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As anyone connected with the modern law firm can readily attest, lawyers come and lawyers go. As anyone connected with the ethics function at the modern law firm can attest, attorney arrivals and departures create conflict of interest and other issues that sometimes seem unsolvable. <br>To be sure, the dynamics are readily different when attorneys arrive at the firm, as compared to when they depart. On the front end of a new relationship, everyone is hopeful and excited ' in stark contrast to the mindset of departing attorneys, in many circumstances, toward their soon-to-be former firm, and vice versa. Regardless of the dynamics, however, important ethical rules and principles must be followed. Otherwise, serious economic and reputational harm ' as well as attorney grievance investigations ' can follow.

The Consortium of Anti-Spyware Technology vendors (COAST) has lost its founding members, putting the group's future into question.

Recent developments of note in the Internet industry. This month:<br>Hollywood Lines Up Support for Net Song-Swap Case<br>Ohio Spam Bill Signed into Law <br>Utah Reworking Nation's First Ban on Computer Spyware <br>House Panel Approves Spyware Bill but Doesn't Toss Cookies <br>Student Incarcerated for Possessing Illegally Copied Movies, Music <br>EarthLink Files More Spam Suits

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A $10,000 "side bet" wasn't enough to persuade a Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals en banc panel to answer whether federal courts have jurisdiction over out-of-state Internet retailers.

In a classic New Yorker cartoon, the caption reads: "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog." Not so. Whether you're spouting off your views about the latest episode of "Desperate Housewives" on a fan Web site, complaining about your sinking stock portfolio on a Yahoo message board or, in the case of a Texas man recently, castigating your local politicians for misspending taxpayer dollars, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) knows you're not a dog. And it knows your name, address and telephone number.

I first started covering the U.S. Supreme Court just over 5 years ago. As measured in High Court years, that's barely a nanosecond-everything there moves…

The Internet has radically altered the nature of communication in the United States. Its effects on the American political campaigns are dramatic, as demonstrated during the most recent political campaign season where it played a decisive factor in several election victories. The Internet offers candidates the opportunity to contact a million votes for about $100 when using unsolicited bulk e-mails, often called spam. Under the First Amendment, political spam is generally lawful; however its use as a fundraising and other specific types of communication may cause legal difficulties. <br>By sending out unsolicited bulk e-mails, candidates sent information to millions of voters with the click of a button. Some see political spam as another nuisance, no different than commercial spam or junk mail. Others find political spam to be a form of speech. In particular, they find political spam to be protected speech.

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As franchise lawyers, we see hundreds of cases a year that impact our practice. Many are very important "bread and butter" cases, such as state court opinions dealing with parol evidence and integration clauses and federal cases involving trademark infringement. These are important cases that every franchise lawyer should know because they help in the day-to-day battles. Far more interesting to us, and we would imagine to most franchise attorneys, are the big cases that have happened maybe once or twice a year over the past 10 years that have made everyone wonder, "What in the world is going on?" We have selected 10 such cases that were decided in the past 10 years, made a substantial impact on franchise law, and have made most of the franchisor and franchisee legal community take a good, hard look at how to do business in the future. These are 10 cases that, at least at the time they were decided, changed the landscape for franchise attorneys and their clients.