LJN Newsletters

A federal judge recently ruled that an Internet service provider is barred from pursuing claims for alleged violations of the California and Maryland anti-spam statutes because it existed primarily and substantially to collect e-mails it believed to be spam and sue over it, and because it consented to receive the e-mails over which it sues.

Court Decides Production Company's Release Agreement with Michael Keaton Was Signed Under Duress
J. Geils Loses Bid to Disqualify Attorney for Band Members That Geils Has Sued
Oregon Federal Court Has Personal Jurisdiction over California Lawyer Sued for Malpractice by Radio Show Producers

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon struck down Federal Reserve regulations on debit-card transaction fees on July 31, a victory for retailers that process high numbers of low-ticket transactions. Leon found that the Fed adopted rules that "inappropriately" inflated fees by billions of dollars.

Franchise Relationship Law Tabled in CA Assembly
New Franchise-Relationship Bill Proposed in PA

The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has the authority to stop unfair trade practices, including the importation of products found to infringe a valid U.S. patent. But does that authority automatically extend to downstream products incorporating a relatively insignificant infringing component ' such as an automobile that happens to include an infringing light-emitting diode? And is the ITC required to balance the parties' interests and consider factors such as the value of an infringing component compared to the overall value of the imported downstream product?

President Barack Obama's administration has drafted a potential recipe for sweetening its voluntary corporate cybersecurity program. The program is under development at the White House and is aimed at utility companies and other businesses that are key to U.S. infrastructure.

This article discusses several contemporary privacy issues, including: whether accidental access to another's e-mail account constitutes unauthorized computer access; whether the use of a fictitious online identity can lead to civil liability; and whether the account holder of an unsecured home Wi-Fi network can be found liable for infringing activities by third parties using the network.

In order to deal with an expanding Internet, brand owners need to understand how to use a variety of tools to handle the different brand protection and legal challenges that will be presented. For brand owners looking at the New gTLD space, formulating a trademark protection strategy should be viewed as an important tool on an entire tool belt of protection strategies that together can be used as a comprehensive plan.