Features
Evolution of the Patent Infringement Safe Harbor
Since its enactment in 1984, the scope of the "safe harbor" provision of the patent code has been in flux. The provision is intended to exempt from infringement certain acts related to the development of drugs and medical devices that are subject to FDA regulatory approval, to enable competitors to immediately enter the market upon patent expiration. However, the contours and boundaries of the safe harbor have been a consistent source of controversy in the courts.
Features
Collecting Social Security Numbers
In the first half of 2014, at least 96 significant data breaches were reported, compromising more than 2.2 million records. Of these breaches, at least 46 involved records that may have contained Social Security Numbers (SSNs). What the affected businesses may not know is that the mere collection of SSNs may have put them in violation of state laws, in addition to the liability they may now face for having failed to protect the SSN information.
Features
CFPB Gets Real About Bitcoin Risks
Consumers should be cautious when using bitcoin and alert the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to any problems with the virtual money, the agency said last month after a government watchdog this summer urged the CFPB to engage more on the currency.
Features
Valuation of a Law Firm and a Law Practice
Lawyers leaving a law practice have an economic interest in monetizing their career-long investment in building a client portfolio and a referral network. How each lawyer has accomplished this depends on his or her particular practice, market and style. But while the means may vary, the results are the same ' access to clients who have legal needs. And this is the value the acquirers wish to capture.
Features
The DNA of an In-House Corporate e-Discovery Project Manager
What is the DNA of an in-house e-discovery project manager ' and how can you become one, whether you are a lawyer or a technician? Let's define an in-house e-discovery project manager, examine in-house corporate hiring trends and endeavor to understand what the corporate appetite is for grooming talent or, conversely, for hiring experienced e-discovery professionals.
Features
Is It a 'Cyberattack' or a 'Data-Breach Incident'?
This article goes beyond the nuts and bolts of how to respond to a data-breach incident, and offers some lessons learned from the frontlines of the cybersecurity war to help companies successfully navigate the legal and public-relations minefield that ensues.
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Insurance Coverage Disputes over Data Breaches
Each day, businesses become progressively more dependent on computers and the Internet to gather, store and protect information. But, as sophisticated as this technology may be, it has also proven to be susceptible to breaches, which have time and again resulted in the unauthorized access of confidential information.
Features
Anti-Waiver Arguments and Enforcement of Forum-Selection Clauses
Anti-waiver provisions in state franchise acts have traditionally been used to trump the venue designated in the franchise agreement and to successfully transfer venue to the franchisee's home state. However, a recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan has added weight to a small but growing body of cases enforcing forum-selection clauses against franchisees that operate in states with franchise acts containing anti-waiver provisions.
Features
Protecting Law Firms from Increasing Cyberattacks
Cyberattacks are increasing at a startling rate in the business community, not only by hackers for personal intellectual skullduggery, but cyberattacks aimed at obtaining sensitive information. Law firms have become major targets of these illegal attacks, which are aimed at discovering and pilfering the entire subject matter of a commercial operation.
Features
EU Data Protection Reforms Update
E-commerce counsel would do well to familiarize themselves with the ongoing process of reforms to the EU data protection rules due to their eventual compliance impact and because they constitute more than a simple upgrade to the existing rules.
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- The 'Sophisticated Insured' DefenseA majority of courts consider the <i>contra proferentem</i> doctrine to be a pillar of insurance law. The doctrine requires ambiguous terms in an insurance policy to be construed against the insurer and in favor of coverage for the insured. A prominent rationale behind the doctrine is that insurance policies are usually standard-form contracts drafted entirely by insurers.Read More ›
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- The New York Uniform Commercial Code Comes of AgeParties in large non-consumer transactions with no connection whatsoever to New York often choose its law to govern their transactions, and New York statutes permit them to do so. What most people do not know is that the New York Uniform Commercial Code is outdated.Read More ›