On March 19, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court released its anxiously-awaited decision in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. deciding one of the most important copyright cases in years. In its decision, the Court held that the so-called "first-sale doctrine" applies to copies of copyrighted works manufactured outside the United States. Though the result is tempered by other limitations on importation based in trademark and patent law, this decision could still have significant impact on U.S. commerce.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) contains “safe harbor” protection for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from infringement claims asserted by copyright owners. In recent years there has been very high stakes litigation between large companies that own valuable copyrights and that believe ISPs are profiting from infringement of those copyrights, and the ISPs who claim that a narrowing of the statutory safe harbor that protects them would threaten the openness that people cherish about the world wide web.

Do you want to prevent others from imitating the look and feel of your business establishments? Some recent legal authority provides useful guidance for how to go about it   --  and also what to avoid.

The Department of Labor recently issued guidance on how and when employers are to notify employees about the availability of state-run health insurance exchanges, and provided sample notices for employers to provide to their employees. All employers must comply with this notification requirement whether or not the employer is obligated to provide health insurance or pay penalties.