By Art MacCord Art MacCord is a patent attorney with 38 years of experience. He keeps an eye on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office for new rules and practice tips of interest to intellectual property attorneys. Please find his most recent links below. Request for Comments Regarding the Continuation […]
Intellectual Property Law Section members: The Intellectual Property Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association is seeking nominations for its 2016 Outstanding Achievement Pro Bono Award. This award is intended to foster and recognize the outstanding pro bono efforts undertaken by IP Section members during the year of 2016. Please take a few moments […]
By Daniel Walker Cole Suppose you are a small company in California asserting a patent against a North Carolina-based company. You gathered finances, hired a lawyer, and filed a complaint. Now you are ready to start litigating your patent infringement case, but you receive a summons for violating NC 75 Article 8. This may seem […]
By Kristi A. Nickodem On Dec. 1, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began enforcement of the anti-retaliation provisions of its controversial final rule on Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.1 OSHA has offered extensive guidance on its interpretation and enforcement of the new anti-retaliation provisions.2 This guidance, along with the rule itself, addresses […]
By M. Riana Smith Happy 2017! While it is the new year for everyone else, this time of year marks the half-way point of our bar year, which provides a great opportunity to see what we have accomplished so far, what is new and what is upcoming. Let’s start with what’s new. I am excited […]
By Douglas B. Thie In the week after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed three executive orders that will significantly affect non-U.S. citizens both immediately and in the coming months. Most recently, he signed an executive order titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. This order contains two important provisions […]
By Robert Ward HB2 will be the subject of the Constitutional Rights & Responsibilities Section’s upcoming annual CLE on Thursday, Feb. 9 at the Bar Center in Cary. During the section’s most recent council meeting, Eric Doggett, co-chair of our CLE committee, gave a brief summary and circulated a copy of the CLE program, which will […]
By Joyce Brafford How many times a day do you think about going paperless? What about email security or digital backups? Do you spend time wondering about document automation or online legal research? Have you been thinking about upgrading your virtual law practice management tools or client communication software? If you’ve thought about any of […]
By Jennifer Cotner On January 25, 2017, the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued two game-changing companion decisions impacting the test for determining joint and several liability under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), 29 U.S.C. §§201, et seq., for joint employers. Salinas, et al. v. Commercial Interiors, Inc., et al., No. 15-1915 In […]
By Anitra K. Brown Can a company disguise its control over a workforce through a myriad of affiliate companies? Apparently not. DIRECTV recently learned the hard way that its “web of agreements” revealed a joint employer relationship with its affiliates. These entities directly hired the field technicians responsible for installing and servicing DIRECTV’s satellites. The […]