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It is a well-settled copyright axiom that only an original expression of an idea is protectable. In the world of fine art, however, the concept of 'original expression' is often too vague to be defined. Dale Chihuly, a world famous glass artist known for designs inspired by sea life, filed a lawsuit in October 2005 that may clarify the concept. He is fighting to protect his distinctive style of glass art in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Chihuly has accused former employee Brian Rubino of producing glass sculptures that infringe Chihuly's copyright-protected glass works. The suit also asserts that another individual, Robert Kaindl, is selling Rubino's copycat sculptures at prices below market value, thus injuring the market value of true Chihuly sculptures.
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On July 6, 2006, in <i>Clean Flicks of Colo., LLC v. Soderbergh</i>, 433 F. Supp. 2d 1236 (D. Colo. 2006), the court granted summary judgment to several film studios, holding that the practice of making and distributing edited versions of the studios' motion pictures by the defendants, collectively known as the 'Clean Flicks defendants,' amounted to copyright infringement.
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Most lawyers today seem to focus on attracting new clients and increasing their revenues. But there's another side to the balance sheet that also needs a firm's attention: the liabilities. Here are the ways that firms can make sure they are able to pay their bills.
Get yourself comfortable and spend a few moments with a fellow warrior in the battle to build and maintain a thriving law firm client team program. Thrive is used purposely to emphasize a point. Programs and initiatives come and go, often without meaningful impact, but to thrive is to make steady progress. To prosper, flourish, and grow vigorously (courtesy of dictionary.com, for this purpose). Client teams need to thrive to succeed because anything less will not produce the revenue and relationship goals the program promises to deliver. Success will depend on continuous support from many sources, motivated teaming, rigorous processes and probably fundamental cultural change. That would be tough enough if it was the absolute top priority of any business. Would you be surprised to learn that client teams have not yet reached this exalted status in most law firms?
Marketing and business-development professionals perform many jobs, including the vital undertaking of helping attorneys stay in touch and expand their network. We spend tremendous amounts of time, energy and money, day in and day out ' on CRM systems, training programs, one-on-one coaching, sports and entertainment programs, seminars, and reminder e-mails ' to help attorneys stay top of mind. <br>If we spend time every week preaching this, why don't we follow our own advice? It's what we call 'Cobbler's Syndrome.' We are the cobbler's children and we have no shoes.
When working with law firms, the first question that we always get asked is: 'How do we increase our business?' In our experience in working with firms, we have found that they are willing to pay thousands and thousands of dollars in marketing, spend countless hours trying to identify new opportunities, and are always looking for an edge or new strategy to develop more business. We have found that most firms overlook the fact that the most cost-effective and easiest way to develop more business is to utilize the assets they already possess ' by cross-marketing and cross-selling within their own firm.
Meet Nicole Quigley, Assistant Director of Media, Public Relations and Communication with Crowell & Moring LLP.
According to a 2006 benchmarking survey by Chicago-based Hubbard One, a Thomson Elite company, 51% of the survey respondents said that they respond to more than 10 proposals a month, often with minimal advance notice. Some indicated close to 30 per month. As the demand increases and marketing is more involved in the business development process, 62% of marketers have indicated they are not satisfied with their current proposal process.
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The BTI Consulting Group's brand new research with law firm marketing leaders reveals three powerful shifts in the world of legal marketing:<ul>1. Marketing spending per attorney climbs more than 20%;</ul><ul>2. Marketing staffs expand by nearly 15%; and</ul><ul>3. Business development takes center stage as a key objective.</ul>