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What Do You Do When Your Lawyer Leaves the Firm or Your Law Firm Breaks Up?
Tuesday, June 28th, 2016
“Do you know how copper wire was invented? Two lawyers were fighting over a penny.” − Unattributed joke seen online. I don’t understand why lawyers get prominent placement in newspaper announcements of new hires and employment moves. We’re not a big deal. Maybe it’s because we can be such drama queens in our relationships with Read the full article…
Don’t Let a Careless Whisper Sink Your Business: Seven Things About the New Federal Trade Secrets Law
Tuesday, May 17th, 2016
Do you feel so unsure about the new federal trade secrets law? I wonder what 80’s pop star George Michael would say about it. Can you spot the prescient commentary in his song lyrics? 1. New Federal Intellectual Property Right. President Obama just signed into law federal protection for trade secrets. Previously, with small exceptions, Read the full article…
It’s Time to Think About Protecting Your Trademarks in Spanish
Wednesday, May 4th, 2016
Even if President Trump gets that wall built, you need to think about protecting your trademarks from infringement in Spanish. Let’s say you own a long-standing real estate business called RIVERSIDE REALTY. You may be able to use trademark law to stop someone else from using the same name for the same type of business. Read the full article…
Be Careful When Doing Tribute Advertising
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016
It’s the season to salute star athletes. March Madness heroes. Hall of Fame inductions. Graduating high-school stars. We have some great basketball players to salute here in Virginia. U.Va.’s Malcolm Brogdon won ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, the first time someone has won both awards. He’s one of Read the full article…
What Does the Death of Justice Scalia Mean for Business?
Tuesday, February 16th, 2016
I looked at the docket of cases that the Supreme Court accepted for decision during the current term, which began in October and will conclude in late spring. Here are cases that matter to business where Justice Scalia could have been the swing vote, but the case was not decided before his death: • Whether Read the full article…
Thanks to a Recent Decision, Things Are Looking Good for the REDSKINS Trademark Registrations
Tuesday, February 16th, 2016
A recent federal court of appeals decision makes it likely that the trademark registrations owned by the Redskins for their team name won’t be cancelled. You probably already knew that a federal trial court in Northern Virginia ruled last summer that these registrations must be cancelled. The federal trademarks act bans the registration of trademarks Read the full article…
Be Careful Sharing Sweet Little Lies Online
Tuesday, February 16th, 2016
You find juicy dirt online and want to share it with your cyber friends. But the gossip turns out to be false and defamatory. Can you be held liable for posting or emailing a link to it? Recent court cases make it unlikely that you commit defamation just by passing on a link to the Read the full article…
How to Get that Twitter Handle That Got Away
Tuesday, November 17th, 2015
There’s a Twitter username you really want, but someone else got it first. Perhaps it’s a username that matches your business or product name, or your individual name, without extra stuff such as numbers. What can you do? For the uninitiated, in a Twitter account there are both a profile name and a username. The Read the full article…
What’s the Future in the Courts for College Sports, Inc.?
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
By now, you’ve probably heard of the recent ruling in the class action lawsuit against the NCAA headlined by former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon. You may have read about what money college athletes will and won’t be getting. But another part of that decision will lead to years of additional litigation over paying college Read the full article…
It Would be Prudent to Not Use Popular Songs in Your YouTube Videos
Thursday, September 24th, 2015
By now, you’ve probably heard of the recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling about the mom who posted a video of her toddler grooving to Prince’s hit “Let’s Go Crazy.” It’s the famous “dancing baby” YouTube video. Search for “let’s go crazy #1” on YouTube. It was posted by mom Stephanie Lenz. Just in Read the full article…
