Copyright Claims Board: Now Entering the "Active Phase"
January 01, 2023
2023 is shaping up to be a big year for small claims. Since making its debut in June of 2022, the Copyright Claims Board (CCB) has received over 250 claims, and at least 11 have made it to the "active phase," with more on the way. Active phase means a respondent was served, failed to "opt out," and now the esteemed three-member tribunal of copyright experts may finally get a chance to make some rulings.
How to Give and Receive Feedback Effectively to Improve Team Performance
January 01, 2023
The problem with giving feedback is that it often comes across as criticism. Human beings tend to react defensively, resulting in a denial of the feedback or worse, entrenchment in the behavior or attitude that may be derailing them in the first place? How can we give feedback in a way that minimizes defensiveness?
Is Trademark Protection Going to the Dogs?
January 01, 2023
The Ninth Circuit held in VIP Prods. LLC v. Jack Daniel's Properties that VIP's "Bad Spaniels" dog toy mimicking the appearance of a Jack Daniels whisky bottle was protected expression under the First Amendment. The Supreme Court granted cert in November 2022 to consider the principal question whether humorous use of another's mark on a commercial product should be assessed under Rogers or the traditional multipart test of likelihood of confusion.
Court Declines to Block Retroactive Application of HSTPA
January 01, 2023
The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act amended the Rent Stabilization Law and, among other draconian changes, severely curtailed landlords' incentives to modernize and otherwise improve rent regulated apartments by limiting the ability to recover the costs of individual apartment improvements (IAIs) to vacant apartments.
Development Issues for Tenants to Consider In Build to Suit Leases
January 01, 2023
There are several issues and terms to consider related to the development process that differentiate build to suit leases from a standard commercial lease that are important for the tenant to understand to effectively manage costs and effectively protect itself from delays in the development schedule.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Denies Chapter 15 Recognition to a Case on the Isle of Man
January 01, 2023
Cases interpreting Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code after it was enacted in 2005 often addressed basic issues, such as whether a foreign debtor must have property in the U.S to file a case there. But even when there's no property in the U.S., there's an easy remedy: the foreign administrator can deposit a retainer payment with its U.S. law firm.
The NFT Market and Fallout from the FTX Scandal
January 01, 2023
The FTX bankruptcy scandal that has shaken the largely unregulated cryptocurrency world has slowed but isn't likely to end the roll-out of celebrity-related, non-fungible digital token (NFT) offerings. But how might the FTX story impact a push for federal regulation of the NFT market?
