Features
Federal Contractors Must Offer Paid Sick Leave to Their Employees
On Sept. 7, 2015, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order No. 13706, which requires federal contractors to offer their employees working on federal contracts up to seven days of paid sick leave per year. The Executive Order will impact contracts entered into on or after Jan. 1, 2017.
Features
Federal Civil Trade Secret Legislation
Businesses regularly lose precious data, sometimes even "the crown jewels," through trade secret theft by departing employees, unscrupulous contractors and others. Although trade secret theft is estimated to cause billions of dollars in damage every year, no federal civil claim for trade secret misappropriation currently exists. State laws govern these assets, and they are inconsistently applied. Relief may be in sight.
Features
MPAA International Piracy War Yields Two Key Wins
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) recently announced that two major piracy websites, Popcorn Time and YTS, were shuttered following pro-MPAA court rulings in Canada and New Zealand.
Columns & Departments
On the Move
Who's going where; who's doing what.
Features
Second Circuit Rules That Lien Is Extinguished Under Chapter 11 Only if Secured Creditor Participates in Case
The question of whether the terms of a Chapter 11 plan providing for the treatment of secured creditor claims are binding on non-participating secured creditors has been ongoing. The U.S. Second Circuit recently weighed in on this issue as a matter of first impression.
Features
Ascertaining Potential Plaintiffs
Up until now, before a purported "purchaser" may join a class action targeting a product, the potential class member must make a showing that (s)he actually purchased the product and was potentially damaged by the alleged wrong. A recent Seventh Circuit decision, however, provides a decisive counterpoint to decisions in the Third and Eleventh Circuits.
Features
Mobile App Developer Agreements
Many companies that have had disputes with developers have been surprised to discover that the agreements signed, often without input from legal, failed to hold developers to measurable standards, give the company ongoing interest in deliverables, or provide meaningful remedies to problems that arise.
Features
Second Circuit Rules That Lien Is Extinguished Under Chapter 11 Only if Secured Creditor Participates in Case
A hornbook principle of U.S. bankruptcy jurisprudence is that valid liens pass through bankruptcy unaffected. This longstanding tenet, however, is at odds with section 1141(c) of the Bankruptcy Code, which provides that, under certain circumstances, "the property dealt with by [a Chapter 11] plan is free and clear of all claims and interests of creditors," except as otherwise provided in the plan or the order confirming the plan.
Killing the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg
Last month, the authors began discussion of a trend in New Jersey case law that has been moving that state toward the expansion of hospital liability through the continuous erosion of the statutorily imposed $250,000 charitable immunity cap. They continue their analysis of this trend and its consequences herein.
Features
Apportionment of Lost Profits Damages Appears To Be Making a Comeback
The issue of damages remains a hot topic at the Federal Circuit, with patentees being continuously reminded that damages must be apportioned to account for the value of patented features, as opposed to unpatented features, of an accused product. However, the vast majority of these cases involve apportionment in the context of reasonable royalties. Very little has been said about apportionment in a lost profits analysis.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- 'Customary Operations' or A Vacant Building?Many times, courts are faced with the question of whether a loss location is 'vacant' under a commercial property policy when trying to determine if the building owner or lessee is conducting customary operations. This article explores various decisions across the United States as to what is considered 'customary operations,' thereby rendering the property 'vacant.'Read More ›
- Redefining Attorney-Client Collaboration with Technology That Delivers Greater ValueIf savvy law firm attorneys haven't done so yet, they should take this time to adjust their expectations and increase their comfort levels with new technologies, processes, and workflows. Going forward, their clients will expect the emphasis to be on relationships and outcomes, not billable hours.Read More ›
- Mixed Ruling in Jefferson Starship Band Name SuitWhat's in a rock band's name? Plenty, if you are talking about Jefferson Starship, which goes back more than 40 years, has had more than 30 members and was born from the 1960s psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane.Read More ›
- Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the RoughThere is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.Read More ›
- Authorship and Copyright In Hybrid AI-Human Collaborative WorksThe United States Copyright Office recently issued a letter ruling on the copyrightability of Kristina Kashtanova's comic book-like work, Zarya of the Dawn. The Kashtanova ruling indicates that the Copyright Office's determination of copyrightability of works involving use of AI will rely on whether the author is able to control and foresee with some measure of predictability the output of the authorial processRead More ›