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    Employment Law Roundup

    Vaccine Mandates New Mandates Just yesterday, the Biden administration announced that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will be issuing a new emergency rule for private sector employers. The new rule will require all businesses with 100 or more employees to make sure their workers are either vaccinated or tested once a week. Federal workers will not have the [...]

    By | 2021-09-13T20:20:41+00:00 September 10th, 2021|Categories: Articles|Comments Off on Employment Law Roundup

      Protecting Your Business’s Trade Secrets

      One of the most valuable assets a business has may be its trade secrets, and most businesses have them. A trade secret is anything that (i) gives a business a competitive advantage, (ii) has been and continues to be treated as a secret by that business, and (iii) is not generally known in the trade or readily discoverable through public [...]

      By | 2021-09-05T17:22:07+00:00 September 3rd, 2021|Categories: Articles|Comments Off on Protecting Your Business’s Trade Secrets

        Litigation Holds and Preserving Evidence

        Did you know that your failure to retain all relevant materials after litigation is “reasonably anticipated” could result in you being fined or sanctioned by the court? You may even lose the case as a result of failure to preserve evidence. In one cautionary example, a federal court imposed a $10,000 fine on defendants who failed to preserve relevant text [...]

        By | 2021-08-27T17:57:32+00:00 August 27th, 2021|Categories: Articles|Comments Off on Litigation Holds and Preserving Evidence

          COVID-19 / Employment Law Update

          New OSHA Guidelines for Non-Healthcare Workers In July 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance for those who are fully vaccinated, recommending that they wear masks in certain situations. In response, effective August 13, 2021, OSHA updated its guidance to reflect CDC’s July 27th guidance. That is, OSHA now says that all workers, including those [...]

          By | 2021-08-21T15:58:19+00:00 August 20th, 2021|Categories: Articles|Comments Off on COVID-19 / Employment Law Update

            Scam Alert

            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 [...]

            By | 2021-08-14T22:29:01+00:00 August 13th, 2021|Categories: Articles|Comments Off on Scam Alert

              Photographs, Copyright, and the Internet

              A lot of intellectual property lawsuits arise from the use of photographs on the internet. Many people think that the ease of copying them from another website means it’s legal to re-use them on their own website, blog, or social media post. Others know they can’t do that and rely on licensing photos through stock photo companies and Creative Commons. [...]

              By | 2021-08-07T21:01:49+00:00 August 6th, 2021|Categories: Articles|Comments Off on Photographs, Copyright, and the Internet

                Employment Law Update Working in Extreme Heat

                After extreme temperatures in the Pacific Northwest caused by the “heat dome” in June, Oregon OSHA adopted an emergency rule designed to protect workers from the dangers of extreme heat. The new requirements, which took effect on July 8, 2021, include access to shade and cool water, regular cool-down breaks, training, communication, emergency planning, and other measures. Similarly, Washington’s Department [...]

                By | 2021-07-31T22:32:33+00:00 July 30th, 2021|Categories: Articles|Comments Off on Employment Law Update Working in Extreme Heat

                  Disparaging Reviews and Social Media Posts

                  Businesses are understandably upset when they discover that someone is posting negative online reviews or other disparaging comments about their products, services or operations on social media. Some companies have tried to protect themselves against negative reviews by adding clauses to their terms of service and other contracts that prohibit customers from making disparaging comments. Other companies take a different [...]

                  By | 2021-07-25T16:24:04+00:00 July 23rd, 2021|Categories: Articles|Comments Off on Disparaging Reviews and Social Media Posts

                    How to Use and Protect Your Trademarks

                    A recent decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) serves as a reminder that you must be careful how you use your trademarks in order to protect them. The TTAB agreed with the US Patent and Trademark Office’s refusal to register a cartoonish image of a llama as a trademark for video-game software because the llama design fails [...]

                    By | 2021-07-18T18:03:49+00:00 July 16th, 2021|Categories: Articles|Comments Off on How to Use and Protect Your Trademarks

                      Employment Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity

                      Last year, in Bostock v. Clayton County, the US Supreme Court held that an employer who fires an individual for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in employment. The opinion, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, ruled that “[a]n individual’s homosexuality or transgender status is not relevant to employment [...]

                      By | 2021-07-18T18:04:24+00:00 July 9th, 2021|Categories: Articles|Comments Off on Employment Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity