How and Why You Should Copyright Your Software

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If you dream of building a software development company, it’s no exaggeration to say that without your software, and the legal ability to commercialize it, you have no business. Other than your people, your proprietary software is your most valuable asset and needs to be protected from competitors and secured from unintended internal uses that …Read more

Legal Protections for Your Software Products

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In the modern day world of cutting-edge technology and smartphones, software is a significant business sector where developers need to stay ahead of competitors by developing new code and new applications all the time. But new code involves developing intelligent solutions to problems, and providing customers with a unique product. What options do software developers …Read more

5 Things To Understand About New Federal Trade Secret Law

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Until May 12, 2016, trade secret law was the only area of intellectual property law left largely to state courts and state law. No longer. On May 12, President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016. (Pub. L. No. 114-153). It establishes a new federal civil remedy for the misappropriation of trade secrets, …Read more

E-Commerce Companies Beware: It’s Now Possible to Copyright HTML

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It’s now possible to copyright HTML (hypertext markup language) code and text. More specifically, in a decision issued by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in January 2016, the court ruled that the developer can copyright HTML code and text associated with a custom search results page of an online advertising …Read more

Three Ways You May Be Sharing Trade Secrets With Competitors and How to Stop

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Trade secrets come in many forms. They commonly include customer lists, programming data, pricing information, employee compensation and benefits, cost matrices and secret recipes. Whatever information a company develops or acquires for the purpose of gaining a competitive edge that it does not share with others will likely fall within the definition of “Trade Secret.” …Read more

Why Protect Your Software With the Power of Copyright Law

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An enormous amount of any software company’s value is tied up in its intellectual property. One way to protect your software – the key asset of your company – is to seek copyright protection through the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C. A copyright is automatically created upon the completion of an original work of authorship that …Read more

Protecting Your Trademark Rights – Recent U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Raises the Stakes

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Every business wants to develop a positive image in the minds of customers.  Many companies spend lavishly on marketing to establish reputations for quality, performance and value. A company’s reputation can be among its most valuable assets. If an unknown computer company could use the name “Apple” – or something confusingly similar like “Appel” – …Read more

US Supreme Court Copyright Act Decision – ABC v Aereo

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Developers of new digital technologies that store and transmit data to customers around the world suffered a major set back on June 25, 2014 in the United States Supreme Court Copyright Act Decision in American Broadcasting Cos., Inc. v. Aereo, Inc. The court found that Aereo infringed broadcasters’ copyrights by providing its customers with access to …Read more

Implications of “Raging Bull” Lawsuit for Copyright Owners

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Dust off those old songs, manuscripts and articles because on May 19, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion in Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. (the “Raging Bull” lawsuit) that ensures a copyright holder has the right to enforce a copyrighted work, even if it has been dormant for many years, and receive damages, and, …Read more

Cybersecurity Protection for your California Business

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Just as the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) completes its version 1.0 National Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, California Attorney General Kamala Harris has made clear she intends a leadership role for California. With the just published guide entitled “Cybersecurity in the Golden State: How California Businesses Can …Read more