LJN Newsletters

Some federal judges are opening the door to the press reporting directly from their courtrooms in the interest of bringing more transparency to the judicial process.

Internet communication necessitates sharing content and data with third parties. The voluntary transfer of such content and related data to third-party Internet communication facilitators reduces or eliminates First, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights of Internet users. The technology and protocols used to enable Internet communication, as interpreted by existing privacy statutes and case law, further compromises Internet users' privacy and publicity rights. Both legal notices and technological techniques may be used to ameliorate this outcome.

A recent decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Rescuecom Corp. v. Google Inc., has clarified precedent that had been assumed to foreclose Lanham Act challenges to the surreptitious use of trademarks to compete in cyberspace. In the wake of Rescuecom, that interpretation has been rejected, and advertisers have a potent weapon to protect their trademarks against unfair competition on the Web.

Being engaged in social networks has enormous value for your firm. Through them, you can establish thought leadership, find new recruits, provide a more efficient way for potential clients to find you online, and participate in and monitor discussions about the issues that impact your clients and your firm. The first thing you must do is create a social media policy ' or modify an existing policy that is free and available for you to borrow.

An analysis of recent key rulings.

A state-court action cannot, as a general rule, be removed to federal court where a resident of the forum state has been joined as a defendant. 28 U.S.C. '1441(b). This is commonly known as the "forum defendant rule." The rule reflects the assumption that "[federal] diversity jurisdiction is unnecessary because there is less reason to fear state court prejudice against the defendants if one or more of them is from the forum state." Spencer v.…

With the financial crisis occupying the Obama administration, the anticipated barrage of new environmental laws, policies, and regulations has yet to materialize. When the switch is turned on, however, the costs to policyholders are likely to be substantial, and just as likely, policyholders will test whether some of those costs can be passed on to their carriers.

Insurers are not required to "defend" affirmative claims. But "defense" of affirmative claims may be covered if factually related to and necessary to defense. A look at recent case law.