News

Lenders Beware – the Steinberger decision leaves lenders vulnerable to a defaulting homeowner's delay tactics

By EsqSocial Corporation 16/05/14

As if lenders don't have enough on their plates, dealing with a slowly rebounding economy and debtors struggling to make payments, on January 30, 2014, the Arizona Court of Appeals issued a decision that is bound to wreak more havoc upon lenders. In...

President Obama Announces Solar Commitments

By EsqSocial Corporation 16/05/14

On May 9, 2014, President Obama announced new executive actions that aim to create jobs and cut carbon pollution through the expanded use of solar power. As part of these initiatives, the President has made a commitment to deploying more than 850...

Stakeholders Testify on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility

By EsqSocial Corporation 16/05/14

On May 9, 2014, the USPTO held a public forum on the USPTO’s new patent subject matter eligibility guidance (the “Guidance”). In promoting the forum, the USPTO stated that it wished to “to receive public feedback from organizations and individuals on...

OSHA Update: More Than Just Safety Investigations in Whistleblower Retaliation Complaints

By EsqSocial Corporation 16/05/14

Did you know that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigates 22 different types of whistleblower complaints? If not, then you may want to become more familiar with the various laws that the OSHA whistleblower program...

Court Strikes Portions of Conflict Minerals Rule, But June 2 Filing Deadline Stands

By EsqSocial Corporation 16/05/14

A federal appeals court this week denied an emergency request by business groups to delay the June 2 deadline requiring companies to file a conflict-minerals disclosure report (Form SD) if their products contain minerals from conflict-ridden...

Law Lags Science? Not in the Ninth Circuit

By EsqSocial Corporation 16/05/14

In 1996, Judge Posner of the Seventh Circuit burnished his reputation for pithy legalisms by observing that “the courtroom is not the place for scientific guesswork, even of the inspired sort. Law lags science; it does not lead it.” Rosen v....

Will a Change to the Maryland Estate Tax Law Change Your Exit Strategy?

By EsqSocial Corporation 16/05/14

On May 15, 2014, Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law a bipartisan bill (House Bill 739/Senate Bill 602) that over the course of the next five years - beginning in 2015 - will link (or “re-couple”) the Maryland estate tax exclusion amount...

The Challenge Of The Unlocatable Copyright Owner – The Return

By EsqSocial Corporation 16/05/14

A few years back this blog published a couple of brief posts (The Challenge of the Unlocatable Copyright Owner; and The Challenge of the Unlocatable Copyright Owner – Now Empirically Verified) about the Copyright Board of Canada’s “unlocatable owner”...

“A letter of intent is the invention of the devil [that] should be avoided at all costs.” -- Stephen R. Volk, Esq. regarding the now (in)famous Texaco-Pennzoil case

By EsqSocial Corporation 16/05/14

A Dallas jury recently reminded us why Mr. Volk lamented letters of intent. Enterprise Products Partners, L.P. is currently appealing that jury’s finding of $319MM in actual damages and $914MM for improper benefits due to breach of the duty of...

“Patent Trolls” in the Crosshairs – But How Will Patent Reform Legislation Impact the Rest of Us

By EsqSocial Corporation 16/05/14

Both Congress and the White House have been actively pursuing patent litigation reform in an attempt to combat the perceived “patent troll” problem. Of course, any legislation will impact all patent holders, even though most will not consider...

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