LJN Newsletters

Highlights of the latest franchising news from around the country.

Highlights of the latest franchising cases from around the country.

In the 2009 Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Litigation Trends Survey, 42% of U.S. corporate counsel reported they expected an increase in the volume of legal disputes over the coming 12 months. The 2010 survey has proved them right.

During the election held on Nov. 2, 2010, Georgia's electorate voted to amend the state constitution of Georgia in a way that made effective on the next day legislation relating to non-competition covenants, namely HB 173 (the "Act"). The Act had passed in the 2009 legislative session and had been signed by the governor that year. Subsequent discussion about a wording issue in the amendment and the Act would suggest that the effective date may actually be Jan. 1, 2011, or maybe later if it is determined that a legislative fix of the effective date wording is required.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently reversed a district court's dismissal of a franchisor's claims, notwithstanding the fact that the franchisor submitted a summary judgment filing that requested less in money damages than the $75,000 referenced in Section 1332(a) of Title 28 of the United States Code.

Questions of discoverability in litigation of social media interactions are constantly evolving. A look at a recent, disturbing case.

Keyword advertising should be seen as simply one band on the spectrum of online advertising by franchisors and others to promote their brands. Much of that spectrum is now occupied by various types of behavioral advertising, in which advertisers can track conduct of users on the Internet to deliver advertising targeted to a user profile or recent Internet activity. Viewed in this light, a perhaps greater concern to brand owners than the types of sponsored links served by search engines are new opportunities for use of keywords to retarget advertising based on behavioral patterns of Internet users and in manners almost impossible to monitor.

For the 11th consecutive year, Altman Weil has conducted a Chief Legal Officer (CLO) Survey on issues of importance in managing corporate law departments. This Survey was conducted in September and October,2010.