california
Trade Secrets: The Growing Battlefront
Earlier this year, the most publicized trade secret case of our lifetimes played out in court between two giants, Waymo LLC (actually a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc.) and Uber Technologies, Inc. Both companies were developing self-driving car technology, a game-changer in transportation that may forever transform how we get from one place…
California’s Take on Non-Compete Agreements
It is a common refrain by executives, managers, and employees generally: Can my former employer really enforce the non-competition agreement I signed when I first joined the company? The answer, as is often the case in the legal realm, is yes, no and maybe. California, unlike many other states, has laws against “restraint of trade.”…
Not Your Grandparents’ Stock Market
Earlier in 2018, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions made a controversial move to rescind the Obama-era “Cole Memo” which created a safe haven for those state-based marijuana-related operations who were operating in compliance with the regulations of their respective states. As surprising as this move may have been at first glance, the reality is that…
Overview of the New Parent Leave Act
With the turning of the calendar to 2018, a host of new laws in California, and employment law is no exception. This post explains how mid-size businesses must pay attention to an expanded law mandating unpaid leave for new parents. The New Parent Leave Act (SB 63) amends Government Code section 12945.6. Under this Act,…
“The Slants” Win the Supreme Court Battle Against the Patent and Trademark Office
Seven years ago, the Asian-American Rock Band from Oregon started an application to register their name, “The Slants” as a Trademark. The USPTO, who didn’t seem to appreciate the irony of this name rejected the registration based on the Lanham Act. According to the national office, an Asian-American Band using “The Slants” to identify themselves…
What Contractors Need to Know Under the California Right to Repair Act
The California Right to Repair Act, commonly known as SB800 is a bill that became effective as of January 1, 2003 establishing a mandatory procedure that must be used by homeowners who have construction defect claims against the builder, subcontractor, product manufacturer or design professional of a new construction (for the purpose of this article,…