The video game news website Gamasutra reported on October 31, 2012, that independent game studio Checkpoint is suing Japanese publisher Marvelous AQL and other parties for breach of contract, theft of trade secrets and other claims. Gamasutra reported that the complaint filed by Checkpoint CEO Brian Wiklem states that Marvelous paid the studio $2.5 million in startup costs
The United Kingdon’s Croydon Guardian reported on October 19, 2012, that 41-year-old Justin Success Brooks pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud after selling thousands of counterfeit cartridges of popular games for the Nintendo Wii, DS and DSi consoles. According to the Guardian, Brooks made an estimated £600,000 (over $962,000) from online sales of the
The November 30, 2009 “Sexiest Man Alive” issue of People Magazine included an advertisement from General Motors (GM) promoting the company’s Terrain SUV. The GM ad featured the muscular, shirtless torso of a male underwear model with the head of legendary scientist Albert Einstein. The ad also included the tagline “Ideas are sexy too,” and
On October 15, 2012, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported that 37-year-old Sang Jin Kim was sentenced to 40 months in jail and ordered to pay more than $400,000 for his role in downloading and selling pirated material. In July 2012, the US Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a press
“The Black Eyed Peas Experience,” trailer was released late last year for Wii and Kinect. However, publisher Ubisoft believes there should have been versions for Apple’s iOS platforms as well. The video game website Player Attack reported on October 16, 2012, that Ubisoft has filed a $1 million lawsuit against BEP Music, LLC, the band’s trademark holders.
A PBS NewsHour segment recently discussed protests in Cairo, Egypt, following the anti-Muslim film trailer that sparked other riots across the Middle East. The segment also includes a discussion about the individual who made the film, “Innocence of Muslims.” Los Angeles Times writer Rebecca Keegan says in the video that many of people who were
Last fall saw what most intellectual property experts regard as the biggest change to patent law in the US since the Patent Act of 1952. On September 16, 2011, President Obama signed the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (“AIA”) into law, and it brought several major changes to patent law in the United States. This week
A brief introduction There are many options to choose from when it comes to deciding on the best company structure for your fledgling business. While starting a new business can often seem as daunting a task as reaching the summit of Mount Everest, or bungee jumping into a crocodile den, it doesn’t necessarily have to
Although trade secrets law is, at least for now, a mix of state and federal law, the trend has been for it to increasingly become federal and uniform. This is largely a result of its increasing importance. Companies’ most valuable assets today are no longer physical plants and raw materials, but intellectual property and employee
Unfair competition law in California lets businesses and consumers sue companies that engage in fraudulent or unlawful conduct. This area of the law prevents consumers from being misled by deceptive advertising, and it punishes businesses that violate professional standards in order to trick consumers into parting with their money (California’s Unfair Competition Law specifically references
