So-called Intellectual Property exclusions in commercial general liability ("GL") insurance policies have received relatively little attention from the courts. However, the ubiquity of new advertising technologies, recent appellate decisions confirming GL "personal and advertising injury" coverage for patent claims, and new claims that policyholders are facing for alleged electronic invasions of privacy may well turn the IP exclusion into the proverbial "elephant in the room.
Recent matters have pushed the topic of technology assisted review (TAR) into the judicial limelight, generating much discussion ' and confusion ' in the legal community.
Applying technology to an inefficient process will give you a net gain of zero. Throwing technology at a problem without first looking at the process will rarely fix it. In fact, it may exacerbate the problem by adding another layer of complexity to existing process challenges.
The Third Circuit has determined that, when a patent-holding drug manufacturer makes payments to potential generic competitors to keep them out of the marketplace, that fact alone serves as <i>prima facie</i> evidence of violation of U.S. antitrust laws.
Even as the e-discovery market matures, we continue to see change driven by shifting economic conditions, the proliferation of data sources such as social media and cloud computing, and evolving legal standards. In response to these challenges, e-discovery vendors are developing solutions that are poised to shape the direction of the market. As legal and IT professionals, it is our duty to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of e-discovery technologies.
Proctoring by experienced surgeons is a common and increasingly frequent method to credential surgeons for hospital privileges or those who are new to laproscopic or robotic procedures. But what are the legal pitfalls?
Twice in less than 12 months, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has investigated Google Inc.'s personal data-handling practices to compare them with Google's representations made on its website privacy policy and other documents. And twice in less than 12 months, the FTC has determined that Google's practices constituted misrepresentation.
At the Oscars in March, Best Actress winner Frances McDormand made “inclusion rider” go viral. But Kalpana Kotagal, a partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll had already worked for months to write the language for such provisions. Kotagal was developing legal language for contract provisions that Hollywood's elite could use to require studios and other partners to employ diverse workers on set.
With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.
The legal implications of branding generally arise initially for companies during the process of selecting a company name and any initial product or service names. For drug development companies, however, careful consideration should also be paid to the implications of branding a clinical trial.
'Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel is a continuation of the discussion of client expectations and the disconnect that often occurs. And although the outside attorneys should be pursuing how inside-counsel actually think, inside counsel should make an effort to impart this information without waiting to be asked.
