Media Coverage

1. Netflix in Hot Water Over Facebook Post (December 7 2012 - dealbook.nytimes.com)

The Internet age has presented new challenges for defining what is “fair disclosure.” Netflix and its chief executive, Reed Hastings, have been warned by regulators about a 43-word post that Mr. Hastings made on his Facebook page in July, in which he said subscribers had watched one billion hours of video the previous month. more»

2. Samsung, Nielsen, Cascadia, Google: Intellectual Property (November 29 2012 - www.businessweek.com)

Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) plans to argue in a London trial that Apple Inc. (AAPL) smartphones use its protected technology without authorization. more»

3. David Kappos "the strongest USPTO leader in at least a generation" (November 28 2012 - www.managingip.com)

The USPTO confirmed on Monday that Kappos, who was appointed in 2009, will leave his position at the end of January 2013. more»

4. Mean old patent office won't let Dunkin' call its coffee 'the best' (November 27 2012 - now.msn.com)

Where can you get the best cup of coffee in America? According to Dunkin' Donuts, the finest cup of joe can be found in its thousands of stores nationwide, and the company wanted to make that designation official. more»

5. Daily Dish (November 27 2012 - www.latimes.com)

Dunkin' Donuts claims to have the "best coffee in America," but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office disagrees. Dunkin' Donuts' petition to trademark the phrase "best coffee in America" has been rejected by the agency. The Massachusetts-based coffee chain's slogan was not "distinctive enough to qualify for protection" and is "merely laudatory and descriptive," the agency ruled recently, according to the Boston Globe. more»

6. Silicon Valley’s second-term wish list (November 8 2012 - The Washington Post)

Silicon Valley contributed more to President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign than Wall Street and Hollywood, according to a Nov. 3 San Francisco Chronicle report. The Valley contributed $14.7 million compared to $14.5 million from New York City and $6.3 million from the Beverly Hills crowd. The data were compiled for the Chronicle by the nonpartisan organization MapLight.org. During his many trips to Silicon Valley, the President made a number of promises. Now that he has won, the Valley expects him to keep his end of the bargain. more»

7. Mandatory Employment Arbitration Clauses: Clearing the Hurdles, Part I (November 8 2012 - The Emplawyerologist)

Can an employer require employees to submit employment-related disputes to binding arbitration? In general, “yes”. How does an employer make that happen? If you joined The Emplawyerologist from the beginning you already know the answer: include a written arbitration clause in your employment contract. (If you are first joining us, that material is available here.) As you may have guessed however, the employer will first need to clear some hurdles. Before discussing some of those hurdles, let’s get a little background: more»

8. Legal Process Outsourcing (September 28 2012 - Global Legal Post)

Legal process outsourcing (LPO) is the provision of legal-related services by non-traditional providers. This is not a new concept, but recent growth in the market - some estimates suggest up to around 60 per cent annual expansion - has been one of the most notable trends in the legal world over the past few years. more»

9. Shoe Designer Can Protect Its ‘Pop’ of Red, Court Says (September 5 2012 - www.nytimes.com)

And when scholars get around to studying the ruling issued on Wednesday by a federal appeals court in Manhattan, they may revel in its analysis of “The Development of the Aesthetic Functionality Doctrine” or “A Brief History of Single-Color Marks.” more»