Who Should Monitor Online Counterfeiters?
April 30, 2009
Oral arguments will soon be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in the highly watched dispute between renowned jeweler Tiffany & Co. and eBay, the popular online auction site, over who bears the burden of "policing" online counterfeit activity. Evidencing the tension between e-commerce and brand owners, eBay, Tiffany and several amici curiae have advanced their positions to the circuit. This article summarizes some of the arguments.
e-Commerce and Canada
April 30, 2009
With a recession taking a chunk from some e-retailers' sales, U.S. entrepreneurs are looking to expand their e-sales base north of the border, onto Canadian consumers' computer screens. But reaching that wider shopper base can present problems, particularly when a Web retailer attempts cross-border transactions into Canada. Many retailers may be surprised to learn that a number of legal differences exist that can present thorny issues to even the smallest boutique U.S.-based Web site selling to customers who make their purchases online in Canada.
Cisco Legal Increases Efficiency
April 30, 2009
An ongoing challenge of Cisco Legal's priority to deliver value efficiently to its business customers is the need to facilitate intra- as well as inter-departmental collaboration with outside counsel and business partners and customers.
Data Loss Prevention: A Concept in Motion
April 30, 2009
The current economic climate, along with portable devices and the mobility of today's workforce, has truly created the perfect storm ' exacerbating DLP issues and expanding the definition of DLP and related needs beyond the piecemeal technology offerings currently available. Preventative steps like ethical walls can easily be applied to stored data ' but data in use is the true risk to address.
Twittering in Federal Court
April 30, 2009
Some federal judges are opening the door to the press reporting directly from their courtrooms in the interest of bringing more transparency to the judicial process.
Existing Internet Laws Reduce Constitutional Protections
April 30, 2009
Internet communication necessitates sharing content and data with third parties. The voluntary transfer of such content and related data to third-party Internet communication facilitators reduces or eliminates First, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights of Internet users. The technology and protocols used to enable Internet communication, as interpreted by existing privacy statutes and case law, further compromises Internet users' privacy and publicity rights. Both legal notices and technological techniques may be used to ameliorate this outcome.
Trademark Protection in Cyberspace Rescued
April 30, 2009
A recent decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, <i>Rescuecom Corp. v. Google Inc.</i>, has clarified precedent that had been assumed to foreclose Lanham Act challenges to the surreptitious use of trademarks to compete in cyberspace. In the wake of <i>Rescuecom</i>, that interpretation has been rejected, and advertisers have a potent weapon to protect their trademarks against unfair competition on the Web.
Social Media Policies: Your Firm Needs One
April 30, 2009
Being engaged in social networks has enormous value for your firm. Through them, you can establish thought leadership, find new recruits, provide a more efficient way for potential clients to find you online, and participate in and monitor discussions about the issues that impact your clients and your firm. The first thing you must do is create a social media policy ' or modify an existing policy that is free and available for you to borrow.
Some Highlights of the Recently Enacted Stimulus Bill
April 29, 2009
On Feb. 17, 2009, the newly elected President Obama signed into law the colossal $800 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the "Act"). This 1,000-plus-page piece of legislation contains many important tax-breaks and enhancements that can benefit law firms and their clients, as well as individual attorneys and staff members and their families. This article addresses several of these key tax provisions included in the new act that may be advantageous.
Determining the Proper Amount of Spousal Maintenance
April 28, 2009
In last month's newsletter, we discussed Domestic Relations Law (DRL) ' 236(B)(6)(a), the statute containing the factors courts use to determine spousal maintenance awards in New York, along with the recently proposed legislation (See New York State Assembly Bill A10446) that would replace the statute with a formula to calculate both the amount and duration of maintenance. The discussion concludes here.
