On February 15, 2024, the United States Copyright Office published a notice of proposed rulemaking, proposing to create a new group registration option for published two-dimensional artwork. Currently, the Copyright Office permits group registration of up to ten unpublished two-dimensional artworks, and it also permits the registration of individual published two-dimensional artworks ...
A recent posting on a popular intellectual property (IP) blog raised an issue that’s becoming increasingly important in the couch-potato / global- village world we now live in: what, if any, legal protection does a TV format enjoy? In South Africa we often watch local versions of foreign TV programs, be they ‘reality’ shows like Big Brother or Come Dine WithMe, ‘talent’ shows like Idols or Masterchef,or game shows like The Weakest L
This past June marks nine years since the data breach at CardSystems Solutions, which involved the disclosure of names, account numbers and verification codes for some 40 million cardholders. Next month, we will pass the eight-year anniversary of the data breach at Monster.com, which involved the disclosure of contact information for some 1.3 million users ...
The Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, fondly known as TTB, issued final rules that contain a few game-changers for the alcoholic beverage manufacturing industry. We are particularly fond of the greater flexibility offered to distilleries. Distilleries can now count the years bourbon or whisky are aged in used barrels. Previously, a whisky or bourbon could only list the number of years aged in new oak barrels ...
Australia's Federal Court finds in favour of Nine newspapers against Ben Roberts-Smith. The judgement is a win for investigative journalism and the public’s right to know. Defence was lead by Peter Bartlett, MinterEllison. Nine newspapers’ victory in the Ben Roberts Smith vs Nine defamation case strengthens a core principle of journalism, and key tenant of democracy, which is the public’s right to know ...
This article has been updated based on the available information until 20th February 2021. As Government notifications are constantly revised, it is advisable to consult your attorney or visit the website of the relevant Government agency prior to travelling. Further, in additional to the guidelines published by the Central Government, passengers are also requested to refer to State specific official websites to be well informed about any additional requirements ...
The insurer incorrectly notified the insured of the general conditions of insurance. Could this result in the insurer being required to pay compensation, even though the general conditions of insurance state that there is an exception excluding the insurer’s liability? In our practice, we encountered an issue surrounding the need to notify the insured of the general conditions of the insurance contract ...
While the Ukrainian Parliament continues heated debates over the open market for agricultural land, one thing remains clear - the lifting of the moratorium on sale of agricultural land is an inevitable process, which is largely driven by globalization and the expansion of influence of major world corporate groups in Ukraine. However, for the land market and agribusiness to become transparent and efficient, the relevant risk management systems have to be implemented ...
Background The ‘ball’ in this case started ‘rolling’ when Rothschild presented his MetaBirkins collection at Art Basel Miami in December 2021 and began selling it through NFT platforms like OpenSea. The collection consisted of 100 NFTs with digital images of Hermès Birkin bags in various designs. The starting price for one copy was 0.1 ETH (about $450 at the time). The artist was said to have soon sold more than $1 million worth of digital handbags ...
On 25 January 2016, Botswana’s Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (“the CIPA”) issued a notice informing the public that it is not currently able to conduct hearings for trade mark oppositions and invalidations as a result of the recent restructuring of the Botswana Intellectual Property Office. The restructure led to the loss of staff responsible for the processing of opposition hearings and invalidations ...
Every year, tornadoes in the United States cause dozens of fatalities and inflict billions of dollars in property damage. The EF5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma on May 20 was the most powerful and destructive storm yet of the 2013 season. Although the Moore tornado is only one of 343 tornadoes already reported nationwide through May 23, more than 1300 occur annually in the United States, based on a three-year average ...
In recent months, high profile M&A warranty claims1 and falling premiums have dramatically increased the utilization of "representations and warranty insurance" (RWI), also known as "warranty and indemnity insurance," in mergers, acquisitions and related transactions. By one account, demand for transactional risk insurance policy limits in North America grew by eighty-six percent (86%) in 2012 ...
The end is near. 2018 is fast coming to a close, and it is that time of year when corporate lawyers are counting—not the number of shopping days left until Christmas, but the number weeks, days and hours left before the end of the fiscal year. Admittedly, in the scramble to close deals, insurance requirements and indemnity provisions may not be at the top of the list of critical deal points for clients and counsel ...
The Tokyo Olympic Games have been dubbed the greenest Games to date. Despite some criticism levelled against the claims of their eco-friendly nature, it is notable that the Tokyo Olympics Organising Committee has made significant strides to minimise the Games’ carbon footprint ...
In a recent decision by the Court of Appeal of Québec, the Honourable Jacques Chamberland, J.C.A. reviewed the application of exclusion clauses contained in a home insurance policy in the context of criminal activities1. THE FACTSThe Appellant, Union canadienne compagnie d’assurance insured the building of respondent, Mrs. Lise Houle and her spouse, Christian Alexandre. The latter was growing cannabis in the insured building ...
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, We would like to share with you an updated digest of the most significant laws and bills and regulatory innovations in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications sector for the period from June 2023 to February 2024, as well as trends in the future regulation of this industry. The TMT industry is currently experiencing significant regulatory pressure with changes constantly being made for both its service providers and the customers who use their products ...
Under RERA, the promoter of a real estate project is obliged to obtain the requisite insurance policies required to secure the development of project and insurances as may be notified by the government. The lack of transparency and uniformity in the Indian real estate market has done little to entice insurance companies from tapping into lucrative land deals and developing insurance products for the real estate sector ...
What’s worse than wanting to go to a concert for your favorite music artist and spending one-third of the ticket price in “convenience fees”? Apparently, getting hacked and losing roughly 560 million individual’s personal data—which is exactly what happened to Ticketmaster on May 20, 2024 ...
One of the essential components of organizing sport events is the ticketing system. Usually implemented by the Organizing Committees (OC), it is not unusual that these agreements contravene EC Law. In the Italy 1990 World Cup, the OC entered into a worldwide exclusive agreement of ground entrance tickets with a single tour travel agency for the purpose of putting together package tours for the event ...
Celebrity chef restaurants, locally inspired food and beverage offerings, communal social spaces, and in-room and hotel-led fitness options–these trends represent a transformation of the traditional hotel model. Amenity preferences, particularly for authentic, one-of-a-kind social experiences, continue to segment the hospitality industry. Many of the large hotel chains have countered with a series of new boutique-style brands that cater to individuality of the customer and locale ...
At a time when tolerance seems to be an increasingly precious commodity, society can celebrate an awakening intolerance for sexual harassment. For all of the scandal and salacious detail dominating the media in recent months, there is the hope that victims of depravity can find empowerment and healing, if not justice, too ...
Do social media users have a fair choice between giving up their privacy and paying a subscription fee? The European Data Protection Board has given its opinion on what’s fair for large platforms in the latest shake up of personalised online advertising. When it comes to justifying processing personal data for targeted advertising under EU data protection laws, Meta (along with other online platforms) has been feeling the squeeze ...
Virtually every merger or acquisition includes representations or requirements regarding insurance. Every corporate counsel knows that warranties regarding the adequacy of insurance coverage must be verified. Every sophisticated director and officer will require ongoing insurance coverage and indemnification after the closing of a merger. Many experienced counsel are savvy enough to watch out for basic insurance traps like anti-assignment provisions ...
Employers should recognize three common mistakes in determining a valid workers’ compensation claim and in preparing to defend an invalid claim: 1. Failure to Investigate Thoroughly An initial thorough investigation of a workers’ compensation claim can be the key to determining a valid claim or a successful defense to an invalid claim at hearing. Early investigation allows for comprehensive documents-gathering and discovery ...
On April 20, 2009, the Court of Appeal issued its judgment in three related cases(1) concerning a defect in a fireplace that caused a fire resulting in the partial loss of the building owned by Alpha’s insureds. Alpha sued the immediate seller to its insureds, Basque, as well as the prior owners, Caron and Pellerin, under the rules governing the warranty against latent defects ...
