Features
<b><i>Commentary:</b></i> Cybersecurity Needs Public Notice
There is an important debate unfolding across government and the private sector over a critical national security issue: how to secure America's information networks from cybersabotage, espionage and attacks. Congress, the executive branch and the private sector must all do a better job of engaging the public on decisions that are so important.
How to Fight Digital Disparagement
As any manager knows, letting employees go is never easy. The process becomes much more difficult when an angry former employee seeks to damage the company's reputation by launching a public campaign of disparaging remarks online and in the media. Left unchallenged, such a campaign can tarnish the company's image among potential investors, customers, and its own employees. By taking proactive measures, however, a company significantly can reduce the chances of falling prey to a smear campaign.
Features
Bit Parts
Copyright Infringement Suit over Dreamgirls Is Dismissed<br>Louisiana Federal Court Lacks Jurisdiction over French Studio<br>Second Circuit Sees Different "Concept and Feel" in Cookbooks Dispute<br>Unauthorized Use of Photo on Fiction Book Violates NY Publicity Right
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Counsel Concerns
Amendment Denied For Malpractice Suit Over 'Bowie Bonds'<br>Malicious Prosecution Suit Is Reinstated Against Manatt Phelps
Features
Cameo Clips
COPYRIGHT DAMAGES/STATUTORY 'WORK'<br>COPYRIGHT JURISDICTION/RELATED CONTRACT CLAIMS
Features
Mysterious Lawyer Is at Center of Suit Against Counsel To 'Superman' Heirs
Given that the story lines played out in Superman comic books are full of shadowy figures with dark motivations, it seems fitting that the real world legal fight over who owns the rights to the Man of Steel would feature such a character in a pivotal role. On May 14, Warner Bros. sued Marc Toberoff, the lawyer for the comic icon's co-creators' families, in federal court in Los Angeles, accusing him of engaging in a "scheme" to "enrich himself" by trying to wrongfully seize control of a substantial chunk of the Superman property.
Features
Copyright Ruling on Photo Registrations
Talk about winning on a technicality. In a copyright infringement case brought by photographers who sued Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co. over the allegedly unapproved use of their photos, Chief Judge Loretta Preska of Manhattan federal district court ruled in May that the works at issue had not been properly registered. Judge Preska threw out most of the photographers' claims in her 24-page ruling.
NFL Antitrust Immunity Bid Tackled By Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court late last month dashed the hopes of the National Football League for baseball-style immunity from antitrust laws, with justices ruling unanimously against the league in a dispute over NFL-licensed apparel.
Cautious Optimism for the Economy
There is no question that the economy has been rebounding in fits and starts over the past 12 months or so. The real issue, however, is whether some of the encouraging numbers and statistics supporting the general optimism that better times are just around the corner are also gaining real traction in the business community.
Features
IP News
Highlights of the latest intellectual property cases from around the country.
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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 ›
- Reining in the Inequitable Conduct DefenseResponding to views from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere about the unintended consequences of the current inequitable conduct doctrine, a divided <i>en banc</i> Federal Circuit decision issued on May 25, 2011 adjusted the standard of the materiality element to make this defense harder to establish.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 ›
- 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 ›
- Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTsA federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.Read More ›