Author Archives: Admin
The Cinderella of Intellectual Property
Law regarding trade secrets has long been seen as the ugly step-sister of intellectual property. Patents, trademarks, and copyrights have traditionally been held to be federal concerns, while trade secrets have been seen as principally protected by state laws. Now, two senators want to allow the trade secret Cinderella into federal court by introducing a […]
Don’t Let Your Company Be a Software Theft Ring
Would you encourage your employees take a five-fingered discount from the office supply store? Probably not. Would you cheat a hard-working employee by not paying her? Of course not. However, in the press of the Great Recession, software piracy is still prevalent, and lax controls on software may be jeopardizing your company. When buying new […]
Small Claims Court Limit to Increase
Governor Brown has signed a law raising the upper limits for some small claims actions. Beginning (presumably) January 1, 2012, the upper limit for some small claims court actions will be $10,000 for individuals (though only twice each calendar year). The limit for bodily injury claims against insured drivers is still $7500. Corporations or businesses […]
The Rapid Evolution of Mobile Apps
When I was a kid, on days when we couldn’t play outside, my friend Mike and I would play Pong on our TV sets. Growing up in the Los Angeles area, many of our friends wanted to be in Hollywood. Now, the video game industry has earned more than Hollywood movies for years. The San […]
When Cease-and-Desist Means Start Right Now
Confronting claims in a cease-and-desist letter head-on will be cheaper in the long-run than burying your head in the sand. A cease-and-desist letter is a code for starting things right away.
New Tech, Old Parasites
Twits using your business’s name could destroy your company’s reputation before you even know about it. Twitter does have an anti-squatting policy, but every business should participate in the Twitter land rush by claiming its own name. Besides being a potential marketing device, claiming your business’s name prevents it from being claimed by someone else. It’s free and took me less than 30 seconds to do.
The Guardians of Origami
The Guardian newspaper in London reported on our lawsuit on behalf of the origami artists. One of the joys of working this case is the quality of our clients. They are always polite, encouraging, and engaged, even though we sometimes need to use four different languages (English, Japanese, Spanish, and Italian). Their creativity and good […]
Now For Something Completely Different
Here is the best 3 1/2 minutes of your day. Make sure your speakers are on, and enjoy the high definition view of The Arctic Light.
Privacy? You Don’t Got No Stinkin’ Privacy!
When someone subpoenas subscriber information from an internet service provider, does the subscriber have an expectation of privacy? In California, at least, the answer seems to be: No. In People v. Stirpo, (Second District Court of Appeal, May 16, 2011), the defendant challenged the search warrant to the internet service provider (“ISP”) that sought information […]
Using Certified Interpreters
Interpretations in California courts must be done by certified or registered interpreters. This also applies to translations of documents.
