Are You Blawging, or Flawging?
November 30, 2013
Lots of attorneys are being told that they need to start blogging (or "blawging", as many attorneys refer to it). From a marketing perspective, this advice makes a lot of sense. There's an old advertising adage, credited to David Ogilvy from the pre-"Mad Man" days of advertising, that when it comes to big-ticket purchases, "long copy sells."
Evidentiary Requirements To Recover Lost Future Royalties
November 30, 2013
When franchisors enter into long-term franchise agreements, they expect to receive a steady stream of royalties for the duration of the agreement. However, if the relationship sours and the agreement is terminated prior to expiration, the franchisor faces the prospect of losing the anticipated stream of royalties for the remaining term of the agreement. More and more often, franchisors are turning to the courts to attempt to recover those lost future royalties.
DJ Dropped from Dispute Over Use of Beastie Boys Music
November 30, 2013
After the Beastie Boys sued over the unlicensed use of several of the rap group's tracks in a remix on the soundtrack to a promotional video, defendant energy-drink maker Monster Energy Co. tried to shift the blame onto an unsuspecting disc jockey. That tactic didn't sit well with Southern District Judge Paul Engelmayer, who dismissed the DJ from the litigation.
Protecting Digital Database Content
November 30, 2013
The Fourth Circuit's ruling in <i>Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. v. American Home Realty Network, Inc.</i> is an important court decision relating to e-commerce and protecting digital database content. The ruling relates to a multiple-listing copyrighted database of real estate listings.
The Roles of Stakeholders for Big Data and Privacy
November 30, 2013
Chief privacy officer, chief compliance officer, chief information security officer, chief legal officer (or general counsel) ' as organizations adjust and adapt to keep pace with changing technology, laws, regulations and cyber threats, these roles are developing and changing within organizations. But what duties and responsibilities fall within the job description of each of these stakeholders' positions, and how do these positions relate to each other?
Selling Municipal Securities via the Internet
November 30, 2013
Traditionally, municipalities depend upon property taxes to constitute the largest source of local governments' own revenue. Charges, sales and gross-receipt taxes, individual income taxes and other revenues make up the remaining local general revenues.Normally, municipal bonds can be purchased through an investment broker. However, municipalities may lawfully sell municipal bonds directly to the public via the Internet and potentially save money.
Firms Recalculating Compensation Models
November 30, 2013
When it comes to attorney pay, origination has held a steady place at the top of many firms' list of compensation criteria. But could rainmaking be drying up in importance?
Emergence of State Initiatives Could Change Franchising
November 30, 2013
In the last two years, many state legislatures have considered new franchise laws. Few of these bills have been passed or enacted, but some of the bills represent the potential for significant changes in treatment of franchising as a unique business model and of the franchisor-franchisee relationship. At the very least, franchisors need to be more aware of state legislators' interest in franchising than in the past.
Can Using Facebook Be a Firing Offense?
November 30, 2013
You have likely read stories of employees being fired for poorly thought-out Facebook posts or controversial Tweets. Depending on your point of view, you may be sympathetic to the employer's desire to avoid being associated with offensive or controversial statements made by an opinionated worker ' or you may be appalled that an employer would concern itself with an employee's use of social media.
