A few years ago, the Symantec Corporation and Ponemon Institute released the results of a survey of employees working for companies in six countries, including the U.S., Brazil, China, France, Korea and United Kingdom. The results were remarkable. They should place every chief executive on notice of the risks of data security breaches her company […]
Understand Federal and State Securities Laws Before Raising Money
The applicability of the federal securities laws is remarkably broad. The Securities Act of 1933 defines a “security” to include stock, bonds, notes, fractional undivided interests in oil, gas and other mineral rights, and “investment contracts.” The Supreme Court analyzed such contracts in the Howey case to mean investments in a common enterprise with an […]
Trademark Office Issues New Guidlines on Trademarking Cannabis Products and Services
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) issued new guidelines on May 2, 2019, clarifying that trademarks for certain cannabis and cannabis-derived goods and services are now eligible for federal trademark protection. The PTO issued the guidelines to clarify the procedure for examining marks for these goods and services following passage of the 2018 Farm […]
The Musical Works Modernization Act is Congress’ Latest Effort to Bring Peace to the Music Business
The Hatch-Goodlatte Musical Works Modernization Act was signed into law on October 11, 2018. The Act is Congress’ attempt to bring some semblance of peace to the various factions within the music industry. These groups have been waging legal warfare against one another since the invention of music streaming technologies and the advent of its […]