Movers & Shakers
News about lawyers and law firms in the franchising industry.
News Briefs
Highlights of the latest franchising news from around the country.
Features
Arbitration: Is the Silver Bullet a Dud?
On the strength of a substantial body of real-world experience with arbitration as a dispute-resolution norm, many franchisors are asking whether their dogged pursuit of arbitration was actually a mistake.
Features
Ten Rules for Franchisors to Reduce Litigation Risks
For franchisors who do business consistent with a few critical (and largely common-sense) rules, freedom from excessive lawsuits and from truly damaging litigation results is not out of reach.
Features
Don't Get Caught with Your Patents Down
Reverse engineering of competitor products has always played a large and important role in any successful assertive patent licensing program. However, new developments in the patent licensing arena are making reverse engineering much more vital and often necessary for any company seeking to capitalize on its intellectual property assets.
Features
Accounting for Intangibles: From IP to CEO
The track to the CEO's office has changed as the key determinants of competitive advantage have changed. Over the past few years, sales, marketing, engineering, and most recently, finance have serially been the corporate lines through which proto-CEOs have risen through the ranks. With intangibles now providing the competitive advantage, perhaps the next trend in CEO-spotting will take place in the IP suite.
Hakim v. Cannon Avent Group: What's the Spillover?
This article examines <i>Hakim v. Cannon Avent Group</i>, which arguably expands the law on claim scope disclaimers. Thus, based on <i>Hakim</i>, when filing an RCE or continuation to broaden claims, care must be taken to ensure that any possible disavowal is unequivocally rescinded. Succinctly asking the examiner to reconsider prior art and noting that the current amendments broaden the claims, after a clear disavowal of claim scope is present, may not always be enough.
25 Years of CAFC Inequitable Conduct Jurisprudence
This article examines four recent Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit cases that shed light on the CAFC's current inequitable conduct jurisprudence and provide insight into how certain conduct may be interpreted by the court today.
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MOST POPULAR STORIES
- The Article 8 Opt InThe Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.Read More ›
- Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult CoinWith each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.Read More ›
- Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright LawsThis article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.Read More ›
- Warehouse Liability: Know Before You Stow!As consumers continue to shift purchasing and consumption habits in the aftermath of the pandemic, manufacturers are increasingly reliant on third-party logistics and warehousing to ensure their products timely reach the market.Read More ›
- "Holy Fair Use, Batman": Copyright, Fair Use and the Dark KnightThe copyright for the original versions of Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse have expired. Now, members of the public can create — and are busy creating — their own works based on these beloved characters. Suppose, though, we want to tell stories using Batman for which the copyright does not expire until 2035. We'll review five hypothetical works inspired by the original Batman comic and analyze them under fair use.Read More ›