LJN Newsletters

Many auto dealer contracts prohibit "dualing," that is, operating competing linemakes out of the same facility. Under new legislation passed in some states, automobile manufacturers could be forced to allow dualing, notwithstanding any terms to the contrary in written agreements and trademark laws.

Highlights of the latest franchising news from around the country.

Highlights of the latest franchising cases from around the country.

Although passage of the federal Employee Free Choice Act ("EFCA") has taken a distant back seat to health care reform, the proposed changes to workplace unionization and collective bargaining rules have significant potential impacts for business owners.

Who's doing what; who's going where.

In the filing of a patent application, the patent agent or attorney is like the commanding officer conducting the battle. This "General" has specialized techniques for drafting and prosecuting patent applications and attempts to get the best patents issued for the client.

Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued an opinion in a long-running patent misuse litigation of potential significance for any patent owner participating in a patent pool or considering participation in a patent pool.

The USPTO established the Peer Review Pilot Program (the "Pilot") to test whether "the organized collection and submission of documents together with comments by the public will produce better examination results by presenting prior art known by the public to the Examiner early in the prosecution." The USPTO is expected to publish a comprehensive report outlining the results and next steps.