Learn about intellectual property resources across the diverse disciplines of copyright, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and the nuances and intersections of these disciplines.
* Adam Feldman poses -- and answers -- an interesting question: are particular justices more or less partial to certain lawyers' or law firms' positions? [Empirical SCOTUS] * Speaking of the federal judiciary, Carrie Severino offers this helpful scorecard of President Donald Trump's track record on judicial appointments -- which underscores, as she notes, the importance of the 2020 elections. [Bench Memos / National Review] * And speaking of President Trump, Joshua Matz and Laurence Tribe have this excellent explanation of why the Supreme Court does not have a role in adjudicating impeachments. [Take Care] * In the wake of the Mueller Report, Ilya Somin pushes back against conventional wisdom and takes this position: "Not all foreign interference in elections is unjustified. Far from it, in fact." [Volokh Conspiracy / Reason] * Fair use in the copyright context is an infamously amorphous concept -- so the Fourth Circuit's recent ruling in Brammer v. Violent Hues Productions deserves your attention. [All Rights Reserved] * Congratulations to Westlaw Edge, voted the "best new analytics product" by the readers of Dewey B Strategic. [Dewey B Strategic] * And congrats to Kira Systems on being picked by Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner as its AI solution for "high-volume workstreams" across the firm. [Artificial Lawyer] * If you're a libertarian-leaning lawyer with two to six years of experience under your belt, check out these great employment opportunities over at IJ. [Institute for Justice via Volokh Conspiracy / Reason]
The new generation of AI-related legal issues are inherently cross-disciplinary, implicating corporate law, intellectual property, data privacy, employment, corporate governance and regulatory compliance.
Did Amazon really sell you that product? Not according to the courts.
A new NAFTA deal could have important ramifications for copyright law.
Amazon has aggressively litigated its way to what amounts to a free pass on most IP infringement claims.
Litigation over a famous anthem of the civil rights movement presents an interesting issue of IP law.
Legal and operational leaders are gathering May 6–7 in Fort Lauderdale to confront the questions the industry hasn't answered—with a keynote from Amanda Knox setting the tone.
How can artists use copyright law to protect their works from unfair appropriation?
* After all the legal trouble he's gotten into, has Maricopa County's Sheriff Joe Arpaio finally reached the end of his reign? [Salon] * If we all got Election Day off, would more people vote? [Slate] * Are copyright law and cease and desist letters being used in the service of some questionable ends? [Jezebel] * Be messy -- it could be the key to your success. [Law and More] * No, the GOP cannot send extra poll watchers to Philadelphia rules Eastern District of Pennsylvania Judge Gerald Pappert. [Huffington Post] * American Apparel is ignoring its own bankruptcy reorganization plan. [The Fashion Law] * Epic interview by a very drunk Theo Epstein (San Diego Law alum) after being the GM that finally brought a World Series championship to the Cubs after the 108 year drought. [Twitter] https://twitter.com/iamjoonlee/status/794054997088628737
Copyright law to the rescue.
* Britney Spears's lawyers are really quick to threaten lawsuits. Allegedly. [TMZ] * The only Harry Potter analogy to tax proposals you'll ever need. [TaxProf Blog] * The legal case to take down an alleged Hollywood Peeping Tom. [Perez Hilton] * EpiPen's maker, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, is in more hot water. This time it is of the New York Attorney General/antitrust variety. [Gizmodo] * Copyright troll caught in its own petard. [BBC] * An update on the minor-league baseball wage litigation. [Fangraphs] * Rating the sketch factor of Donald Trump's donation to Florida's Attorney General, Pam Bondi. [Slate] * The work of a jury consultant, Dr. Bull, will be coming to a TV near you. [Law360]
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* Happy Friday! Let's start by giving props to the firms that announced pay raises yesterday: Morgan Lewis, Andrews Kurth, Ashurst, Crowell & Moring, Orrick, and Dechert. [Above the Law / 2016 Salary Increase] * Speaking of the Great Pay Raise of 2016, law firm leaders want to reassure irate in-house counsel: don't worry, you won't see this (directly) reflected in your rates. [Big Law Business] * Biglaw Game of Thrones: who are the leading contenders to succeed Jeffrey Stone and Peter Sacripanti as co-chairs of McDermott? [American Lawyer] * The Second Circuit plays a sad song for record companies in a closely watched copyright case. [How Appealing] * And in other copyright news, SCOTUS (sorta) clarifies the standards for awarding attorneys' fees in copyright cases. [New York Times] * Look for indictments to issue from the grand jury in the Dan Markel murder case. [News4Jax] * Noam Scheiber of the Times takes a close look at struggling Valparaiso Law -- and it's not a pretty picture. (Expect more on this later.) [New York Times] * Ex-prosecutor gone bad: a Cleveland criminal defense attorney just got convicted after agreeing to launder thousands of dollars for someone he thought was a cocaine dealer. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
* Interesting take on how the union strategy floundered in Friedrichs. [The Seventy Four] * Think you know the cutting edge of copyright law? Because it is apparently about tractors. [Slate] * Ah, progress. The site of the Salem Witch Trials now overlooks a Walgreens. [Pictorial] * Rich people problems: Rupert Murdock's new fiancee means a new will. [Law and More] * Let's talk about liability insurance... for dummies. [Coverage Opinions] * Planned Parenthood goes on the offensive against the group making undercover videos, filing a federal lawsuit. [Huffington Post]
* Gun control advocates finally seem to have the monetary resources to take on the NRA. [New Yorker] * This is how to deal with Biglaw induced rage. [Daily Lawyer Tips] * A commentator's take on the double standard pervading the cases against misleading law school advertising [The Legal Watchdog] * Colorado and Arizona bar results are in, still more bad news. [Bar Exam Stats] * That's a no-go on copyrighting yoga poses. [Overlawyered] * Let the countdown to the unsealing of Bill Cosby's latest deposition begin! [Gawker] * Reforming the world of debt collection. [Pacific Standard]
The Ninth Circuit smacks down copyright trolls.
Come on, of course there are intellectual property violations here.