Arborlaw

News, book and blog reviews, and full-length articles on legal issues affecting entrepreneurs and small companies. Topics include startups, copyright and trademark issues, Internet law, commercializing technology, contracts, venture capital, outsourcing, closely held corporations, real estate, information technology transactions, and issues involving the management of employees and contractors hired to create intellectual property assets.

Author: Carol Shepherd is a commercial transactions and business attorney in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Blawg Related Categories: Consumer Law • Contracts • Intellectual Property Law • Copyright Law • Trademark Law • Internet Law • Law Practice Management • Outsourcing • Media & Communications Law • Tax Law • States • Michigan • Solo / Small Firm • Business Law

Recent Posts from Arborlaw

>> Stolen Medical Data, SSNs, Personal Information For Sale On Offshore Servers
Finjan, a data security services firm, reported today that more than 500 megabytes of stolen medical and business data and Social Security Numbers (SSNs) have been found on “crimeservers” in Malaysia and Argentina. The data…
>> The DMCA And Monitoring Agents: Is Torrenting The Copyright Equivalent of ‘Driving While Black’?
A number of news sources and commentators are reporting this week on a University of Washington white paper criticizing the recent development of using automated processes (’bots’ or monitoring agents) against BitTorrent and other heavy…
>> It’s “Official”: Economic Stimulus Payment Is The New Phishing Scam
It was inevitable, and now it’s “official”: the 2008 Economic Stimulus Payment is the new Nigerian scam. A few of my clients this week reported receiving one or more phishing emails about the 2008 Economic…
>> Arborlaw PHISHY™ Award Submissions - Post Here
Document your award submissions with links to relevant materials in the comment section below (Comments on pages rather than blog posts not working in WordPress 2.5 — sorry!). Submissions for the 2008 Arborlaw PHISHY™ Award…
>> Legal Outsourcing Can Compromise Attorney-Client Privilege
The ABA Journal is reporting another development in attorney-client privilege concerns with the booming legal outsourcing market. Here are the questions: Does the monitoring of cross-border communications by the United States government under the Patriot…
>> Michigan Is Located In Upper Crustatia
Loved this New York Times illustration from the book review of Bill Bishop’s The Big Sort, which I found over on Richard Florida’s blog, The Creativity Exchange. Nice reference to the Crustacean Period, and a…
>> Followup On Trade Secrets In Source Code
Here’s a followup to “Trade Secret Claims No Longer Protecting Source Code from Discovery — So How’s Your Code?”: An Arizona judge just threw out 49 breath tests performed using the Intoxilyzer 9000 by CMI,…
>> Do You Fit The Entrepreneur Profile?
WSJ’s Tech Blog recently published a profile of the ‘typical’ tech entrepreneur, based on a survey by the Kauffman Foundation. Here are the typical characteristics: founded their $1,000,000-plus company, on average, at 39 years of…
>> Michigan Film, Entertainment Industry Incentives Legislation Becomes Law
As I reported here, the Michigan film and entertainment industry incentives legislation was fast-tracked and signed by Governor Granholm today (April 8, 2008). Companies can receive incentives such as a 40% tax break and assistance…
>> Michigan Proposes 40% Tax Break for State-based Film Businesses, Other Tax Breaks for Entertainment, Interactive Ventures
A package of bills (with broad bipartisan support) was under consideration Tuesday in the Michigan Capitol which will provide business tax incentives to film producers, video game developers, and other entertainment based ventures. The key…