Txt2Win and Mobile Promos
June 30, 2010
Advertisers and marketers taking advantage of text messaging to promote ' such as motivating consumers to buy products or services, or enter a contest or sweepstakes ' should clear efforts with experienced counsel. Unlike with commercial e-mails, text messages may cost consumers, and commercial texts require a recipient's express, specific, advance notice and consent, and could convert a sweepstakes into an illegal lottery.
Concerns for Licensees of e-Commerce Software In Cross-Border Bankruptcies
June 30, 2010
Insolvency of a multinational corporation with U.S. and foreign assets brings the prospect of complex bankruptcy. A recent case illustrates some concerns a licensee of e-commerce-related software and other intellectual property could have when a foreign licensor files for bankruptcy outside the United States.
Online Board Games
June 30, 2010
Nostalgia for board games whose outcome meant nothing more than bragging rights and an opportunity to have fun made the online versions top hits in the dawn of the Internet era. Today, the children who once played those games ' and their parents ' have grown up and done serious, responsible things, like forming e-commerce companies. Unfortunately, many of them are still playing board games when they fail to see the benefits of having a traditional board of directors, but they're now playing a game with much more potentially serious consequences.
The New Legal Workplace
June 30, 2010
The speed and shape of the American economic recovery is a matter of great debate. What is not up for speculation is the dramatic effect the downturn had on all businesses, including the legal industry. Workers and managers alike are struggling to figure out what will be expected from them in the coming business quarters, and how to deliver on these expectations. Here are three highlights for legal professionals which just may make the difference between being in the black or in the red.
Documentation of Travel and Entertainment Expenses
June 30, 2010
The IRS guidelines for deducting travel and entertainment expenses are complex. This article will assist your firm in properly documenting these expenses and avoiding a potential tax authority audit.
Do You Know How Your Pension Plan Really Works?
June 30, 2010
Most law firms sponsor some type of retirement plan for their employees, but how many plan administrators really know their plan? As a plan fiduciary, what are your responsibilities related to the operation of your pension plan? Read on to find out about your responsibilities as plan fiduciary, key features of your plan about which you should be intimately familiar, and some common problems associated with operating retirement plans.
Contract Litigation
June 28, 2010
From construction contracts, to supply contracts, to equipment leases, franchisors and franchisees might face the problem of litigating numerous legal disputes simultaneously. This, of course, can be devastating for a business, whether big or small. So what can you do to avoid these pitfalls?
IP News
June 28, 2010
Highlights of the latest intellectual property news from around the country.
Pay-for-Delay May Require a New Prescription
June 28, 2010
Part One of this series discussed common IP settlement terms that may give rise to antitrust liability and how the analysis of whether a settlement agreement violates the antitrust laws depends upon many factors that are specific to the underlying facts. This second installment addresses recent challenges by the government and private plaintiffs to settlements between brand name and generic drug manufacturers, and how these challenges have further refined the antitrust framework for analyzing patent litigation settlement agreements in the pharmaceutical industry.