Features
The Debate About Actors' Ownership of Film Roles
The April issue of <i>Entertainment Law & Finance</i> reported on a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit involving the Internet video <i> Innocence of Muslims.</i> That article discussed the court's "secret" takedown order and the court's view on copyright ownership of acting roles in movies. The article that follows provides further analysis of the copyright ownership issue in the case.
Features
Chaotic Case-by-Case Project Management
Across the nation, there exists a relatively untested notion that the only approach to e-discovery is case-by-case ' that every unique case requires an equally unique approach to discovery. While this phenomenon is a natural component of any industry seeking standardization, the unfortunate byproduct can be seen when organizations incur great costs to marry pre-existing on-premise solutions with whatever contracted-for solution is required to react to the case that came down the pipe today.
Features
Mob Wives Star's Suit Sparks New Look at NY Publicity Rights
Earlier this year, former <i> Mob Wives</i> TV star Karen Gravano filed a right-of-publicity lawsuit against the makers of the <i>Grand Theft Auto V</i> video game, claiming they misappropriated her image and life story for a character in the popular video game. This case is one more in a string of recent cases raising a significant common question: To what extent does the law protect the rights of content creators to draw on real-life individuals and events to create expressive works?
Features
S. Ct. Limits Restitution for Child Pornography Victims
A divided U.S. Supreme Court on April 23 limited the amount of restitution due to child pornography victims whose images are viewed by thousands over the Internet.
Features
How to Reduce Litigation Costs In the EDRM Continuum
The amount of data a company generates grows with each passing day. It is important to develop strategies to reduce the amount of data subject to discovery obligations while staying current with legal and technology trends. A strong partnership with a vendor and law firm using sophisticated data review and collection techniques is essential to navigating the discovery minefield in a cost-effective way that is also defensible and fully documented.
Features
How Torys Updated Its Intake Processes and Systems
In 2008 we began actively looking for a new system that would allow our lawyers and staff to easily enter all of the required pieces of information about potential new clients. We wanted a system that could create a central repository for that information and integrate seamlessly with our financial and document management systems. CorpIntake has helped us to dramatically cut down the amount of time it takes to open new matters, comply with regulations and keep all of our information in a central location.
Features
Consumer Groups Decry FCC's Net Neutrality Proposal
Consumer advocates reacted with dismay to reports that the FCC plans to allow Internet service providers to charge companies a toll for faster access, while FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler defended the proposed rules as consistent with the underlying goals of net neutrality.
Features
The Privacy/ Security Clash's Unexpected Consequence
Every online enterprise today is struggling to manage and exploit the exploding volume of personal information that comes within their possession, while also maintaining data security and complying with privacy-related laws and regulations. They are not alone. Courts, legislators and regulators also are striving to find ways to protect legitimate privacy rights while keeping the realities of today's technology evolution and business environment in mind.
Features
Sup. Ct. Rules Burden of Proof Remains with Patent Owner
The Supreme Court began 2014 by reversing the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's decision in <i>Medtronic, Inc. v. Mirowski Family Ventures, LLC,</i> holding that the burden of proof on infringement remains with the patent owner even when a licensee files a declaratory judgment suit seeking a judgment of no infringement.
Features
Key Privacy Law Developments
Earlier this year, President Obama addressed the nation to outline steps he will take to rein in the surveillance activities of the National Security Agency. Obama noted that "challenges to our privacy do not come from government alone." The President's remarks were the culmination of a year in which consumer privacy issues have roared into the public narrative, and they underscore a theme that privacy lawyers had already sensed about their practice by the end of 2013: The tide is changing.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- The 'Sophisticated Insured' DefenseA majority of courts consider the <i>contra proferentem</i> doctrine to be a pillar of insurance law. The doctrine requires ambiguous terms in an insurance policy to be construed against the insurer and in favor of coverage for the insured. A prominent rationale behind the doctrine is that insurance policies are usually standard-form contracts drafted entirely by insurers.Read More ›
- A Lawyer's System for Active ReadingActive reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.Read More ›
- The Brave New World of Cybersecurity Due Diligence in Mergers and Acquisitions: Pitfalls and OpportunitiesLike poorly-behaved school children, new technologies and intellectual property (IP) are increasingly disrupting the M&A establishment. Cybersecurity has become the latest disruptive newcomer to the M&A party.Read More ›
- Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric CodeIn an effort to minimize the release of toxic gasses from cables in the event of fire, the 2002 version of the National Electric Code ("NEC"), promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, sets forth new guidelines requiring that abandoned cables must be removed from buildings unless they are located in metal raceways or tagged "For Future Use." While the NEC is not, in itself, binding law, most jurisdictions in the United States adopt the NEC by reference in their state or local building and fire codes. Thus, noncompliance with the recent NEC guidelines will likely mean that a building is in violation of a building or fire code. If so, the building owner may also be in breach of agreements with tenants and lenders and may be jeopardizing its fire insurance coverage. Even in jurisdictions where the 2002 NEC has not been adopted, it may be argued that the guidelines represent the standard of reasonable care and could result in tort liability for the landlord if toxic gasses from abandoned cables are emitted in a fire. With these potential liabilities in mind, this article discusses: 1) how to address the abandoned wires and cables currently located within the risers, ceilings and other areas of properties, and 2) additional considerations in the placement and removal of telecommunications cables going forward.Read More ›
- Guidance on Distributions As 'Disbursements' and U.S. Trustee FeesIn a recent case from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, In re Paragon Offshore PLC, the bankruptcy court provided guidance on whether a post-plan effective date litigation trust's distributions constituted disbursements subject to the U.S. Trustee fee "tax."Read More ›