Case Briefs
Highlights of the latest insurance cases from around the country.
Insuring Against Disaster: Coverage for Product Recalls
In recent months, it has seemed that barely a week has gone by without the announcement of a major product recall, whether it be of pet food (tainted with a wheat gluten additive), toothpaste (containing poisonous diethylene glycol, a solvent used in antifreeze that imparts a sweet taste), millions of children's toys (the subject of four major recalls, several of which involved lead paint), almost half a million light truck tires (lacking a safety feature that guards against tread separation), or 3.6 million Ford cars, trucks, and SUVs (containing a cruise control switch linked to vehicle fires). Recalls have become so common of late that satirical magazine <i>The Onion</i> 'reported' in late July that shares of Constitution Solutions, LLC ('COSO') 'fell sharply Tuesday after several Eastern bloc constitutions written by COSO were recalled due to loopholes that allowed Vladimir Putin to re-form the Soviet Union.' Stockwatch, <i>The Onion,</i> July 26-Aug. 1, 2007, at 2.
Features
How to Improve an Internet Search Result by Adding a Little Precision
The Internet is a powerful tool for research, containing information about law, business, government, science, medicine and many other things. There is a Web site for just about anything anyone would want to know. Unfortunately, with the proliferation of Web sites today, any search may return hundreds of results, many of which are not relevant, and many of which are not reliable. This article will discuss some advanced search techniques in Google that can improve the relevance of search results. It will also examine ways to determine the reliability of a Web site.
Internet Not Always Interstate
It may be called the World Wide Web, but the government cannot automatically equate Internet use with movement of photos of child pornography across state lines, the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held.
Features
Internet Gambling Law Challenged
A federal law that targets online gambling by making it illegal to make or receive payoffs violates the First Amendment, a federal suit charges. A not-for-profit association of Internet gamers and gaming companies is asking a federal judge in Trenton, NJ to block enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act ('UIGEA') and to issue a temporary restraining order.
Features
Google In-House Lawyers Find Unusual Perks, Groundbreaking Work
Judging by its unofficial jeans and t-shirt uniform, colorful logo and offices packed with games and pets, you could be fooled into thinking that the world's biggest Internet company still sees itself as an extension of a college common room. But under the seemingly casual exterior lies a very serious company indeed. And Google's legal team is no exception to the rule.
Webcaster Royalty Rates Rising
Licensing requirements and royalty rates for online uses of music are undergoing sweeping changes ' spurring litigation, appeals and even legislation in Congress. As a result, Webcasters are scrambling to re-evaluate and redirect their business models, as they may soon be forced to pay for huge increases in royalties to recording artists.
Bit Parts
Film-Script Submissions/Implied-in-Fact Contracts<br>Record-Label Trademarks/Laches<br>Uruguay Round Agreements Act/First Amendment
Features
Counsel Concerns
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted partial sanctions against plaintiffs' counsel in a copyright-infringement suit.
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- 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 ›
- 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 ›
- Inferring Dishonesty: The Fifth Amendment and Fidelity CoverageDishonest employees always have posed a problem for businesses. The average business may lose 6% of its annual revenues to employee fraud, and cumulatively the impact of employee theft on the economy is estimated to be $600 billion annually. <i>See</i> Association of Certified Fraud Examiners ("ACFE"), 2002 Report to the Nation on Occupational Fraud & Abuse, at ii, 4 (2002), available at <i>www.cfenet.com/publications/rttn.asp.</i> Although the average loss through employee embezzlement is $25,000, where computerized financial records or transactions are involved, the average loss increases nearly twentyfold. <i>See</i> National White Collar Crime Center, <i>WCC Issue: Embezzlement/Employee Theft,</i> at 2 (2002), available at <i>http://nw3c.org/downloads/Computer_Crime_Weapon.pdf.</i>Read More ›
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