Features

Law Firms Are More Profitable Than Ever. How are They Doing It?
<b><i>Given the Obstacles Law Firms Are Facing, Profitability Shouldn't Be Increasing</b></i><p>Rising competition from alternative service providers and the ever-forward march of technology adoption should be having a similar, negative, effect on profitability. This raises an obvious question — how are law firms doing it?
Columns & Departments
Case Notes
Subtenants Not Entitled to Notice Under Law<br>Illegal Tenant Activity Negates Insurer's Responsibility to the Landlord
Features

*BREAKING NEWS* Consilio Acquires E-Discovery Solutions Provider DiscoverReady
Continuing its run of recent M&A activity, Consilio CEO Andy Macdonald said DiscoverReady has been on his radar for managed review he called “head and shoulders” above the competition.
Features

How Entertainment and Media Brand Owners Can Prepare for Brexit Scenarios
Following the “Brexit” vote by the United Kingdom signaling its intent to leave the European Union, there was a rush of speculation and guesswork about how EU trademark and design rights would be treated. What progress has been made and what obstacles remain to a smooth transition?
Features

'Star Wars' Sabacc Game Lawsuit Is Resolved
Lucasfilm Ltd. won a dispute over the rights to the card game that plays a pivotal, if small, role in the greater Star Wars galaxy.
Features

4 Takeways from EU Copyright Directive Vote
In September, the European Parliament passed a new draft of the European Union (EU) Copyright Directive legislation championed by content creators and publishers, but decried by tech behemoths. The directive will have to go through more committee discussions and another parliamentary vote before it can become law, but this doesn't mean the polarizing legislation isn't already making in-house counsel nervous.
Features

Issues in Using Bots to Send Takedown Notices
We asked University of Idaho College of Law Professor Annemarie Bridy, one of the forefront experts in both DMCA and automated notice sending, about out of control bots, DMCA takedowns' potential threat to freedom of speech and more.
Features

The Blockchain Will Support GDPR, but Not How Most People Think
It's clear that the onset of GDPR regulations and a quickly changing consumer sentiment about the sensitivity and value of their personal data will reorient a company's interactions with their customers and their information. There will be some pain points in this transition, as Facebook investors recently demonstrated, but it doesn't have to be a unilateral downturn for the tech industry.
Features

Online Extra: Severity of Data Breaches Increases In First Half of 2018
Gemalto's 2018 Breach Level Index found 4.5 billion records were stolen, lost or compromised worldwide in the first half of 2018, a 133 increase over the first half of 2017.
Features

The High Bar for Challenging an Improperly Revived Patent
The recent <i>In Re Rembrandt Technologies</i> decision is a reminder of both the potential consequence of a patent holder's disingenuous assertion of unintentionality and the challenges that defendants face when raising the improper filing of a petition to revive a lapsed patent as a defense.
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- Coverage Issues Stemming from Dry Cleaner Contamination SuitsIn recent years, there has been a growing number of dry cleaners claiming to be "organic," "green," or "eco-friendly." While that may be true with respect to some, many dry cleaners continue to use a cleaning method involving the use of a solvent called perchloroethylene, commonly known as perc. And, there seems to be an increasing number of lawsuits stemming from environmental problems associated with historic dry cleaning operations utilizing this chemical.Read More ›
- 'Insurable Interest' and the Scope of First-Party CoverageThis article reviews the fundamental underpinnings of the concept of insurable interest, and certain recent cases that have grappled with the scope of insurable interest and have articulated a more meaningful application of the concept to claims under first-party property policies.Read More ›
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- The Powerful Impact of The Non-Foreclosure Notice of PendencyRPAPL ' 1331 and RPAPL ' 1403 Notices of Pendency are requisite elements for foreclosing a mortgage. <i>See, Chiarelli v. Kotsifos</i>, 5 A.D.3d 345 (a notice of pendency is a prerequisite to obtaining a judgment in a mortgage foreclosure action); <i>Campbell v. Smith</i>, 309 A.D.2d 581, 582 (a notice of pendency is required in a foreclosure action under RPAPL Article 13). In contrast, an ex parte CPLR Article 65 Notice of Pendency (the "Notice") is not required but it is a significant tool in an action claiming title to, or an interest in or the use or enjoyment of, another's land. The filer does not have to make a meritorious showing or post a bond. Article 65 provides mechanisms for the defendant-owner to vacate the Notice that caused an unilaterally imposed restraint on its realty. But, recent case law establishes the near futility of such efforts if the plaintiff has satisfied the minimal statutory requisites for filing the Notice.Read More ›