By Cary Zimmerman Recently, substantial attention has been paid to how the Opportunity Zone (“OZ”) program applies to direct investments in real estate assets, with many early adopters hustling to use the program to make such brick-and-mortar investments. But a common...
Articles
Divorce and the Family Business (Part 1 of 3): What Do You Own?
Most of us have been touched at some point in our lives by divorce. Often, this is a terribly chaotic experience for everyone involved. And this chaos can be easily magnified when there is a family business that is owned, in whole or in part, by one or both...
“The Baker Effect:” Exploring the Economic Impact of a Successful Browns 2019 Season
When KJK Partner Jim Sammon’s cell phone rang one afternoon in early May, 2018, he expected it to be a client calling with a challenging new legal question. Much to his surprise, legendary Sports Illustrated writer Peter King was on the line, looking to get Sammon’s...
Ohio Trademark Owners Seeking to Enforce Rights Must Prove State Connection for Personal Jurisdiction
By David Posteraro Ohio-based International Watchman, Inc. sued Watching Time, LLC and others for infringement of its federally registered “NATO” mark. The federal district court in Cleveland held that Watching Time’s cancellation proceeding against the NATO mark was...
Gray Market Goods: The Dirty Secret That Could Be Cutting Into Your Profits
We live in a global economy, and companies operate in international marketplaces. As such, brands need to be aware of and monitor the increasing prevalence of gray market goods. Gray market goods – sometimes referred to as parallel imports – are genuine goods...
The Secret Value of a Trade Secret Audit
By David Posteraro Our earlier post, “Trade Secrets in Business Transactions,” focused on the role of lawyers, accountants and businesses in evaluating a target company’s valuable trade secrets. But generally, companies often underestimate both the significance of...
Split Supreme Court Ruling Could Change Future of Class-Action Claims
By Rob Gilmore, Brett Krantz & Andrew Wilber On Wednesday, April 24, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an important decision regarding class-action arbitration. The 5-4 decision held that under the Federal Arbitration Act, a court cannot compel...
Proposed Department of Labor Rule Could Have Significant Impact on Businesses
By Robert Gilmore & Kirsten Mooney On March 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a new proposed rule raising the minimum salary-level threshold for white-collar exemptions from $23,660 per year (or $455 per week) to $35,308 per year (or $679 per...
Trade Secrets in Business Transactions – Screaming for Attention
By David Posteraro The value of industrial property represented by intellectual property, intangible assets and goodwill has jumped from 17% in 1975 to 84% of the S&P 500’s value report. But when it comes to business transactions such as mergers and acquisitions,...
The Regulations Are Coming: What Happens Next in the Game of Zones?
This Sunday night, millions of fans (including myself) will tune in to watch the much-anticipated premiere of the 8th and final season of the worldwide television phenomenon Game of Thrones on HBO. Fans of the show have had to wait almost two years since the finale of...