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Regulation

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Intent to Use Image

Intent to Use

Ed Komen

Bona fide intent was given new meaning by the TTAB. <i>Lincoln National Corporation v. Anderson,</i> exemplifies an apparent trend of the TTAB requiring greater proof of an applicant's "intent" as a jurisdictional prerequisite for filing an application or face a finding that the application is void <i>ab initio.</i> This is the paradigm of the "ticking time bomb" trademark nightmare with a very long fuse.

Features

FCC Punts on Net Neutrality Image

FCC Punts on Net Neutrality

Jenna Greene

Criticized from the right and the left, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler last month tried to chart a middle path on net neutrality ' and pleased no one.

Features

EU Data Protection Reforms Update Image

EU Data Protection Reforms Update

Andre Bywater

Corporate 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.

Features

The ITC Is Dead, Long Live the ITC Image

The ITC Is Dead, Long Live the ITC

Elizabeth A. Niemeyer & C. Brandon Rash

In the last decade, the ITC has been an increasingly popular forum for litigating IP rights, largely because it offers a quick and forceful remedy in the form of an exclusion order, which can exclude infringing products from the U.S. market. In recent months, several important decisions have caused some to question the continuing vitality of the ITC as forum.

Features

Are Search Engine Results Protected Speech? Image

Are Search Engine Results Protected Speech?

Richard Raysman & Peter Brown

Search-engine results have become the lodestar of the Web for most users. Whether the user constructs a narrowly-tailored query designed to exclude inapplicable results, or a broad search designed as an introduction to a given topic, the algorithmic apparatus fueling search engines will usually produce pertinent information. As a matter of fact, this article on search results was in part fueled by using results acquired from a search engine.

Features

Coping with Evolving Cybersecurity Rules Image

Coping with Evolving Cybersecurity Rules

Jonathan S. Feld, Susan E. Asam & Leyton Nelson

Cybersecurity and data protection, more than ever, are priority items for the government and private sector. The government has reacted by proposing legislative "fixes" that would require organizations to satisfy basic levels of cybersecurity protection and disclose breaches or face fines. Whether a mandatory compliance model will be effective given the rapid pace by which technology advances is unclear. It may be unrealistic to expect the government's legislative pace to keep up with hackers.

Features

IRS Guidance Reveals Federal Bitcoins Strategy Image

IRS Guidance Reveals Federal Bitcoins Strategy

James Ching

The IRS's March 25, 2014 declaration that bitcoins are property, not currency, is the final piece of the carefully-crafted Federal approach to bitcoin regulation which greatly differs from the approach of other sovereign nations.

Features

Reclassification of Obesity and Changes to The Manual of Mental Disorders Image

Reclassification of Obesity and Changes to The Manual of Mental Disorders

Frank Cragle & Jaime Wisegarver

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is not the only health care challenge facing employers. Recent medical disease reclassifications are affecting a large portion of America's workforce, and the long-term impact is proving difficult to predict. These changes may result in an increased number of workers' compensation and ADA discrimination claims, but hopefully, they will also result in a greater emphasis placed upon prevention and treatment.

Features

Important Issues and Recent Developments in Wage and Hour Law Image

Important Issues and Recent Developments in Wage and Hour Law

Amy K. Jordan

This article examines important legal and political developments affecting the FLSA and how they develop into the most commonly litigated employment claims in American federal courts.

Features

Maximizing Value Image

Maximizing Value

Michael H. Torkin

Directors of a leveraged company should begin to consider the implications of not being able to access traditional debt markets on appropriate terms. This article highlights the initial steps, questions and concerns typically facing a director in this new environment.

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    A 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.
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  • Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric Code
    In an effort to minimize the release of toxic gasses from cables in the event of fire, the 2002 version of the National Electric Code ("NEC"), promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, sets forth new guidelines requiring that abandoned cables must be removed from buildings unless they are located in metal raceways or tagged "For Future Use." While the NEC is not, in itself, binding law, most jurisdictions in the United States adopt the NEC by reference in their state or local building and fire codes. Thus, noncompliance with the recent NEC guidelines will likely mean that a building is in violation of a building or fire code. If so, the building owner may also be in breach of agreements with tenants and lenders and may be jeopardizing its fire insurance coverage. Even in jurisdictions where the 2002 NEC has not been adopted, it may be argued that the guidelines represent the standard of reasonable care and could result in tort liability for the landlord if toxic gasses from abandoned cables are emitted in a fire. With these potential liabilities in mind, this article discusses: 1) how to address the abandoned wires and cables currently located within the risers, ceilings and other areas of properties, and 2) additional considerations in the placement and removal of telecommunications cables going forward.
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