A person can't be sued for allegedly helping to cause an accident by texting a driver, a New Jersey judge holds in a widely watched case.

Legislation to allow online gambling in New Jersey continues to make progress, despite concerns over its constitutionality.

Google Inc. took home a defense verdict on May 23 in its smartphone fight with Oracle Corp. after a jury rejected all claims of patent infringement.

In United States v. Nosal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, en banc, held that the prohibition against "exceed[ing] authorized access" to a computer under the CFAA does not apply when an employee has been granted access to the company computer infrastructure but uses that access, against company policy and the obvious interests of the company, to copy valuable, confidential information in order to take business from the company. For various reasons, articulated well in the dissent by Judge Barry Silverman (joined by only one other judge), the Ninth Circuit is wrong.

As an update to our article in the June 2011 issue, this article highlights important case developments and new legal trends that have emerged with respect to the collection of state sales taxes by online retailers, as well as a general overview of online sales taxes and the constitutionality of click-through affiliate relationships.

The Bit Parts item on Troma Entertainment Inc. v. Centennial Pictures Inc., in the May issue should have reported that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of NY was the deciding court.

Jazz Artist's Daughter Can't Pursue Conspiracy Claim over Music Royalties
S.D.CA's Key Points in "YMCA" Lyrics Assignment Termination Case