Mark E. Bokert, Davis+Gilbert partner and Benefits + Compensation co-chair, will be on a panel during a Strafford Publications, Inc. interactive webinar entitled "2022 ERISA Fiduciary Duty Litigation: SCOTUS Ruling in Hughes v. Northwestern University, Strategies for Counsel" on April 13 at Continue Reading
Supreme Court Finds Google’s Copying of Oracle’s APIs a Fair Use
The Bottom Line In light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Google v. Oracle, it is clear that not all copying of copyrighted code will subject a developer to liability.The safest course for developers is to ensure that they have a license or are authorized to use API packages in accordance with Continue Reading
FTC Can No Longer Seek Monetary Penalties for Violations of Unfair or Deceptive Practices
The Bottom Line The Supreme Court’s decision took away one of the FTC’s most valuable tools in enforcing Section 5 of the FTC Act, and may take a toll on monetary relief that the FTC can obtain in the near term.However, between the FTC’s other monetary remedies and proposals in Congress to codify Continue Reading
Supreme Court Narrows Definition of Autodialer in Facebook Ruling
The Bottom Line The Court’s narrowing of the autodialer definition will provide flexibility to marketers using systems that do not have the capacity for random or sequential number generation, like those that dial from stored lists. It is likely to significantly reduce the number of class actions Continue Reading
After Electoral Dysfunction, What Subprime Auto Can Expect From a Biden Administration
Patent Troll Activity Likely to Continue to Rise
7th Edition: Trends in Marketing Communications Law For nearly half a decade, patent troll suits have been on the decline. Indeed, as we reported last year, the Supreme Court has gone out of its way to curb the worst patent troll abuses in order to protect innovators and call the viability of Continue Reading
“Grand Finale?” — Supreme Court to Address the Definition of “Automatic Dialer” Under the TCPA
The Bottom Line The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision will likely resolve a longstanding circuit split on what constitutes an automatic dialer under the TCPA.If the Court adopts Facebook’s narrower view, its decision could significantly reduce the number of TCPA class action suits filed going Continue Reading
Supreme Court Unanimously Rules That Willfulness Is Not Required to Recover Profits
The Bottom Line As a result of the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision, a finding of willfulness is not a precondition that must be satisfied for a plaintiff to recover an infringer’s profits as a remedy for trademark infringement, although the infringer’s mental state remains a highly important Continue Reading
Supreme Court Rules that Federal Law Protects Gay and Transgender/Transitioning Employees from Workplace Discrimination
The Bottom Line Firing an employee for being gay, bisexual, transgender or transitioning is a violation of federal law. Employers should be mindful that such discrimination may seep into the workplace in much more subtle ways than an employee’s termination. Employees should be encouraged to shed Continue Reading
No Longer “FUCT” — Scandalous Mark Provision Struck Down by Supreme Court
6th Edition: Trends in Marketing Communications Law What constitutes a “scandalous” trademark? The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has been grappling with this question since the enactment of the 1905 Trademark Act, later codified in the 1946 Lanham Act, which forbids Continue Reading