Author Archives: admin
The End of the Internet as We Know It?
By Kim Kennedy The Stop Online Piracy Act (“SOPA”) is a bill that Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas introduced in the United States House of Representatives in October, 2011. The bill is intended to help law enforcement agencies in the United States fight the distribution and sale of copyrighted intellectual property, like music, movies, and […]
Willfully Misclassified: New Perils in Misclassifying Workers as Independent Contractors
By Andrew K. Jacobson In an era of ultra-tight budgets, getting something for less is appealing. One such temptation is hiring someone to be an independent contractor, instead of as an employee. The Legislature and Governor Brown, however, have added to the downside of that calculation. Hiring someone as an independent contractor instead of as […]
Bit Torrent File Sharing Lawsuits
You have received a notice from your Internet Service Provider, or “ISP,” indicating that you have been sued as a “Doe” in a bit torrent file sharing lawsuit. What now? Now you need to make some choices about how you want to handle this. But first, some information. What does this even mean? This means […]
The Right Fit
by: Andrew K. Jacobson © 2003, Bay Oak Law In recent years, new business owners have had several entities to choose from, depending on the needs of the business and the owners. The two most important factors in deciding the right business entity are limited liability and the tax treatment. Limited Liability. “Limited liability” is […]
Litigation and War
By: Andrew K. Jacobson ©2004 In his autobiography, “My American Journey,” former Joint Chief of Staff Chairman General Colin L. Powell presents several tests to determine when the nation should commit to battle. These tests eventually became known as the “Powell Doctrine.” These tests are as applicable to litigation as they are to war: Commit […]
Intellectual Property Secrets
Copyrights, Trademarks, Trade Secrets, & Patents Copyright What’s a Copyright? A Copyright gives you the right to control what happens to a work that you’ve produced. You have the right to control the copying of it (hence the term “Copyright”), but you have other rights as well. For example, you have the right to control […]
When Employees Must Leave
By: Andrew K. Jacobson © 2004, Bay Oak Law A worker leaving involuntarily is often a heart-wrenching experience for both employer and worker. While anyone who has ever been employed can sympathize with the employee’s loss of wages and benefits, the employer is also often troubled. A smart employer will try to avoid such troubles […]
When Your Valuables are Available
When you visit a jewelry store, it is easy to see a lot of security – cameras, electronic access cards for employees, sturdy, locked cabinets that display the jewels behind solid plastic. There is no doubt there is even more security that is not visible, especially at night. Much of this security is at the […]
