Category Archives: Business Law
Protecting Your Trade Secrets Starts with Knowing What They Are
Small business owners are the hardest-working people around. They are usually either the ones who unlock the door in the morning, or the one to lock up at night – or both. But keys and doors only protect so much: are your most valuable assets — your trade secrets — protected 24 hours a day, […]
Startups and Trademarks
You and your friends have discussed, with increasing enthusiasm, your idea for a new business. Maybe you want to produce an app, or maybe a restaurant pairing different cuisines. You know what you are going to do, and how you are going to do it, but you also know that you will be cash-strapped, with […]
Credit Card Surcharges Will Soon Be Legal in California
By: Andrew K Jacobson A group of California small businesses have successfully challenged California’s long-time ban on credit card surcharges. However, for the moment, they are the only ones to benefit. Credit cards are great for cash flow, but they cause headaches for small businesses. People rely upon them for even the smallest transactions – […]
Rest Break ≠ On-Call
Employment rights have long been a fertile source of conflict in California courts, which have been trying to find a proper balance between the interests of the employer and those of the employees. The most recent skirmish was in December 2016. The California Supreme Court restored a $90 million judgment against ABM Security Services. Security […]
Congress Saves Social Media by Nixing the Non-Disparagement Clause
As it has exploded into prominence, social media is a regular fixture in the legal news. Entire generations live through their social media links, finding friends, products, and restaurants online. Instead of a single review from a newspaper or magazine, you get feedback from actual regular customers – sometimes in the hundreds. Non-Disparagement Clauses. As […]
Way Ahead of You, Mr. President
A big drag on the health of the economy is labor mobility – or rather, the lack of it. People trapped in jobs that they don’t want to be in do not supply productivity and innovation. Non-competition agreements contribute significantly to that lack of labor mobility. Some employers like them because they suppress threats of […]
7 Myths About Incorporation for Small & Medium Enterprises
Incorporating Is The Only Way to Shield My Assets If There Is a Catastrophe. Starting a small business has its risks. It takes a lot of work, there are lots of long nights, and it needs a lot of resources, which leads to a lot of worries. What if the product somehow goes wrong, making […]
New Obligations to Defend Your Trade Secrets
On Wednesday, May 11, 2016, President Obama signed into law the “Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016,” which provides an extraordinarily strong civil seizure provision – and an important notice requirement to employees, contractors and consultants that all employers who even think they have trade secrets should add to their contracts and employee handbooks. This […]
New Employment Laws for 2016
There were new developments in California employment law that every business owner needs to know. Minimum Wage. Most already know that California raised the minimum wage to $10 per hour as of the beginning of the year. However, some local jurisdictions have raised it even higher: Oakland, for example, has raised the minimum wage in the […]
Dive On In, Justice Thomas!
by: Andrew K Jacobson On February 1st, the New York Times published “It’s Been 10 Years. Would Clarence Thomas Like to Add Anything?”, about the impending anniversary of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ last question to a lawyer appearing before the highest court in the land. Justice Thomas says that he wants to give counsel […]
