LJN Newsletters

  • Boring Couple Sues Google over Street View

    Aaron and Christine Boring say they enjoyed the, well, quiet life in the countryside outside Pittsburgh ' until Google showed up in the driveway. The couple is suing the Mountain View, CA, search giant for invading its privacy by snapping a photo of the Boring house for Google Street View, a map feature that allows users to see pictures of streets. It caused the Borings 'mental suffering and diminished value of their property,' according to the complaint filed in Pennsylvania state court. They're seeking at least $25,000 in damages.

    April 30, 2008Zusha Elinson

  • Blogs Are Afforded Unequal Protection

    The U.S. Supreme Court created a bit of a problem when it ruled that commercial speech is entitled to limited First Amendment protection, but failed to clearly identify what commercial speech is. So, it often comes down to this: If a business elects to engage in a debate on important social issues, its principals ' and counsel ' have no way of knowing the level of constitutional protection that speech will receive. This issue is becoming especially important to owners of blogs.

    April 30, 2008Jonathan Bick

  • Plenty of Reasons Why You Should Bother Getting U.S. Patents

    Based on recent court decisions and pending PTO rule changes, one may question the viability and value of U.S. patents. While some court decisions have altered the playing field somewhat, the strength of the U.S. patent and legal systems remains quite strong.

    April 30, 2008Phillip Articola

  • An Overview of Twombly on Patent Pleading Disputes

    In Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, an antitrust case, the U.S. Supreme Court put to rest the five-decade-old pleading standard from Conley v. Gibson that 'a complaint should not be dismissed for failure to state a claim unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim that would entitle him to relief.'

    April 30, 2008Dion Messer

  • What Is Reasonable?

    Several recent rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court have arguably tipped the scales toward alleged infringers involved in a patent battle.

    April 30, 2008Benjamin Hershkowitz and Charles Wizenfeld

  • Profitable Use of Associates

    To evaluate its policies and procedures for associate recruiting, career development, and profitability, a firm must take stock of its current recruiting and associate career development program, assess its future needs, and set in motion a unified plan that involves all components of the organization.

    April 30, 2008Joel A. Rose

  • India: The International Hotspot -- Franchising Goes East

    Despite the positive economic conditions and the demand for international brands, the Indian legal framework still raises some barriers to international business. The Indian government has the delicate task of balancing what is perceived to be in the interest of local businesses and those of foreign investors.

    April 30, 2008Graeme Payne and Lisa Sen

  • Online Exclusive: Comcast and Pando Networks to Create Peer-to-Peer Bill of Rights

    Comcast Corporation and Pando Networks, Inc. announced late last month that they will lead an industry-wide effort to create a peer-to-peer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities ('BRR') for P2P users and Internet Service Providers. The two companies plan to collaborate and engage with industry experts, other ISPs and P2P companies, content providers and others to set a framework for the BRR that can serve as best practices. The purpose would be to clarify what choices and controls consumers should have when using P2P applications as well as what processes and practices ISPs should use to manage P2P applications running on their networks.

    April 30, 2008Samuel Fineman