Authors, Agents and Publishers Seek to Carve Out Their Rights in Electronic-Book Formats
October 27, 2010
The rapid growth in e-book sales and the increasing number of options available to authors for digital distribution of their works are altering the traditional business model of print publishers. The size of the authors' shares and traditional publishers' shares (if any) of e-book sales revenues may depend on where the Digital Distributors obtain their rights to sell e-books: from traditional print publishers, which of necessity are becoming increasingly focused on e-book sales, from new publishers specializing in e-books, or even from the authors themselves.
e-Commerce Retailing Continues Its Quarterly Return
October 27, 2010
e-Commerce spending in the second quarter was up an estimated full $1 billion from the first quarter, or $39.7 billion, the Census Bureau notes in preliminary figures ' a 2.6% rise for April through June, a gain of 1.5% from the first quarter and a healthy increase of 14% from the second quarter of last year.
Lessons from Twitter's Settlement with the FTC
October 27, 2010
The recent announcement that social-networking phenomenon Twitter has agreed to settle FTC charges that Twitter engaged in inadequate privacy and information-security practices illustrates some simple mistakes social media and other online companies can make.
When the Virtual Storefront Is the Home Front
October 27, 2010
One of the virtues of e-commerce has always been its low barrier to entry. For little investment of time or money, anyone can set up shop online, whether selling advice or widgets. But can something so easily accomplished really be a business? Will an entrepreneur run something out of her spare bedroom the same way as if she had venture capitalists peering over her shoulders, demanding a business plan, financial statements, budgets, marketing plans and everything that a bricks-and-mortar retailer has (except the expense of leasing space)? If not, she may treat it as just another hobby, something to handle in her free time.
Provisions of the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010
October 27, 2010
President Obama signed into law the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act (SBJC) of 2010 on Sept. 27. More than $12 billion in tax incentives and relief provisions that are contained in the Act will directly or indirectly affect law firms, partners, their staffs and their clients.
Whose Signature Is on the Check?
October 27, 2010
When it comes to getting paid for legal services, attorneys typically focus far more on getting paid than on who is making the payment. But they need to be concerned about the signature on the check.
Social Media Marketing
October 27, 2010
There are good reasons to believe that social media represents the next frontier in effective legal marketing, and many competitors have already hit the ground running. What do you need to know?
Coping with Socially Networked Jurors
October 27, 2010
At the office, in the car or anywhere else, we share every detail of our daily existence in real time on Facebook. Most of the time, this is acceptable and constitutionally protected behavior. But what happens in the courtroom when jurors post their opinions about a case online during trial?
New Laws Expand Whistleblower Protections
October 27, 2010
Federal statutes protecting whistleblowers are on the rise. Most recently, the Dodd-Frank Act, meant to overhaul and strengthen federal oversight of the financial system, included workplace protections for whistleblowers in the financial services industry. But that is not the only new law to include whistleblower protections.
Who Is Dealing With Social Media Policies?
October 27, 2010
Survey results show that 38% of the 1,700 respondents didn't know who was dealing with social media in their company. The remaining answers were spread across human resources, compliance, marketing, and, at the bottom of the list, the legal department. And while 84% say companies should have policies in place to address social media risks, only 35% say they do have them. But the risks of social media ' legal and reputational ' are real, and companies need to deal with them.
