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  • Cell Phone Reward and Risk By James R. “Sonny” Chastain, Jr. In a recent Supreme Court decision involving the Fourth Amendment, Justice Roberts noted that there are 396 million cell phones accounts in the United States for a nation of only 326 million people.  The cell phone provides numerous functions including access to contacts, data, information and the internet.  Some... Continue Reading... ....
  • Louisiana First Circuit Declines to Supply Right of Publicity to Barry Seal Succession By James R. “Sonny” Chastain, Jr. On June 21, 2018, the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals addressed the right of publicity and right of privacy in connection with Barry Seal (“Seal”) and the movie titled “American Made”.  In 2014, Universal City Studios, LLC (“Universal”) entered an agreement to purchase the life story of Barry... Continue Reading... ....
  • Dilly Dilly on Infringement Demand By Sonny Chastain In its recent campaign, Bud Light recognizes true friends of the Crown by raising a cold adult malted beverage and chanting Dilly Dilly.  The marketing slogan was created apparently coming out of nonsense and fun.  In its campaign, Bud Light seems to want people to celebrate with a lighthearted toast of Dilly... Continue Reading... ....
  • General Mills Not Cheery about TTAB Ruling By Sonny Chastain General Mills filed an application to register the color yellow appearing as the uniform background on a box of Cheerios.   It contended that consumers have come to identify the color yellow specifically with Cheerios, when used in connection with the goods.  It submitted survey evidence and expert reports to support the claim... Continue Reading... ....
  • Net Neutrality Repealed: What it Means for Business By Lauren J. Rucinski and R. Devin Ricci As of December 14, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) repealed the so-called net neutrality regulations in a 3 to 2 vote along party lines. But what does this mean and how may this decision affect you or your business? To be honest, it is too early... Continue Reading... ....
  • The Defend Trade Secrets Act at Year One By Jessica Engler This article originally appeared in the Fall 2017 edition of DRI’s In-House Defense Quarterly On March 11th of this year, the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) celebrated the one-year anniversary of its enactment.  The DTSA, 18 U.S.C. Section 1831, et seq. expanded the federal legal protection for holders of trade secrets presently... Continue Reading... ....
  • Patented Invention Spotlight – Aqua Dam by Layfield Group By Devin Ricci The City of Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas have been struck by devastating floods.  Thousands were stranded. The roadways to their homes are flooded and most impassable.  Flooding is not new to Louisiana.  Just over ten years ago, the state experienced one of the most devastating natural disasters on record with... Continue Reading... ....
  • The New Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 Provides Federal Remedies for Trade Secret Misappropriation By Jessica C. Engler On May 11, 2016, President Barack Obama signed into law the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (“DTSA”). Through the DTSA, claims for trade secret misappropriation will now have a basis in Federal law and Federal Courts will have jurisdiction over such claims. In addition to the new federal cause of... Continue Reading... ....
  • Googling the Marketplace of Ideas By Jessica C. Engler For many inventors, the grant of a patent application is quite exciting. However, once the inventor seeks to market their invention, they can find the process costly and overwhelming. Often when small companies or solo inventors develop new ideas that are later patented, they discover that manufacture or use of the... Continue Reading... ....
  • What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Patent By R. Devin Ricci The general outlay of this guide is to present some of the who, what, where, when, and why of the patent system in order to be able to explain the all-important how to obtain a patent. This guide aims to acquaint the reader with various aspects of the patent process, laying... Continue Reading... ....