JD Supra Weekend Reader: SEO Expert Testimony, Google Street Smarts, Human Gene Patents, Immigration Reform Bill

That “weekend” thing everyone’s been talking about since Monday? It’s here. Make it a good one, with a dose of JD Supra Law News:

Is Big Law on the mend? Maybe… (Bloomberg Law) 

Relax, America – SAG-AFTRA (the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) has approved the new three-year contract for television commercials (Heenan Blaikie) 

SEO expert testimony in litigation? Yep - it’s coming… (Ronald Coleman) 

The struggle to make respect for human rights part of mainstream corporate practice in the United States has just begun… (Foley Hoag) 

“Street” smarts, brought to you by Google… (BakerHostetler) 

On the Internet in China, someone actually DOES know you’re a dog… (Sheppard Mullin) 

Will doing time become a requirement for those convicted of white collar crimes? (Saul Ewing) 

Can human genes be patented? (JD Supra Legal Perspective) 

“Neither admit nor deny” settlements of SEC charges may not be very satisfying, but without them the agency would lack an important enforcement tool… (Orrick) 

School officials have no unlimited right to search content on a student’s phone, says a federal appellate court (Franczek Radelet) 

The Marketplace Fairness Act would spell the end of tax-free purchases on the Internet (Dinsmore) 

The SEC’s social media guidance changes the way corporations communicate with investors. Here’s how… (JD Supra Legal Perspective) 

“Essential” job duties are still essential when an employee rarely performs them… (Ogletree Deakins) 

On second thought, maybe paying doctors for patient referrals wasn’t such a good idea after all… (King & Spalding) 

Your tax dollars at work: federal report finds that a lot of commercial real estate loans went bad when the market collapsed, often leaving small banks holding the bag (Dechert) 

Drafting a contract? It’ll be better if you think like a litigator… (Burns & Levinson) 

Space: the final frontier… For insurance companies? (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips) 

Be kind. Enough said. (McManis Faulkner) 

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act puts the burden on the copyright owner – not the website – to track infringement. Don’t believe us? Ask Viacom (or Google) (Looper Reed) 

Wonder what’s going on with the legalization of crowdfunding? Read this (Leonard, Street and Deinard) 

Last year the Supreme Court said law enforcement couldn’t attach GPS-tracking devices to a vehicle without a warrant. But there may be exceptions… (Jeff Ifrah) 

The new immigration reform bill is 844 pages long. Here’s a good summary (Morgan Lewis) 

More and more states have begun to consider laws that would require the disclosure of toxic chemicals in consumer products (Davis Wright Tremaine) 

True or False: telling an employer she needs to clean a construction site trailer in a French Maid’s Costume is not sexual harassment. No, it’s not a trick question. And yes, you might be surprised by the answer… (Fenwick & West) 

Will lawmakers succeed in imposing a financial transactions tax on Wall Street? (Duane Morris) 

Does your business comply with the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act? (Foley & Lardner) 

Can you trademark a store design? Ask Apple (Winthrop & Weinstine) 

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JD Supra Morning Brief: Doing Time, China Strategy, Marketplace Fairness, Human Genes

Get the JD Supra Morning Brief delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Because you deserve it: 

New California rules will require the disclosure of energy usage in any commercial building sale, lease, or financing transaction as of July 1, 2013 (Allen Matkins) 

Will doing time become a requirement for those convicted of white collar crimes? (Saul Ewing) 

Businesses around the world must have a China strategy to remain competitive and succeed in the global marketplace (Pillsbury) 

Is Congress really considering limits on 401(k) contributions as a means of increasing tax revenues? It looks that way… (Baker Donelson) 

“Neither admit nor deny” settlements of SEC charges may not be very satisfying, but without them the agency would lack an important enforcement tool… (Orrick) 

Everything you wanted to know about successfully navigating the regulatory landscape for biosimilars (but were afraid to ask) (Knobbe Martens) 

School officials have no unlimited right to search content on a student’s phone, says a federal appellate court (Franczek Radelet) 

The Marketplace Fairness Act would spell the end of tax-free purchases on the Internet (Dinsmore) 

Can human genes be patented? (JD Supra Legal Perspective) 

President Obama’s efforts to curb gun violence by improving the flow of information regarding individuals with specific mental health issues is running into an unexpected challenge: HIPAA privacy rules (Mintz Levin) 

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JD Supra Morning Brief: Dodgeball, Robosigning, Guinea Pigs, The Donald

Can’t decide what to wear? If it helps, the JD Supra Morning Brief goes well with just about anything:

Interesting look at the Supreme Court first-sale doctrine ruling, from the lawyer who convinced the justices that it’s OK to resell any book, regardless of where it’s made (Bloomberg Law) 

French, Italian, British, German, Spanish, and Dutch data protection authorities agree: Google’s privacy policy isn’t what it should be… (Proskauer) 

Dodgeball and other “human targeting” games eliminated from a New Hampshire school district (Cullen & Dykman) 

Are we all a guilty of a little “robosigning” from time to time? (Ifrah Law) 

What does it mean to cooperate with an SEC or a DOJ investigation? And what are the benefits? (Morrison & Foerster) 

Happy birthday, JOBS Act! (Leonard, Street and Deinard) 

What does the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance look for in cybersecurity disclosures of public companies? Let’s ask ‘em… (Mintz Levin) 

Bill Maher trumps The Donald: Donald Trump dismisses his unwinnable breach-of-contract lawsuit against the comedian (Greenberg Glusker) 

Student sues university over right to keep a guinea pig in her dorm room, and other higher education legal news (Saul Ewing) 

What to do with employees who use – or misuse – social media? (Pullman & Comley) 

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JD Supra Morning Brief: Sexting Kids, Patent Rights, School Trips, Dashboard Cameras

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Right now: On the A Train reading the JD Supra Morning Brief as she heads to the office…

From the archives: financial communications in a post-Dodd-Frank world (Levick) 

New York wants to give sexting juveniles a second chance – instead of jail time (Raiser & Kenniff) 

What’s in President Obama’s Rebuild America Partnership plan? (Ballard Spahr) 

First to file means, well, file your patent application as soon as you possibly can. Or risk losing patent rights to a competitor… (Foley & Lardner) 

This $41.7 million jury verdict against a Connecticut school over injuries incurred on a travel abroad program offers several important lessons (Holland & Knight) 

Is there really a commercial database containing the names of employees suspected of stealing from their retail employers? Looks like it… (Perkins Coie) 

It’s Google versus the EU. And Google might just win… (Mintz Levin) 

Yes, there really is a Little Tucker Act and no, it does not waive the sovereign immunity of the United States in an action for damages alleging violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard) 

Have you installed a dashboard camera in your car yet? (Barasch McGarry Salzman & Penson) 

Security, workers comp, payroll records and other legal issues you should consider before implementing a telecommuting policy (Ogletree Deakins) 

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JD Supra Morning Brief: Online Civility, Child Abductions, Tweeting CEOs, Terrorism Insurance

“April is the cruelest month,” wrote T.S. Eliot. But that’s probably because he didn’t read the JD Supra Morning Brief, guaranteed to brighten up any April morning:

Think we need more civility in online communications? So does Andrea Weckerle (Levick) 

What can schools do to protect students against child abductions? (Fisher & Phillips) 

The number of FCPA enforcement actions in 2012 was just over 50% of those in 2011 – but that doesn’t mean the feds are losing steam… (Venable) 

The SEC just let corporate communications move into the 21st century (Corporate Law Report) 

That darn Commerce Clause is back in the news again thanks to a New York Court of Appeals ruling that Amazon, Overstock.com and other online retailers have to pay sales tax in the state… (Partridge Snow & Hahn) 

No more National Security Letters for you, Special Agent… (Pullman & Comley) 

Can you stop at Target on the way home and pick up some pure honey? Yes and no… (Morrison & Foerster) 

Yes, the SEC took a big step forward by when it gave AngelList and fundersclub.com a pass on broker-dealer registration. No, it does not mean you can raise money via Facebook yet (Looper Reed) 

Balancing the rights of transgender students and the rest of the student population means new and unfamiliar challenges for school administrators (Franczek Radelet) 

Terrorism insurance? Yep… (Dechert) 

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Looking for more? You’ll find it on Flipboard»

JD Supra Weekend Reader: Craft Beer, Catastrophe Bonds, @#%*& Comments, Art Loans

What a week! We’re so glad it’s over, because it means another Weekend Reader. The best way to kick it off? A nice cold beer… video. Enjoy:

The IP lawyers have all the luck: more trademark insight for craft brewers (McNees Wallace & Nurick) 

Follow these rules in your employee communication and everything should be just fine (Foley & Lardner) 

Demand for catastrophe bonds was up 37% in 2012 over 2011 (McCarter & English) 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: 1 - Dermochelys coriacea: 0 (Nossaman LLP) 

Bank officers and directors: your new “Stay out of Jail” card is an anti-money laundering compliance program (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips) 

Has crowdfunding already begun with the SEC’s blessing? (Leonard, Street and Deinard) 

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if ALL companies released guiding principles on freedom of expression and privacy? (Foley Hoag) 

Don’t loan your Picasso to the art museum without reading this update (Sheppard Mullin) 

Hey! Keep your @#%*& opinions about the employees off of your Facebook page! (Looper Reed & McGraw) 

Your tax dollars at work: US Customs and Border Protection has proposed a new method for determining the proper classification of footwear under the country’s tariff laws (Duane Morris) 

Cut from the team for not cutting your hair? You’re out of luck, kid (Franczek Radelet) 

Why isn’t the minimum wage $33 an hour? (Fisher & Phillips) 

The Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance Act would require the police to obtain a warrant to track GPS devices (Carlton Fields) 

Planning to deduct your charitable donations on your income tax filings? Read this first (Farella Braun + Martel) 

India is at a crossroads: more foreign investment or more tax revenues from multinationals doing business in the country? (McDermott Will & Emery) 

Cyprus won’t blow up Europe, but the keg of dynamite is still there… (Dechert) 

“Be nice to pregnant ladies,” and other advice for avoiding pregnancy discrimination lawsuits (Miller & Martin) 

Did the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court throw common sense out the window? (Foley & Lardner) 

US Customs and Border Protection is going paperless. And that means I-94 visa recipients need access to a good printer when they get to the US (Davis Brown) 

VC funds expect operational problems when investing in your startup. Here’s how to make sure those problems don’t kill your deal (The R. Bernard Law Group) 

Chinese companies try novel “but our government made us do it” defense for price-fixing charges. It didn’t work… (Nossaman LLP) 

An 883-pound fish, yellow snow, and copyrighted grades of football players, all in the same update. Really – does it get any better than this? (Proskauer) 

Trying to sort through the complexities of the NFL concussion litigation is giving us a headache (Barger & Wolen) 

Agree to disagree? Not this time – environmentalists and fracking industry agree on voluntary standards (BakerHostetler) 

Do mortgage lenders discriminate against women? Yes, says a new study (BuckleySandler) 

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JD Supra Weekend Reader: Honey-Laundering, Bitcoin Regulation, LinkedIn Accounts, Shark Wrestling

One day we’ll look back on all of this and think: remember when you had to type things on a keyboard? And use that funny thing called a “mouse”? I do miss that auto-correct, though: it was always good for a laugh… 

Happy weekend!

New math for businesses: (data breaches * BYOD policies) + encryption = a good night’s sleep (Fenwick & West) 

What do bad investments, terrible financial decisions, wildly successful business ventures, and careers in politics have in common? Hint: think professional athletes… (Duane Morris) 

Portrait of Jesus Christ hanging in an Ohio school provides important lessons for school districts (Franczek Radelet) 

Buzz this: A global “honey-laundering” sting by federal officials broke up a scam perpetrated by the country’s two largest honey processing companies – the nation’s largest food fraud case ever (Perkins Coie) 

Shopping for cyber insurance? Here’s what to look for (Sherman & Howard) 

Bitcoin may be virtual currency, but it is still subject to real anti-money laundering laws (Ifrah Law) 

Listed on NASDAQ’s market of unlisted companies? Don’t laugh – it could happen (Holland & Knight) 

The total value of mobile payments is expected to hit $1.3 trillion in 2017 (MoFo Tech) 

Eagle v. Edcomm: The Sequel. Or why all companies need to set clear rules regarding ownership of company-related social media accounts (Mintz Levin) 

You still can’t judge a book by its cover, but if you buy the book outside the US, you can now sell it without breaking intellectual property laws (Baker Donelson) 

Estate planning the 21st Century: cover your digital ass(ets) (Is That Legal?) 

A federal court recently allowed the FTC to serve motions on defendants based in India via email and Facebook messages (Miller Canfield) 

Are crowdsourced workers employees or independent contractors? (Barger & Wolen) 

Many states have adopted “parking lot” laws that allow gun owners to bring weapons onto their employer’s property (Dinsmore & Shohl) 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to start regulating non-banks that service private and federal student loans (Ballard Spahr) 

This is either the title of a new children’s book or valuable advice on keeping your job: “Don’t Wrestle a Shark While on Holiday in Australia” (Orrick) 

Filing personal bankruptcy? You’ll want to know the difference between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 (John Skiba) 

Kivalina, the Alaska village that has spent five years suing energy companies for their role in the global warming that is inundating the town, has appealed its case to the Supreme Court (McCarter & English) 

Anonymous whistleblowers who report corporate misconduct to the SEC create special challenges for the companies accused of wrongdoing (Morvillo Abramowitz) 

We’re just not going to eat ever again (Lane Powell) 

The U.S. State Department is investing $6 billion to develop geothermal power in Indonesia for consumption in Singapore (Mintz Levin) 

New U.S. sanctions against Iran could create trouble for automakers (Foley & Lardner) 

The recently signed Violence Against Women Act means institutions of higher education will have to change policies and procedures related to on-campus acts of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking (Pepper Hamilton) 

A Texas lawmaker has proposed a law that would allow courts to serve defendants via social media #areyouserious (BakerHostetler) 

A new EEOC report has identified seven distinct obstacles blocking equal opportunities for African Americans in the federal work force (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) 

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JD Supra Morning Brief: Professional Athletes, Logging Roads, “Honey Laundering,” Cyber Insurance

What a difference four decades make: next week, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. 41 years ago today, the Court ruled that unmarried people had the same right to contraception as married couples. 

Think you should go big on Kodak stock since you missed the American Airlines boom? Don’t call your broker just yet… (Bloomberg Law) 

What do bad investments, terrible financial decisions, wildly successful business ventures, and careers in politics have in common? Hint: think professional athletes… (Duane Morris) 

It can’t be sweeping intellectual property decisions every day: SCOTUS rules that runoff from logging roads does not constitute a discharge that requires an NPDES permit (Foley Hoag) 

Portrait of Jesus Christ hanging in an Ohio school provides important lessons for school districts (Franczek Radelet) 

Buzz this: A global “honey-laundering” sting by federal officials broke up a scam perpetrated by the country’s two largest honey processing companies – the nation’s largest food fraud case ever (Perkins Coie) 

The H-1B visa cap is expected to be reached during the first week after the application process begins (Fowler White Boggs) 

Shopping for cyber insurance? Here’s what to look for (Sherman & Howard) 

Think you can avoid CFPB regulation because Director Cordray was nominated via a recess appointment? Think again (Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck) 

Argentina passed a same-sex marriage law in 2010 and a gender identity law in 2012. Can reform of the country’s employment discrimination law be far behind? (Fisher & Phillips) 

Won’t let us bet on sports? Well, we’ll bet on fantasy sports then (but with real dollars) (Ifrah Law) 

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JD Supra Morning Brief: Banks on Libor Lawsuits, White House on Cybersecurity, EU on Banker Bonuses, Feds on Gender-based Violence

Man, that Rand Paul can sure talk… After his nearly 13-hour filibuster last night, you’d think he’s sleeping in late. Not true, say unnamed sources in DC, who tell us that Paul left word to be woken up as soon as the JD Supra Morning Brief hit his inbox:

“At some point every corporation will have a [compliance] problem … and it’s better to have a positive, ongoing, cooperative relationship with regulators prior to having that problem…” (Levick) 

File under “no sh*t, Sherlock:” banks think Libor lawsuits should be thrown out (Shipkevich PLLC) 

European regulators agree on mandatory caps on bonuses paid out to bankers (ps to EU bankers – the new rules won’t go in effect until next year) (Orrick) 

Is starting work on time an essential function of a job? (Pullman & Comley) 

More regulations are needed to address cybersecurity concerns at companies that make up the country’s critical infrastructure, says White House Cyber Security Coordinator Michael Daniel (Carlton Fields) 

The US Department of Education is calling for immediate action to reduce gender-based violence in schools (Franczek Radelet) 

Companies that want to enforce arbitration agreements with employees that only speak Spanish must translate the agreements into Spanish first… (Sherman & Howard) 

On a gluten-free diet? You’ll be pleased to know that the FDA plans to issue gluten-free label requirements later this month (Morrison & Foerster) 

There’s a new sheriff in FTC Town. Here’s a first look at what to expect (Loeb & Loeb) 

Is rescission an option for Superstorm Sandy insurers facing misrepresentation made in connection with insurance applications? (Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason) 

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JD Supra Morning Brief: Healthcare Fraud, Gun Laws, Farm Bill, Illegal Robocalls

It’s Friday, and if you’re like us, you’ve been waiting for today since you went to bed Sunday night. How to celebrate? With the JD Supra Morning Brief (is there any other way?): 

“Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go.” These updates can help employers and HR managers whistle while they work… (Corporate Law Report) 

Healthcare fraud enforcement provides federal government a 790% return on their investment. To be honest, we thought you only got results like that via insider trading (BakerHostetler) 

It’s over, Rover. So who gets the pets? (Adrian Altshuler) 

Think you can design a “Student Loan Affordability Plan”? Tell the CFPB (Ballard Spahr) 

More than half of the states – and the federal government – do not have laws regulating firearms in the workplace. That includes New York, which just passed the “toughest, strongest” gun law in the country (Littler) 

Will Congress enact a new farm bill in 2013? (Warner Norcross & Judd) 

FTC levies $1.1 million fine on the “architect of an illegal robocall operation” (Ifrah Law) 

The National Labor Relations Board says discussing salaries with fellow employees is “protected activity” (Franczek Radelet) 

There’s an important lesson here: Teacher’s rant about homosexuals and the First Lady’s weight earn him a one-year suspension (Cullen & Dykman) 

Is an employer liable for the violent acts of employees? (Snell & Wilmer) 

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