In general, subletting your apartment is a great way to save the cost of rent when you leave for a period of time–for example, to go on vacation or study abroad. However, subletting your apartment without considering the legal implications or local requirements can lead to a legal nightmare. At…
In April 2012, President Obama and the United States Congress signed the JOBS Act into law. The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (“JOBS”) Act goes a long way towards accelerating and promoting crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is the practice of raising capital for a project or business by seeking small amounts of money…
As of January 1, 2012, under California Corporations Code §§ 2500-3503, traditional business corporations may organize as “Flexible Purpose Corporations.” Whereas previously, corporate directors were bound to manage corporations strictly for economic gain, this new organizational model grants directors the freedom to manage the corporation for social and environmental benefits.…
The Internet has become an expansive worldwide network and users have the freedom to access this network from multiple devices and locations. In light of this growing network, many forms of commerce have also moved to the Internet. E-commerce or commercial transactions that take place over the Internet, have become…
The U.S. Copyright Act, codified under 17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq., protects copyrighted works from infringement from wrongful users. This federal law aims to protect unique works while still allowing for creativity and future creations. To that end, individuals charged with copyright infringement can avoid liability entirely under a…
A buyer who has ever committed to a wrong purchase knows the nagging feeling that accompanies the realization that committing to the purchase of a product was entirely unnecessary. Often informally referred to as “Buyer’s Remorse,” this feeling of extreme regret usually accompanies very expensive purchases, such as automobiles or…
As cyberspace becomes a larger part of everyday life, the threat of cybercrimes becomes more prevalent. Consumers conduct all sorts of business over the Internet, which involves storing and transferring personal information on various online sites. Accordingly, the wealth of personal information available over the Internet has drawn in a…
Copyright protection is commonly known to apply to inventions and artwork to protect original work from copyright infringement. However, copyright protections also extend to websites. Today, the Internet, and especially personal websites extend to all avenues of the marketplace. Individuals have blogs, businesses have websites to advertise and inform about…
The central provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (the “AIA”) went into effect in March 2013, revolutionizing the United States patent system. Traditionally, the United States had maintained a “first-to-invent” patent system, which awarded patent rights to the first inventor who created a unique invention. However, as the AIA…
Cybersquatting has been a highly litigated issue since Congress passed the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (the “ACPA”) in 1999, codified under Title 15 U.S.C. § 1125(d). The ACPA establishes a cause of action for the bad faith registration of a domain name that is substantially similar to a trademark or…