Companies that create and distribute mobile apps are under increasing pressure to protect user data. In 2013, the FTC and the California Attorney General each published privacy recommendations for mobile apps. Among other things, the FTC urges "privacy by design," advising companies to build privacy protections into apps from the outset.
Students and schools around the country are utilizing new digital technologies in ways many people did not imagine at the turn of the century ' and those technologies offer great promise. Unfortunately, the current legal framework designed to protect student privacy and safety has not kept up with the rapid advancements that have been created by the Digital Age.
The FCC failed again in its attempt to regulate broadband Internet service providers. On January 14, a unanimous three-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals decided that the FCC lacked the legal authority to write certain rules governing the management of data on the Internet ' popularly known as the "network neutrality" rules. The decision could leave companies such as Netflix Inc. and Amazon, Inc. facing higher charges for the fastest service.
In November, a European court ruling forced an American Internet service provider to remove content from servers located in the U.S. and block the transfer of content to European and Asian users. This ruling resulted from the Internet search results of an Englishman who asserted that his French Internet privacy rights make it illegal to distribute Internet images of an individual in a private space without that person's permission.
The role the independent audit committee of a board of directors is becoming increasingly important as significant responsibilities shift to the board of directors.
Over protests from the tech lobby, California senators passed legislation on Jan 30 that would limit what information online retailers can collect from their customers.
Meals and entertainment expenses are generally only 50% deductible, and provided the expenses are ordinary and necessary, have a business purpose and have proper documentation, there should be no issues surviving an IRS audit.
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.
