Remedies Available in Federal Court to Help Resolve Business Disputes

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Business disputes are an inevitable part of running a company, whether you’re a small startup or a large corporation. When these disputes cannot be resolved through negotiation, mediation, or arbitration, litigation in federal court may be the best—or only—option. Understanding the remedies available in federal court can help your company make informed decisions about how …Read more

How to Avoid the “Accidental” Business Ownership Lawsuit

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Founders of privately owned companies somehow always find creative ways to create conflicts among the owners – or would-be owners – of their business ventures. Our attorneys have seen our fair share of disputes among the owners of private partnerships, corporations or limited liability companies. Some disputes arise from a misunderstanding over a particular person …Read more

Apple Sues Former Product Designer Who Allegedly Stole Trade Secrets

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The value of trade secrets never escapes a well-run company. To that end, Apple Inc. has sued a former product designer claiming that he stole the company’s trade secrets to help his new employer, Arris Composites, and then leaked those secrets to the media to advance his own financial interests. The designer, Simon Lancaster, worked …Read more

Ecolab Sues Former Employee For Allegedly Stealing Trade Secrets

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In another high profile trade secret case, water treatment giant Ecolab, Inc. sued one of its former marketing managers, Preston Alexander, and his new company, One Degree Medical, alleging they stole trade secrets to set up a competing business in violation of both the employees’ employment agreement, and state and federal trade secrets laws. EcoLab’s …Read more

Courts Differ on Where Website Operators are Subject to Personal Jurisdiction

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Courts are increasingly being asked to decide when website operators are subject to personal jurisdiction in a particular state, a potentially vexing problem because websites generally lack a specific location and can be accessed from almost anywhere on the globe. In June 2020, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, in UMG Recordings, Inc. v. …Read more

Beware of Successor Liability in Connection with Family Owned Business

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A corporation ordinarily is not liable for the debts of other entities or its owners in the absence of an express agreement, such as a guarantee. However, a creditor of one company may try to impose liability on one or more non-debtor entities under “alter ego” or “successor liability” theories in certain circumstances. In these …Read more

How to Select a Trial Attorney for Your Bay Area Business

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Working with a reputable law firm to assist you in drafting and negotiating agreements for sales, real estate transactions, employment agreements, and intellectual property licenses, has never been more essential to the success of your business. The attorney you choose should be focused on preventing problems and helping you navigate your company through a challenging …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

Frivolous Lawsuit Seeking More Than $3.8 Million in Damages from Washington D.C. Based Client Dismissed

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Finkel Law Group is pleased to report that it has scored another victory for one of the firm’s clients in Santa Clara County Superior Court. In August 2014, a client from Washington, D.C. contacted our office in San Francisco seeking our assistance to defend against a frivolous lawsuit filed against him in California seeking $3,833,440 …Read more

Finkel Law Group Helps Firm Secure Settlement in Contract Dispute

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Sometimes when a small company conducts business with a larger company, the respective bargaining power of each party is not equal. The larger company almost always has the small company over a barrel. That’s never the case when Finkel Law Group represents your company in litigation with a larger, well-funded adversary. Our firm recently helped …Read more