The amount you can gift during your life or pass to your heirs on your death free of federal gift and estate tax (the "unified credit") is $5.49 million in 2017. You can, however, make "annual exclusion" gifts that will not diminish your credit. These gifts can be of up to $14,000 per person per year, and if your spouse [...]
If your website allows users to post material, such as photos or comments, then you could be liable if that material infringes someone else's copyright - even if you have no idea that the material is infringing. There are, however, some precautions you can take to reduce your risk. To be eligible for the so-called "safe harbor" provisions of the [...]
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 [...]
Last month Rasta Imposta, a costume manufacturer, sued Kmart for copyright infringement and other claims based on Kmart's sale of banana costumes. For several years, Kmart has bought Halloween costumes, including banana costumes, from Rasta Imposta, but this year, Kmart purchased its costumes from another supplier. In its complaint, Rasta Imposta claims: The Kmart Totally Ghoul Costume has the same [...]
Did you know that your failure to retain all relevant materials after litigation is "reasonably anticipated" could result in you losing the lawsuit or being fined or sanctioned by the court? A few months back, a Colorado federal judge blocked a meatpacking company from arguing that giving prayer breaks to Muslim workers would significantly slow production, because the company lost [...]
A couple of months ago, we notified you of Washington's new Driving Under the Influence of Electronics (DUIE) Act, which took effect on July 23rd. Oregon has now enacted a similar law, which will become effective October 1. Texting and holding your cell phone to your ear are already illegal, but the new law specifically forbids all handheld uses of [...]
A recent decision by a federal court in the state of Washington serves as a reminder that employees who fail drug tests cannot automatically be fired for their drug use. The employer was ordered to pay a former employee $1.8 million for failing to accommodate her disability. The plaintiff, Cynthia Stewart ("Stewart"), had worked as a customer service representative for [...]
The news the last couple of weeks has included stories about businesses firing employees for reasons unrelated to the quality of their work. First, Google fired James Damore for his controversial memo about gender and employment practices, which stated, among other things, that one "possible non-bias cause" of the gender gap in tech is the fact that women are more [...]
Washington's new Driving Under the Influence of Electronics (DUIE) Act takes effect on July 23rd. Texting and holding your cell phone to your ear are already illegal, but the new law specifically forbids all handheld uses of personal electronic devices, including composing and reading any kind of message or data, and taking or viewing photographs - even while at a [...]
Last month, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) cannot reject trademark applications merely because the trademark being applied for is disparaging. Section 2(a) of the federal Trademark Act provides that registration can be denied to any mark that "Consists of or comprises immoral, deceptive, or scandalous matter; or matter which may disparage persons, [...]