One of the most valuable assets a business has may be its trade secrets. In fact, this past May, a Virginia jury awarded software company Appian Corp. more than $2 billion in damages in a trade secrets case. The jury found that a competitor, Pegasystems Inc., had misappropriated Appian’s trade secrets. Pegasystems had hired a former developer for Appian, who [...]
Last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) revised its Technical Assistance Guidance for COVID-19 testing and vaccines in the workplace. Initially, the EEOC had stated that testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was permissible for all on-site employees because of the pandemic. While the pandemic is still ongoing, EEOC guidance now provides that COVID-19 diagnostic tests (as [...]
Have you conducted an intellectual property (IP) audit in the last year? If not, now is the time to get started. IP includes copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, patents, trade secrets and the like. In fact, it's called intellectual property since it involves products of the mind. An IP audit involves a systematic review of all IP you own, control, or [...]
You may have heard there’s no need to register your copyright, because it’s automatically protected. But this is only half the story—you can’t enforce your copyright without either a certificate of registration or a denial of registration from the Copyright Office. Plus, there are a lot of reasons to register all of your copyrights promptly. 1. If you register a [...]
When reading documents from your lawyer, you may find a number of legal terms that you don't recognize. Some of the legal terms you're most likely to encounter when involved in a legal dispute are: Mediation, Arbitration, and Trial Mediation is an attempt to settle a legal dispute with the help of an impartial mediator (or referee), who tries to [...]
The US Patent and Trademark Office is no longer automatically providing registrants with paper registration certificates. It now provides only electronic registration certificates, though complimentary paper certificates will be provided on request for registrations when the initial applications were submitted before May 24, 2022. For applications after that date, you can still order a paper certificate for an additional fee. [...]
EEOC Guidance on Employers’ Use of Artificial Intelligence Software In May, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued Technical Assistance and Tips for Workers addressing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) software in connection with employment. A variety of computer tools are available to assist employers in hiring, monitoring, and evaluating workers. While these tools are beneficial in many [...]
Nearly every business has some form of intellectual property (IP). While it is an intangible asset, in many cases intellectual property is more valuable than tangible assets such as equipment and inventory. Copyrights Copyright protects original creative works, such as artwork, literary works, musical and dramatic works, software, sound recordings and motion pictures. Although a protectible work is automatically copyrighted [...]
So far, we have experienced lower than average temperatures, but this may change later this summer. Earlier this year, in response to last year’s “heat dome” in the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon legislature passed a bipartisan bill dealing with air conditioning and other cooling devices. Previously, Oregon landlords were under no legal obligation to provide cooling devices, but, pursuant to [...]
Last December, tax preparation company H&R Block sued the financial technology company that had been known as Square, Inc. after it announced that it was changing its name to Block, Inc. Square has operated the “Cash App” since 2013, though it was originally called “Square Cash.” Over time, the app has gone from being only a peer-to-peer payment system to [...]
