Judge gives initial OK on Exxon settlement

A federal judge granted preliminary approval of a roughly $1.08 billion settlement against Exxon Mobil Corp. to end a long-running lawsuit by a class of 11,000 service station dealers.

iCan't Hear You: Apple sued over potential hearing loss from iPods

A Louisiana man claims in a lawsuit that Apple's iPod music player can cause hearing loss in people who use it...

Whomever Argues That A University Is Not A Business Will Find Disagreement At Princeton

The university that has shared the hoity-toity community's name for more than 100 years says it's drawing the line over a Wall Street investment house's decision to sell "Princeton" mutual funds...

Research In Patent Lawsuit Motion Again...

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.has scored another victory in its ongoing patent disputes, this time in Britain....

Looking For An Associate With Real World Business Experience?

I graduate from Pierce Law Center this upcoming May. Looking for the right opportunity.

Patent dispute forces Microsoft to push different Office package

Microsoft has started telling companies to begin using different versions of its Office collaboration software, having lost a patent dispute last year.

USPTO Mourns the Death of Former Commissioner Banner

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Jon Dudas issued the following statement upon learning of the death on January 29, 2006, of Donald W. Banner, a former Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks (1978-1979).

Apple trademarks "Mac Pro" in New Zealand - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Apple made a gutsy move kicking creativity in the crotch by axing the "PowerBook" moniker on the pro laptop line and changing it to "MacBook Pro...

Google Slams Into Great Wall of China

In the eyes of the vox populi the bloom has now been cast off the rose at Google as their ambitious mantra of "Do No Evil" has run directly into conflict with their necessary corporate mandate of "Make More Money". As most interested blogophiles know, Google has decided to launch a Chinese language search engine hosted on servers inside the People's Republic, one which complies with local law restricting which content can be retrieved. While many have lambasted Google with scornful indignation and some have pledged to turn away from the giant of Mountain View, I respectfully wish not to repeat the self righteous sentiment reverberating here in the echo chamber.

I suggest we do the opposite and loudly support Google for this decision. My reason is uncomplicated.Google hs entered into China because it makes business sense to them.They believe by entering the Chinese market that they can return a profit to their shareholders. It is axiomatic that business decisions must be made with this underlying principle primary at all times.A decision of Google to turn away from the China opportunity, one that no internet giant has done, and stand on some amorphous morality would be bad business and set a horrible precedent for other companies. United States corporate law is historically and rightfully stern in in its reaction to corporate boards that take actions potentially damaging to shareholder value. Such actions undermine the viabiity of the entire free market system. Now we don't want to do that now, do we?

Microsoft and EU representatives meet in Washington

Microsoft and European Commission officials planned a meeting in Redmond, Washington, on Monday as the software giant tried to avoid the possibility of a daily 2-million-euro fine.

Kahala Corp. buys Blimpie International chain

Kahala Corp. is the new owner of Blimpie International restaurant chain. This acquisition boosts the overall number of Kahala franchised outlets to more than 2,500.

Antone's revamped for revival

Houston investor and developer Neil Morgan has acquired the remains of Antone's LP, a famous Houston sandwich chain, out of bankruptcy following a family feud that split the chain in the 1990s.

Chipotle's IPO Muy Beuno!

BusinessWeek online reports that shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill were hotter than a jalapeño on the New York Stock Exchange at the end of last week. McDonald’s Corp. owned about 92% of Chipotle before the offer and still owns a majority interest. Chipotle sold 6.01 million shares of the 7.9 million shares offered and McDonald’s sold 1.82 million. Chipotle expects to receive net proceeds of over $120 million, which it will use to repay outstanding debt and support business growth.

AtheroGenics clears antitrust hurdle; triggers payout

Drugmaker AtheroGenics Inc.said on Monday it will receive a $50 million payment from AstraZeneca for a licensing agreement after the company cleared an antitrust hurdle.

Federal court won't stop Kentucky Speedway's antitrust suit against NASCAR, ISC

A federal judge ordered Friday that Kentucky Speedway can move ahead with its $400 million antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR.

In a 17-page opinion, U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman rejected NASCAR's motions to dismiss the case. He also refused a request by International Speedway, which owns several NASCAR tracks, to be dropped from the lawsuit.

Applied Materials hit with $100M antitrust lawsuit

Attorney Mikal Watts of Watts Law Firm LLP, which touts its recovery of $1.5 billion for various plaintiffs over the firm's history, filed suit Jan. 19 in federal court in Austin, alleging Applied Materials froze five microchip equipment refurbishers out of that market.

Has 3M tape verdict dispensed justice?

Thoughtful opinion piece in today's Pioneer Press about the proposed settlement of a class action suit over Scotch Tape.

Today's Buzz: Digital discovery

Electronic evidence gathering has become a key legal service. So how exactly does it work and whose offering it?

Copyright Wars: Breaking the System

Although few students have yet to feel the difference, social life on one college campus is headed for some major disruptions...

Editorial : BlackBerry Dispute E-mail alert: Update patent laws

"If that ubiquitous hand-held gadget, the BlackBerry, is put out of commission due to last week's Supreme Court ruling in a patent case, its devoted users - make that 'obsessed' users - will need a replacement, and soon."

Bill Gates: China will fortify its intellectual property laws

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Gates said it would probably take a decade for China to go through the same process as Taiwan and Korea and implement strict intellectual property laws, but he was confident that it would happen.

Trademark attack on Chinese intellectual property pirates

The US is trying on-the-spot methods to stem plagiarism...

FBI aims to curtail tech spies

FBI agents will be fanning out through Silicon Valley in a new effort to educate hi-tech companies and universities on ways to protect themselves from corporate espionage.

Restoring order, integrity in the marketplace

This interesting in depth article looks at the state of coporate integrity in the Marketplace three years after the passage of the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

ConocoPhillips Tempting Oil Industry's Merger Fate

According to columnist David Pauly, James Mulva, chief executive officer of ConocoPhillips, may be attempting one oil industry takeover too many.

In Advance of the Government Leaders Forum, Microsoft Outlines a Worldwide Public Services and Government Stategy

Today, in anticipation of the Microsoft Government Leaders Forum (GLF) Europe 2006, Microsoft Corp. outlined a worldwide Public Services and eGovernment Strategy that will provide governments with the prescriptive guidance and technology to focus on a seamless service delivery for citizens through technology.