Monthly Archives: December 2011

Usually when Apple and China are in the news, it is Apple that is the victim. Apple has aggressively fought against piracy in the country, which costs the company billions of dollars. Several stores even exist in China that are complete knock-offs of Apple stores, and the Chinese government has only closed a handful of them. Due to a recent Chinese court decision, though, Apple may find itself having to pay out for its own infringement activities. Earlier in December, a Chinese court ruled against Apple in a trademark case. Since last fall, Apple has been selling its popular iPad tablets in China. The problem was that another Chinese company had trademarked the term “iPad” several years before. That company is Proview, which trademarked “iPad” in Taiwan in 2000 and in mainland China in 2001. Apple entered into a trademark transfer agreement with Proview Taiwan and claimed it should apply…
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A legal dispute between Paramount Pictures and a group of financers highlights some of the things that can wrong when two sides enter into a financing contract. The financers – a group called Melrose 2 out of New York City – agreed to back several Paramount movies in exchange for 25 percent of forthcoming revenue. The movies involved in the deal are big hits, including Mission Impossible 3, Blades of Glory and the Transformers series. Melrose 2, however, claims that it is not getting its fair share. Melrose 2 believes that Paramount is underreporting its profits, thereby cutting Melrose 2 out of the money that the financers claim they are due. Having provided $375 million in financing to Paramount, Melrose 2 says that it has not yet had a dollar of profit despite the films’ bringing in $7 billion in revenue. Paramount counters that the fraud charges are untrue. It…
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Company holiday parties may be the highlight of the year for many employees. They have every reason to be in good spirits this time of the year as they use up leftover vacation days, spend more time with family and friends and exchange presents, but employers need to be cautious with holiday parties. The Los Angeles employment attorneys at Kesluk and Silverstein recently posted a blog discussing some of the pitfalls and perils of company holiday parties that company executives need to be aware of. Alcohol consumption is a major concern for companies, as they could be liable if their party goers drink too much and then cause property damage or injure somebody. Employers can play it safe by hiring professional bartenders to serve guests, by having the party off of the company’s premises or by making guests pay for alcohol themselves. Employees should also avoid behavior that might lead…
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Posted in Business Litigation, General Litigation | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment