The same technology that provides the means for customers in various market sectors to truly interact with merchants also allows a similar force multiplication for Internet criminals, including charlatans and other rogues who prey on some of the most vulnerable among us ' the elderly.
The prospect of "free" software, through the open source movement, seems like a CFO's dream come true. After all, why shouldn't a firm get a critical asset at no cost? In other words, why pay a monthly licensing or maintenance fee when something that appears to work well can possibly be had at no cost online? Unfortunately, the real world has taught us all that "free" can be very expensive.
Highlights of the latest intellectual property news from around the country.
The Cuban trade embargo has been at issue for more than a decade in the long-running case between Bacardi and Pernod Ricard over the U.S. rights to the HAVANA CLUB trademark for rum.
On April 20, 2011, the Federal Circuit issued its opinion in the TiVo Inc. v. EchoStar Corp. case. No. 2009-1374 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 20, 2011). The decision marks a sea change for evaluating contempt of an injunction in a patent case, significantly limiting an infringer's ability to challenge an injunction on the grounds that it is vague or overbroad.
Responding to views from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere about the unintended consequences of the current inequitable conduct doctrine, a divided en banc Federal Circuit decision issued on May 25, 2011 adjusted the standard of the materiality element to make this defense harder to establish.
A look at recent key rulings of importance to you and your practice.
In-depth analysis of several important decisions.
