Movers & Shakers
March 28, 2007
News about lawyers and law firms in the franchising industry.
Tips for Negotiating Mobile-Game Development Agreements
March 28, 2007
The mobile-game industry can be lucrative. Mobile games ' which can be downloaded to cell phones and other mobile devices ' can be cheaper and easier to develop than games created for platforms like PCs or game consoles, where users expect higher production values. What also makes mobile games attractive to developers and entrepreneurs is the potential market of consumers who already carry and use cell phones ' estimated at 207.9 million nationwide and 2 billion worldwide. Mobile games present huge brand opportunities as well: Celebrities such as hotel heiress Paris Hilton, rapper 50 Cent, skateboarder Tony Hawk and poker champion Phil Hellmuth have each licensed their names and images to mobile games. Tom Cruise, notoriously shy of associating his name with videogames, lent his name exclusively to a Mission Impossible III mobile-phone game.
Movers & Shakers
March 27, 2007
This month marks the beginning of a new feature in which <i>Patent Strategy & Management</i> expands its coverage to provide information about the advancement of lawyers in the patent profession.
'The Continuum of Value'
March 27, 2007
Despite no seeming fundamental economic differences, there have been occasions where divorce courts in different states have reached different conclusions of value for the same type of business. These states reach such different conclusions as to what constitutes marital property because they have different views as to the meaning of the term 'value.' This article represents a summary of some of our findings concerning the application of the premises and standards of value in divorce matters.
Viacom v. YouTube
March 27, 2007
This suit is potentially dealing with a very important issue that goes way beyond YouTube's actions or inactions ' the scope of the DMCA in today's Internet. The technology being utilized by YouTube was not even imagined a decade ago when the DMCA was enacted. <br>However, it is open for speculation that this suit, coming such a short time following a negotiations break-down between the parties on entering into a licensing arrangement, is just a negotiation strategy, gambit or ploy by Viacom for a more favorable deal.
Pros and Cons of Sequenced Retirement
February 28, 2007
Coming to terms with retirement is difficult and, like most things, is even harder if you are a law firm partner. As soon as you begin to think about throttling things back a tad, your clients demand a quicker response time and your partners want you to bring in more business. At the same time, what seemed just a short time ago to be a distant respite is now looming over you and you may not even know what to do or if you can even afford to do it. Moreover, even if you do not want to retire, your partnership agreement may have a mandatory retirement provision that takes away your choice.
Nondiscrimination Rights: EEOC Limits on Waivers
February 28, 2007
When involuntary employment terminations become necessary, employers often seek protection from possible post-employment claims by conditioning severance pay on the signing of a general release and agreement not to sue. As a general rule, such waivers are enforceable if they are 'knowing and voluntary.' Less clear, however, is under what circumstances an employer may condition severance payments on a promise by the departing employee that he/she will not pursue a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ('EEOC') in connection with an allegation of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.
