Features

How Will the Music Modernization Act's Mechanical Licensing Collective Work?
This article focuses on managing change for clients affected by the MMA's government-mandated mechanical licensing collective. In my view, far from putting songwriters on a trajectory away from the government regulation that has oppressed them for generations, the collective imposes an entirely new bureaucracy with potentially significant costs that are not readily apparent.
Features

IP Provisions in 'New NAFTA' Agreement
With Canada's agreement, the stage was set for the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to end and the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) to take its place.Among the provisions of note for the entertainment industry, copyright will receive a boost from the USMCA.
Features

Due Diligence in Distressed Community Hospitals
Many community hospitals are in distress. The causes are varied but have a constant theme — the cost to adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
Features

The Gold Rush of NJ Cannabis Leasing: Avoiding a Few Traps for the Unwary
In this ever-evolving space, where 30 states have permitted medical cannabis and nine states have permitted adult-use cannabis, there are many issues that come into play in a lease tailored to cannabis dispensing or grow facilities. This article sensitizes the reader to the notion that these types of leases are not “business as usual,” and that they have their own nuances.
Features

Computing Rent Overcharges in Light of Roberts
In Roberts v. Tishman Speyer Props, L.P., the Court of Appeals established that a landlord receiving J-51 benefits could not avail itself of the benefits of luxury deregulation.
Features

Why Do Cybersecurity Programs Fail?
It seems this should be a key question for everyone in business, government, technology, and cybersecurity: If we know the problem with cybersecurity, and have ways of methods of addressing the problem, why are we still failing?
Features

Supreme Court Forecloses Reimbursement for Certain Internal Investigations Under Mandatory Victims Restitution Act
In Lagos v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporate victims of criminal offenses cannot recover expenses incurred from internal investigations that the federal government has neither requested nor required under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act of 1996,
Features

The PTAB's New Claim Construction Standard: Will the Real Impact Please Stand Up
Beginning on Nov. 13, 2018, the USPTO will cease to apply the broadest reasonable interpretation (BRI) standard for newly-filed IPR, PGR, and CBM trials under the America Invents Act (AIA). Instead, the USPTO will begin "using the same claim construction standard that would be used to construe the claim in a civil action …."
Features

Get It in Writing: Deducting False Claims Act Payments
In fiscal year 2017, the DOJ collected more than $3.7 billion dollars from False Claims Act (FCA) cases — part of the $86 billion it has collected from FCA cases since 1986. States and municipalities are aggressively pursuing FCA recoveries as well. Whether or not such payments are deductible as business expenses under the Internal Revenue Code is an important consideration when negotiating a settlement with the government.
Features

Unprepared for a Cyberattack? The DOJ Wants to Change That
<b><i>New U.S. Department of Justice Cybersecurity Guidelines Stress Preparedness Amid Reports That Many Organizations Have Failed to Plan for a Breach</b></i><p>Data protection tips are virtually everywhere these days. So it's hardly surprising that the U.S. Department of Justice has released new guidelines on that very topic. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre is poised to follow suit.
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