The US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia recently awarded the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) $36,320.49 in legal expenses, including its attorneys’ fees, in a case brought by an applicant appealing the PTO’s refusal to register a mark on the basis.

On January 9, 2014, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler released a blog post indicating that he intends to prod smaller wireless carriers and over-the-top (OTT) texting services to provide their customers text-to-911 services by no later than the end of this year.

The Court held that an employee who cannot perform an essential function of his or her job is not a qualified individual under the ADA, even if the employer previously chose to accommodate the employee by excusing the employee from performing the essential function.

On January 9, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission and the County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer Affairs held a press conference announcing a nationwide enforcement action targeting deceptive auto dealer advertisements.

On January 7, 2014, the Court of Appeals of New York revisited its decision in K2 Investment v. American Guarantee, 21 N.Y.3d 384 (2013).

On January 1, Senate Bill 46 and Assembly Bill 370 took effect, expanding the scope of online data protection and notice requirements in California.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) issued a statement indicating that it has decided not to seek US Supreme Court review of two US Court of Appeals decisions invalidating the NLRB’s Notice Posting Rule.

The financial impact of this increased RAC activity has grown substantially as well, both in terms of claims denials and the costs associated with responding to the RACs.

According to the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Google’s co-mingling of the personal identification information (PII) it collects from users across multiple product platforms does not create an injury sufficient to grant standing to sue in federal court.

Some companies are crying foul on keyword advertisements– arguing that the keyword ads are so close to consumer searches that they violate the companies’ intellectual property rights.

The US Food and Drug Administration recently published a proposed rule relating to food defense, as part of its implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 (FSMA or the Act).

On December 26, 2013, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill (H.R. 3487) that gives the Federal Election Commission (FEC) new authority to impose automatic fines for campaign finance reporting violations on nonprofit organizations, Super PACs, and political party committees.

With the proliferation of smart phones and other mobile devices, it has never been easier for brands and marketers to collect data about the habits and desires of their customers.

On December 17, 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a long-awaited Proposed Rule (PR), which requires manufacturers of antibacterial hand soaps and body washes to submit data and information to the agency.

The Beastie Boys don’t play games when it comes to copyright infringement. The legendary hip hop band is waging an aggressive legal battle against a company called GoldieBlox that makes engineering toys for girls over what the band claims is copyright and trademark infringement related to its 1987 h

Santa’s not the only one who is making a list this holiday season: the FTC is keeping a close watch on online retailers and is warning that misbehaving retailers will be getting lumps of coal in the form of FTC enforcement actions.