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an RCE or continuation to broaden claims, care must be taken to ensure that any possible disavowal is unequivocally rescinded.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.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About ItWhy is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?Read More ›
- Major Labels File Lawsuits Over AI Companies' Alleged Copying of 'World's Most Popular' RecordingsMajor record labels including Capitol Records and Sony Music Entertainment sued two music-focused generative artificial intelligence companies, accusing them of "willful copyright infringement on an almost unimaginable scale."Read More ›
- Removing Restrictive Covenants In New YorkIn Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?Read More ›
- Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand OwnersBlockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.Read More ›
- Beach Boys Songs Written Decades Ago Triggered Current Quarrel With LawyersThere's current litigation in the ongoing Beach Boys litigation saga. A lawsuit filed in 2019 against Nevada residents Mike Love and his wife Jacquelyne in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada that alleges inaccurate payment by the Loves under the retainer agreement and seeks $84.5 million in damages.Read More ›