Intellectual Property Advisor On October 6, 2006, President Bush signed into law the Trademark Dilution Revision Act of 2006. This amendment is widely regarded as a response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the well-publicized Victoria’s...(read more)
Use of Music in Broadcast Commercials and Promotions
Intellectual Property Advisor While television and radio stations pay music performance licensing fees to ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, those licensing fees only permit the broadcast of licensed songs on the station and not the reproduction of those songs...(read more)
The Importance of Trademark Maintenance and Check-Ups
Intellectual Property Advisor Consider whether your business wants to confront these issues: A knock-off website refuses to stop using a brand similar to yours and claims that your company failed to register your trademark, even though you’ve been...(read more)
Executive Compensation - SEC Changes Disclosure Requirements
Last week the SEC voted to adopt changes to executive and director compensation disclosure rules and certain other corporate governance matters.1 While some of the changes are expected to become effective early October2, the majority of the changes...(read more)
New Law on Remotely Created Checks
Remotely created checks, also known as “telechecks,” are typically created when the holder of a checking account authorizes a payee (often a telemarketer or a credit card company) to draw a check on that account—but does not actually sign the check...(read more)
The Kolstad Umbrella Can Keep Employers Dry
Seven years after the U.S. Supreme Court explained that employers have a defense against punitive damages in employment-discrimination cases in Kolstad v. American Dental Association, many employers still are not taking the steps necessary to use it...(read more)
Brooks Pierce: Strategic Lawyers for Business and Industry
As seen in Forbes magazine, April 17, 2006.(read more)
Changes at North Carolina Business Court
In 1996, North Carolina became one of the first states to create a business court in order to make the North Carolina court system more responsive to the demands of complex business litigation. Judge Ben F. Tennille was appointed the first Special...(read more)