Expanding the Playing Field for Video Game Lawsuits
January 31, 2015
Video game litigation is a hot area for entertainment lawyers in 2015, as more celebrities have sued over being cast as game characters without their permission. The spree is driven by a pair of 2013 rulings that sided with athletes depicted in college football games, lawyers said, as well as by the overall boom in gaming sales which has made the industry a rich target for plaintiffs lawyers.
In the Courts
January 31, 2015
In-depth analysis of a recent case in which the Second Circuit ruled that "Tipping" liability for insider trading requires knowledge of the tipper's benefit.
<i>In the Spotlight:</i> The Diminishing Value of Depreciation Defenses
January 31, 2015
Although the value of a third-party liability insurance claim often can be determined in a straightforward way by simply adding the amount of a judgment or settlement to the costs of defending the claim, the amount of a first-party insurance claim may be subject to varying valuation approaches. .
Internet Changes Medication Sales Regulations
January 31, 2015
Internet use has changed the way medication purchases are regulated, due in part to patients' free access to information related to pharmaceutical products and medical care. Additionally, the FDA has promoted Internet medication sales by allowing non-print promotion of medications with less detailed information in the ad itself about side effects and precautions than is required of print advertisements.
Ethics and Obligations Regarding Global Big Data
January 31, 2015
It is a basic tenet of professional responsibility that lawyers obtain sufficient proficiency to ensure competent representation of their clients. The challenge in today's world of Big Data and corporate globalization and outsourcing of IT infrastructure is that the level of technological proficiency required is not always clear. Understanding your obligations and establishing defensible processes will be necessary to fully demonstrate competence in discovery should an issue arise.
The Internet of (Legal) Things
January 31, 2015
Welcome to the "Internet of Things" (IoT) ' the Web of embedded computing devices that interact with our everyday lives. Like any technology revolution, those devices have no interest in waiting for the legal world to catch up. As a result, if a General Counsel's wearable device measuring nighttime biorhythms does not keep her awake at night, the prospect of billions of devices sensing everything about her customers and employees during an era of cyber insecurity probably will.
Asymmetrical Reporting
January 31, 2015
As the regulatory state continues to grow with every passing year, businesses' obligations to provide information to, and file reports/forms with, local, state, and federal governmental agencies increases. Each filing also represents justification to the IRS to audit a business (to the extent that justification is needed).
Recent NLRB Actions Force Employers to Change Established Policies and Practices
January 31, 2015
This article highlights recent NLRB decisions and actions that have broadened the scope of employees' rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), summarizes the December 2014 final rule changing the representation election process, and provides an update on the court decisions in the <I>Noel Canning</I> case, which cast doubt on some recent NLRB actions.
Extend Beyond Showing Up
January 06, 2015
One of the interminable bumps lawyers experience in their efforts to cultivate new clients and business is in following up with their new contacts, growing network and even their best clients. We examine how to introduce and tweak a follow-up plan. Read on to see what I mean.
Office Space
December 31, 2014
Law firms have long dominated downtown trophy office space, locating in buildings that are the best-of-the-best at "Main and Main." But times are changing. While growth is slowly returning to the legal industry, slightly rising revenues are still no match for rapidly increasing office space rents. New solutions ' and new locations ' must be found.