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IP News
Highlights of the latest intellectual property news and cases from around the country.
Features
Vicarious Liability and Copyright Law: Breaking with Tradition
Vicarious liability is applicable in most areas of tort law. As the U.S. Supreme Court stated in an opinion early last year, "traditional vicarious liability rules ordinarily make principals or employers vicariously liable for acts of their agents or employees in the scope of their authority or employment." <i>Meyer v. Holley</i>, 537 U.S. 280, 283 (2003).
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Online: Learn How to File Electronically
For attorneys who wish to file electronically in the federal district courts, the Case Management — Electronic Case Filing ("CM/ECF") site at <i>www.ilnb.uscourts.gov/cmEcf/</i> is very helpful. Go to the site and click on "Requirements." There you will find both the minimum and recommended configurations for hardware and software for both IBM compatible and Macintosh computers.
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Case Notes
Highlights of the latest product liability cases from around the country.
Features
Practice Tip: Recovering Under the Theory of Failure to Issue Post-Sale Warnings
Although a product may be reasonably safe when it is sold, a manufacturer that later learns of risks revealed by user operation may be held responsible for failure to issue post-sale warnings. The justification for a post-sale duty to warn arises from a manufacturer's unique and superior position to follow the use and adaptation of its products by consumers. The manufacturer is best placed to learn about post-sale defects or dangers discovered in the use of its products as compared with purchasers and users.
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Legislative Solutions to Toxic Torts: Congress and the Thimerosal and Asbestos Litigations Part One of a Two-Part Series
Over the course of the last 2 years, Congress has tried to find a legislative solution to two very different alleged toxic torts. In November 2002, a rider was attached to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 that would have effectively brought one of the most recent toxic tort litigations ' the thimerosal litigation ' to an abrupt end. Throughout the spring and summer of 2003, Congress tried to establish a $115 billion national trust fund for perhaps the largest and oldest and possibly most abused toxic tort litigation ' the asbestos litigation. Neither of these attempts, for very different reasons, was successful ' the thimerosal rider was repealed in early 2003 and in November 2003, the Senate decided not to vote on the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2003. What follows is an overview of those legislative initiatives.
Defending Against Post-Sale Warning Claims
An unusual twist in the typical product liability case can occur when a plaintiff asserts a post-sale warning claim. (In this article, "product" does not refer to consumer products that are subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.) Because a post-sale warning claim is not frequently encountered, such a claim can cause confusion, especially with respect to the relation between the post-sale warning claim and the other claims that a plaintiff is asserting.
Accounting Mismatch Spins Accrual Fate for Merger Deal
Last month's edition featured a new book excerpt on resolving balance sheet issues in law firm mergers. This recent news report on Pennie & Edmonds underscores the potentially extreme challenges of harmonizing disparate accounting systems.
Billing Basics Revisited: Write-downs and Collections
While A&FP regularly seeks to explore new and advanced profitability techniques, the wide experience of our authors regularly confirms the vital need to keep an eye on basics. It's been some time since we revisited these particular perennials in the profitability garden. Our Editorial Board member Bill Brennan's review clarifies their importance and provides some fresh insights
Features
Law Firm Performance Metrics: Broadening Our Discussion
Last month's medley of views on law firm ranking metrics, while diverse, by no means exhausted what <i>A&FP</i> Board members and other contributors have to say about this important subject. The following two mini articles continue to address ranking-related problems, but will also help us broaden the scope of our discussion.
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