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Dispute over Bratz Dolls Ownership Settled in Favor of MGA

April 26, 2011

In 2008, El-Segundo-based Mattel Inc., the world’s No. 1 toy maker and owner of the Barbie empire, sued Van-Nuys-based MGA Entertainment Inc., which became well-known when introducing big-headed, pouty dolls named Bratz in 2001, for copyright infringement. The concept of Bratz was invented by Carter Bryant, a former employee at Mattel. Mattel argued that Bryant…

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Mexico Hires New York Law Firm to Sue U.S. Gun Manufacturers

April 26, 2011

Mexico, being frustrated with U.S. attempts to stop the flow of weapons into Mexico (amounting to 2,000 smuggled guns a day), engaged Reid Collins & Tsai in November 2010 to explore filing civil charges against U.S. gun manufacturers and distributors. Reid Collins & Tsai, a boutique trial firm, based in New York, practices complex commercial…

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North Carolina & Gerrymandering

April 25, 2011

The word gerrymander appeared for the first time in 1812. Elbridge Gerry was a former governor of Massachusetts. When members of Gerry’s party created an election district which looked like a salamander, both words were combined and soon became to mean “the action of shaping a district to gain political advantage” and/ or “any representative…

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seeking full-time bilingual Administrative Assistant

April 21, 2011

Uptown Law Firm seeking full-time bilingual Administrative Assistant Great opportunity to work with an international firm in Charlotte, North Carolina and work in a multi-lingual environment. Position is Full-Time: Monday-Friday (9:00 am-5:00 pm). This position requires assisting a Senior Partner and other lawyers with day-to-day needs such as writing in German and English, translations, billing,…

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NC – Pros & Cons of Non-Lawyer Owernship of Law Firms

April 20, 2011

Following up on our March 10 blog post regarding the introduction of a bill in the North Carolina General Assembly that would permit non-lawyer ownership of law firms. The following post explains in more detail the origin of the bill as well as its pros and cons.ORIGINIn the United Kingdom, the Legal Services Act (effective…

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Arizona Gov. Vetoes Presidential “Birther” Bill

April 20, 2011

On Monday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a bill that would have required President Obama and other presidential candidates to prove their U.S. citizenship before their names could appear on the state’s ballot. The bill would have made Arizona the first state to pass such a requirement. So-called “birthers” claim there’s no proof President Obama…

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Georgia House Passes Arizona-style Immigration Bill

April 19, 2011

An Arizona-style immigration bill passed in the Georgia House by a vote of 112 to 59 last Thursday. Following the passage of the controversial bill, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said he would sign such a bill into law. The passage of such a law would throw Georgia into the center of the national debate over…

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USCIS Continues to Accept FY 2012 H-1B Petitions

April 14, 2011

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on April 8 announced it continues to accept H-1B nonimmigrant petitions that are subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2012 cap. The agency began accepting these petitions on April 1, 2011. USCIS is monitoring the number of petitions received that count toward the congressionally mandated annual H-1B cap of…

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U.S. Researchers Find Radiation from Airport Scanners is Very Low

April 14, 2011

As previously reported on our blog, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that it will start publishing radiating results from airport passenger and luggage screening equipment. On Monday, March 28, U.S. researchers announced that airport scanners are an “extremely low” source of radiation exposure. It poses virtually no health risk, not even to frequent air…

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ECJ May Limit Rights of Advertisers to Use Names of Rivals as Keywords

April 13, 2011

Google and other search engine providers offer advertisers the opportunity to purchase advertising keywords corresponding to trademarks, often those owned by their competitors. As a consequence, a user who types in a brand name may be directed to the website of a company that offers competing products. One of the latest examples in a series…

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