State legislatures have been busy enacting or considering new laws governing trade secrets and noncompete agreements, including Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. It may be time to blow the dust off your form agreements and confer with intellectual property (IP) counsel to see [...]
Beggs & Lane is pleased to announce that Matthew P. Massey has joined the firm as an associate in the Pensacola office, where his practice will focus on commercial litigation, business disputes, professional malpractice, and white collar criminal defense. Prior to joining the firm, Matthew served as an Assistant United [...]
As global trade and multinational business grow, worldwide trademark protection has become extremely important. Canada is or may become a vital market for many U.S. brand owners, and vice versa. Brand owners should be aware that the Government of Canada is in the process of implementing a major overhaul of [...]
Charlie Wiggins, a partner in Beggs & Lane’s litigation practice group, was recently re-certified as a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by the Florida Board of Legal Specialization and Education. Charlie has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law since 2008. Board certification is an approved program by The Florida [...]
The value of intangible assets including intellectual property (IP) is rising steeply in the U.S. and globally. Businesses and their advisors need to understand and leverage a company’s portfolio of IP assets to maximize present and future value. An IP audit may help. Tangible and Intangible Business Value In [...]
Beggs & Lane is pleased to announce that Stephen D. Wilson has joined the firm as a Partner. Mr. Wilson has practiced law for nearly 20 years, and assists clients throughout the country with U.S. and international Intellectual Property (IP) matters. “Steve is an outstanding lawyer with a national practice. [...]
On October 11, 2018, President Donald J. Trump signed the Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (MMA) into law. This bipartisan law amends the U.S. Copyright Act, and is the first major reform of music copyright law in the U.S. in decades. The MMA seeks to streamline music licensing [...]
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), a provision was enacted to spur economic development and job creation in distressed communities. Under Section 1400Z a taxpayer may elect to defer gain from the sale or exchange of any property to or with an unrelated person before December 31, 2026 [...]
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), a taxpayer holding an “applicable partnership interest” is required to recalculate any net long-term capital gain realized “with respect to” the “applicable partnership interest” by applying a three-year holding period (instead of the standard one-year holding period). Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) § [...]
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently decided a case involving trademark protection for domain names. The case, Direct Niche, LLC v. Via Varejo S/A, 898 F.3d 1144 (11th Cir. 2018), involved alleged cybersquatting, which refers to the bad faith registration or use of a domain [...]
