Much has been happening at the Department of Labor (“DOL”). The DOL under the Trump administration got off to a slow start, but it is now signaling that changes will be forthcoming. In a June 27, 2017 press release, the DOL announced it would restart the practice of...
By Alex E. Jones Under the Lanham Act, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has traditionally denied trademark applications for trademarks which “may disparage… persons… institutions, beliefs, or national symbols….” (U.S.C. § 1052). This is commonly...
By Justine Lara Konicki and Ray Junaid On June 9, 2017, the Department of Labor’s “Fiduciary Rule” went into effect, despite several dissenting opinions from House Republicans, and a two-month delay and review by the Trump Administration. The rule is expected to be...
By Alex E. Jones In May 2017, Secretary of Labor, Alexander Acosta, published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal announcing that the Department of Labor (“DOL”) planned to rescind certain Obama-era regulations. Specifically, the current administration intends to...
By Alex E. Jones In April, the Sixth Circuit ruled that employers can be held liable for Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) retaliation claims based on the “cat’s paw” theory. The Sixth Circuit has previously applied the cat’s paw theory to other discrimination...
Sophisticated cyber criminals are targeting Ohio-based companies at an increasing rate. KJK clients have reported an increase in the following criminal activity that we want to bring to your attention. Cyber criminals are clandestinely monitoring email and network...
By Alex E. Jones On April 3rd, President Trump signed a bill repealing online privacy rules that were set to go into effect later this year. The rules were passed by the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) in October 2016. The new rules would have required...
By Alex E. Jones On April 4, 2017, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation – the highest court to reach such a conclusion. Title VII prohibits...
By Alex E. Jones On March 21, 2017, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) issued a new rule concerning Section 8 and Section 71 trademark affidavits. The USPTO will now issue post-registration Office actions, requiring registrants to submit evidence...
By Alex E. Jones Large-scale data breaches of big corporations are becoming an almost weekly event. Despite the regularity of these breaches, the true extent of the legal and financial consequences for these companies and their executives and shareholders remains...