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MUSIC COPYRIGHTS/INFRINGING 'WORKS'<br>TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT/RECORD LABEL NAMES<br>TV COMPENSATION CLAIMS/FEDERAL PREEMPTION<br>VIDEOGAME DEVELOPMENT/INJUNCTIVE RELIEF
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Forum Selection Clause Applies To Merged TV Company
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York decided that a forum selection clause in a television broadcast agreement applied to a company within which the original signatory broadcaster later was merged.
Features
Trademark Dilution: When 'Minimally Similar' May Be Similar Enough
In <i>Starbucks Corp. v. Wolfe's Borough Coffee, Inc.</i>, the Second Circuit rejected the district court's determination — based on pre-TDRA case law — that trademark owners must show "substantial similarity" between the trademarks at issue in order to prevail on a dilution by blurring claim under the TDRA. Citing the language of the TDRA, the appellate court found that the new statute required only "similarity," and that even "minimal similarity" could, in the proper case, suffice to support a claim.
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Expansion of Right of Publicity Continues To Create Tensions with First Amendment
Broadly defined, the right of publicity is a person's right to control the commercial use of his or her identity. It has been over half a century since the term "right of publicity" was first coined by Judge Jerome Frank in 1953. Since that time, courts have been struggling to define the scope of the right of publicity protection, and to resolve the inherent conflicts between the right of publicity and the freedom of expression embodied in the First Amendment.
Law Firms' Access to Client Reviews
Outside counsel can now see what their in-house clients think of their job performance, according to the Association of Corporate Counsel's new law firm rating system.
Negotiating Cloud Computing Agreements
Though given different names, cloud computing has been around for some time, and the legal lessons learned from experience with traditional software licensing and outsourcing agreements can and should be applied to cloud agreements, but there are new issues which will need new solutions.
Features
Alternative Fees
The diversity of AFA approaches and objectives can divide consumers and providers of legal services, and magnify the law firm-client communication challenges presented by movement away from an entrenched business model.
The Timing and Substance of M&A Disclosures
Two recent decisions provide useful guidance concerning both the timing and substance of disclosures in the context of M&A activity.
Squaring Off: The Right of Publicity v. The First Amendment
Recently, two incidents involving one of the world's most famous couples, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, once again brought the focus onto right of publicity issues, as well as potential First Amendment defenses to right of publicity claims.
Braving Tempestuous Times: Hell-or-High-Water Obligations Maintain Their Viability Despite Leasing Scams and a Troubled Economy
Part One of this Article discussed the impact of some of the recent NorVergence cases on the viability of hell-or-high-water obligations for third-party financing of lease obligations. This second installment discusses the effect of several other cases on the financing of hell-or-high-water lease obligations and accounts receivable obligations in a decade marked by credit crisis and financial fraud, and provides some practical strategies to assure wary funding sources that hell-or-high-water obligations will remain a viable route for navigating treacherous economic seas.
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- Surveys in Patent Infringement Litigation: The Next FrontierMost experienced intellectual property attorneys understand the significant role surveys play in trademark infringement and other Lanham Act cases, but relatively few are likely to have considered the use of such research in patent infringement matters. That could soon change in light of the recent admission of a survey into evidence in <i>Applera Corporation, et al. v. MJ Research, Inc., et al.</i>, No. 3:98cv1201 (D. Conn. Aug. 26, 2005). The survey evidence, which showed that 96% of the defendant's customers used its products to perform a patented process, was admitted as evidence in support of a claim of inducement to infringe. The court admitted the survey into evidence over various objections by the defendant, who had argued that the inducement claim could not be proven without the survey.Read More ›
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