Features
What Remedies Are Available Under ERISA When a Plan Participant Spends the Settlement Proceeds in a Subrogation Case?
In January, the United States Supreme Court rendered its decision, in an 8-1 vote, in <I>Montanile v. Board of Trustees of the National Elevator Industry Health Benefit Plan</I>, an Eleventh Circuit case in which an ERISA health plan sought to recover medical benefits paid to an injured participant after that participant's personal injury settlement funds had already been spent. Here's an analysis of that ruling.
Features
<i>TriVascular, Inc. v. Samuels</i>
On Feb. 5, 2016, in <i>TriVascular, Inc. v. Samuels, </i> the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the written decision of the PTABin an <i>Inter Partes</i> Review. In particular, the court affirmed the Board's conclusion that the '575 patent was not invalid as being obvious over the prior art of record despite the Board's initial institution of the IPR based on obviousness grounds.
Fed. Circuit: Consultant's Pre-Agreement Work Falls Outside Assignment Provision
On Feb. 5, 2016, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a unanimous decision in <i>TriReme Med., LLC. v. AngioScore, Inc.,</i> holding that AngioScore's consulting agreement had failed to assign inventive contributions made by a consultant before the effective date of the agreement. The decision highlights the need for attentive drafting of agreements with new employees and contractors, especially if they may have engaged in relevant inventive activity before the start of the employment or contractor relationship.
Features
Tech Advances Have Led to More Traces of Deadly Microbes
A number of recent discoveries are challenging the idea that infectious diseases are sporadic and relatively rare causes of illness and death, and those discoveries are revolutionizing our understanding of the microbial world around us and presage significant changes in the legal landscape.
Features
Ninth Circuit Finds No Publicity Claim In <i>Hurt Locker</i>
The producers of the movie <i>The Hurt Locker</i> had a First Amendment right to fictionalize the experience of a U.S. Army explosives technician in the Iraq war, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled.
Features
i.think Therefore i.am? Not Exactly
Fame, they say, is fleeting ' but the brands and value they create are not. Little wonder the adopted names of certain stars become not only brands in the popular imagination, but also legally defended rights and trademarks.
Features
Can an Applicant With a Criminal History Buy a Franchise?
The character of a franchise prospect seems relevant. Franchisors want trustworthy participants in the franchise system. A credit report and a criminal history search seem reasonable to screen out undesirables. Roughly one in four adults has some criminal history that would show up on a search, and some of these crimes have since been decriminalized. Using searches of criminal histories and credit reports can also be racially discriminatory.
Features
The Other Side of the Interview
Much has been written regarding how the candidate can be successful in the interview; however, less has been shared regarding how the interviewer can "win the interview" for the firm. Below are four ways in which an interviewer can come out on top in an interview.
Data Breach Claims
"There are only two types of companies: those that have been hacked and those that will be." ' Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller
Trans-Jurisdictional Transactions
This three-part series has analyzed the complex issues that arise throughout the dispute resolution process of cross-border transactions. In this final installment, we look to the beginning and discuss how proper planning and effective drafting of the dispute resolution provisions can infuse predictability and reliability into cross-border business deals.
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