Inevitable Trade Secret Misappropriation...

A. Inevitable Disclosure Is Not The Law In Washington The only Washington case to mention inevitable disclosure is an unpublished Washington Court of Appeals case, Solutec Corp. v. Agnew, 88 Wash. App. 1067, 1997 WL 794496 (Wash. App. 1997) (noting the lack of Washington law on inevitable disclosure) (unpublished){1}. Solutec has no precedential value; therefore, it is for this Court to decide whether inevitable disclosure...

Copyright Infringement – I Didn’t Know!...

Mere unauthorized use of a picture downloaded from the Internet (even from a “free site”) is enough to create liability for a business using the copyrighted work without permission. This is true, regardless of how the infringement came about. Typical copyrighted works that get businesses into trouble include images and text “acquired” from the Internet. Copyright infringement can occur willfully or...

Firms Should Protect, Defend and Globalize...

Introduction Intellectual property is the United States’ second largest export (second only to agriculture). We have come a long way since the manufacturing glory days of Henry Ford. In the twenty-first century we still make tangible products but it is the intangible trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets that help make the bottom line count. The following introduction to intellectual property provides a...

The Truth About Trademarks...

Every attorney with a business client has a client with a potential trademark issue. This article is intended to help unravel some of the myths and complexities of trademark law and practice. Both attorneys and business leaders should find this article helpful. Defining Trademarks, Service Marks, And Other Marks A “trademark” or “service mark” can be made up of any word, name, symbol, logo, color, sound, or product...

Web Site Contracts – Ruling Throws Web Site ...

The vast majority of companies doing business on the Internet have a terms and conditions link somewhere on the Web site. A new legal decision calls into question whether these important contract terms are enforceable. This recent Federal District Court decision addressing what appears to be a question of first impression for the Internet is significant for anyone using the Internet. The decision, Specht v. Netscape,...