More Online Services Fall Under the COPPA Cabana
- posted: Jan. 07, 2013
- Archive
Online content providers – including websites and apps – need to add something to their 2013 To-Do list. [caption id="attachment_1051" align="alignright" width="320" caption="It covers you, too"][/caption] Beginning July 1st, the Federal Trade Read More
Limits on Civil Torture
- posted: Oct. 02, 2012
- Archive
[caption id="attachment_984" align="alignright" width="318" caption="Walking on red-hot irons? Easy. Try a 3-day depo."][/caption] It is easy to feel smug when we look back on our ancestors 1000 years ago. They had Read More
How Much for an Attorney-to-Be?
- posted: Sep. 20, 2012
- Articles,  Business Counseling,  Business
Lawyers love Latin -- it makes the sordid sound sophisticated. After reading the below, ask yourself cui bono? Who benefits? Judge William Pauley recently knocked down an attorneys' fee request: ""Astonishingly, Kramer Levin Read More
Sad Trolls, Happy Humanity
- posted: Sep. 13, 2012
- Archive
The copyright trolls had a bad day at the beginning of September, as Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the Northern District of California found that wireless router owners do not have Read More
Time to Get Commission Agreements in Writing
- posted: Sep. 12, 2012
- Articles,  Business Counseling,  Employment
We've said it before, about the need to get things in writing, but now getting commission schedules in writing will be the law here in California starting next year: "By January Read More
Return of the Scammers
- posted: Sep. 06, 2012
- Archive
A few years ago, we warned about scammers who were sending official-looking notices from the "Business Filings Division," asking for $239 for statement of information filings. It was all a scam Read More
Resist the Torrent
- posted: Sep. 04, 2012
- Archive
If you had any doubts, the New Scientist has published a report that says that most torrent downloaders have their internet protocol ("IP") addresses logged within three hours of the download. The article Read More
Unemployment Benefits: The Greased Pig
- posted: Jul. 26, 2012
- Articles,  Business Counseling,  Employment
[caption id="attachment_920" align="alignright" width="300" caption="2004 Greased Pig Contest, Photo by Ken Ratcliff, Wikipedia Commons"][/caption] Sometimes being an employer is like being in a greased pig contest: you just can’t get your Read More
Business Owners: Keep Your Networks Secure
- posted: Jul. 22, 2012
- Articles,  Business Counseling,  Business
Just in case the business owner didn’t have anything to worry about, here is a new headache to avoid. EPN Inc., also known as Checknet, Inc. is a collection agency Read More
Who Is Using Your Trademark? (Google II)
- posted: Jun. 19, 2012
- Archive
New Legal Developments in Keyword Advertising Go ahead: after you google yourself, google your company name. We’ll wait. Hold on – did you see that? Above your company name is an Read More
Tips for Employers About Tips in California
- posted: Jun. 15, 2012
- Articles,  Business Counseling,  Employment,  Business
California has a long tradition of being employee-friendly: covenants not to compete by employees are unenforceable, and the minimum wage is usually higher in California than that nationally. The same is Read More
Viva La Small Biz!
- posted: Jun. 10, 2012
- Archive
As the son of a stockbroker, I grew up listening to talk about large, well-established businesses. IBM. Gerber. Proctor & Gamble. All successful companies, in industries that will last a Read More
Has "Google" Become Generic? (Google III)
- posted: Jun. 05, 2012
- Archive
My fellow Business of Media instructor, Eric Sinrod of Duane Morris, has a good article today about a lawsuit an Arizona entrepreneur has brought against Google, claiming that the trademark "Google" Read More
Bad News for Artists: California's Resale Royalty Act Ruled Unconstituional
- posted: May 25, 2012
- Archive
California's Art Resale Royalty Act has been declared unconstitutional by now former Central District of California Judge Jacqueline Nguyen. Judge Nguyen issued her ruling on May 12, two days before she Read More
Insurance for IP Infringement Plaintiffs
- posted: May 23, 2012
- Archive
Thanks to Annette Freeman, one of the world's leading intellectual property authorities, I read an interesting article about insurance for intellectual property plaintiffs. Small companies worried about the cost of Read More
California Supreme Court: Employers Do Not Have to Ensure Employees Take Breaks
- posted: Apr. 26, 2012
- Articles,  Business Counseling,  Employment,  Business
The state Supreme Court has finally clarified California employer obligations regarding employee meal periods and rest breaks. As we predicted after the oral arguments in Brinker Restaurant Corp. v. Superior Court Read More