Features
The Dimensions of 'Goodwill' in a Law Practice Sale
One of the thorniest issues in selling a law practice involves the issue of goodwill and how to value it. Goodwill is both an accounting term and a qualitative dimension. Understanding both helps the average lawyer better understand the sale of a law practice.
Features
Improving Mobile App Privacy
Companies that create and distribute mobile apps are under increasing pressure to protect user data. In 2013, the FTC and the California Attorney General each published privacy recommendations for mobile apps. Among other things, the FTC urges "privacy by design," advising companies to build privacy protections into apps from the outset.
Features
<i>Commentary</i> New Laws Needed To Protect Student Data
Students and schools around the country are utilizing new digital technologies in ways many people did not imagine at the turn of the century ' and those technologies offer great promise. Unfortunately, the current legal framework designed to protect student privacy and safety has not kept up with the rapid advancements that have been created by the Digital Age.
Features
Federal Circuit Limits ITC's Indirect Patent Infringement Authority
On Dec. 13, 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a landmark decision limiting the statutory authority of the International Trade Commission (ITC) to remedy indirect infringement, holding "that an exclusion order based on a violation of 19 U.S.C. '1337(a)(1)(B)(i) may not be predicated on a theory of induced infringement under 35 U.S.C. '271(b) where direct infringement does not occur until after importation of the articles the exclusion order would bar."
Features
Supreme Court Rejects Review of 'Shopping Cart' Patents
Soverain Software, the e-commerce company whose $2.5 million jury win for infringement of its "shopping cart" patents was reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, failed to convince the U.S. Supreme Court to take its appeal.
Senate Introduces Data Security Act
Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) are taking aim at retailers with new legislation intended to improve safeguards for consumer information, following recent revelations about data breaches at Target Corp. and Neiman Marcus Group Ltd.
Sup. Ct. Hears <i>Raging Bull</i> Laches Dispute
The U.S. Supreme Court in January heard oral arguments on whether a person's unreasonable delay in filing a copyright infringement action can be used to bar that lawsuit. <i>Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer</i> Inc. stems from a dispute over the rights to <i>Raging Bull</i>, the 1980 Martin Scorsese film based on the life of World Middleweight Champion Jake LaMotta.
Columns & Departments
Court Watch
Recent Cases Raise Red Flags for Franchise Agreement Drafters <br>Ill. Appellate Court Holds FDD Earnings Claim Disclaimers Defeat Fraud Claim<br>Noting New York City's Density, Court Enforces, But Limits, Restrictive Covenant
European Civil Law, Franchise Agreements and the Duty of Good Faith
The "restrictive," "adaptive" and "collateral" approaches to a duty of good faith can be found in differing combinations and degrees in most of the civil jurisdictions in the EU, despite the fact that some of them have a very different historical perspectives and approaches to the concept of good faith. Last month we took a look at the German system; now, we turn to the French.
Bid to Topple Patent Law Doctrine Fails
Palo Alto Networks' unusual bid to drive its patent battle with rival Juniper Networks into state court has fallen short.
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 ›
- Reining in the Inequitable Conduct DefenseResponding to views from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere about the unintended consequences of the current inequitable conduct doctrine, a divided <i>en banc</i> Federal Circuit decision issued on May 25, 2011 adjusted the standard of the materiality element to make this defense harder to establish.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 ›
- 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 ›
- Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTsA federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.Read More ›