This year, New Year's Day brought more than resolutions, football games and hangovers: on January 1st, an unprecedented number of works previously protected by copyright entered the public domain. The 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act added an additional 20 years to existing copyrights, so although works first published in 1922 entered the public domain in 1998, it is [...]
Employment Laws A number of important employment laws take effect on January 1, including Washington's Paid Family and Medical Leave Program, Arizona's "mini-COBRA" law, and California's law protecting sexual harassment victims and employers from defamation claims. In addition, full enforcement of Oregon's Equal Pay Act of 2017 and Oregon's predictive scheduling law begins next Tuesday. If you haven't already determined [...]
With thanks for all your kindness and support in 2018 after our devastating fire. We hope to be back in our normal quarters early next year. We wish you joy and happiness this holiday season and all the best for 2019. From all of us at The DuBoff Law Group
Last month, the Girl Scouts of the United States of America ("GSUSA") sued the Boy Scouts of America ("BSA") for trademark infringement in federal court in New York. The two organizations have co-existed for more than 100 years, both using the marks SCOUT, SCOUTS, and SCOUTING, one in connection with programs for girls and one in connection with programs for [...]
As discussed in a previous alert, full enforcement by Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) of Oregon's Equal Pay Act of 2017 will begin January 1, 2019. Last week, BOLI issued its final administrative rules for this law, which prohibits Oregon employers from paying employees who perform "work of comparable character" different pay rates because of their race, color, [...]
Company-sponsored parties are a fun way to build employee morale during the holiday season, but, if you're not careful, they can also result in significant liability. Potential claims include those for sexual harassment, discrimination, and overtime pay. Worse still, you may find your business is liable for an employee's behavior after the party, such as when an employee who becomes [...]
We frequently get questions from our clients about requests for payment of registration, publication or renewal fees for corporate, domain name and intellectual property filings. Requests may also be received for monitoring fees or the preparation of minutes. The scam requests typically look like invoices or letters, often containing false due dates or threats about loss of rights if you [...]
Partnerships and LLCs that are taxed as partnerships have traditionally been treated as flow-through entities and not directly subject to federal income tax, but this has changed as the result of a new federal law that took effect earlier this year. Unfortunately, the new law is highly technical and complicated. The below description of the changes to the tax laws [...]
One of the most valuable assets a business may have is its trade secrets, and most businesses have them. In order for an item to be considered a trade secret, it must be both kept confidential and provide the business with a commercial advantage. Trade secrets include, among other things, customer lists, supplier lists, secret formulas, processes and the like. [...]
Full enforcement by Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) of Oregon's Equal Pay Act of 2017 will begin January 1, 2019. Any Oregon employer who has not already prepared for full compliance by that date should begin planning now, given that the law applies to all employers in Oregon (except for the federal government), regardless of size. The Equal [...]
