TLo Supports the 2019 Florida Media Conference
Attorney Susan Tillotson Bunch and attorney Linda R. Norbut participates as panel members that looks at social media within the confines of the law and medical marijuana. The Florida Media Conference was held July 10-12 at The Vinoy in St. Petersburg. An early morning session on July 12, 2019, featured Susan Tillotson Bunch, attorney with Thomas…
Communication with Third Parties and Attorney-Client Privilege
Linda Norbut reflects upon a recent trademark infringement suit and the issue of attorney-client privilege. A magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has found that the attorney-client privilege was waived when a client’s public relations representatives were looped in on email threads between client and attorney, rendering…
Non-Profits Ask Supreme Court to Decide What States Can – and Cannot – Copyright
Daniela Abratt reflects on the conflict between the First Amendment and a state’s ability to copyright the text of its laws. What, if anything, can a government copyright? A handful of non-profit organizations are pushing the U.S. Supreme Court to answer that question and provide uniform guidance to states with varying definitions. While it is well-established that…
U.S. Supreme Court Issues Two Unanimous Decisions Interpreting The Copyright Act
Linda Norbut reflects upon how the Copyright Act will be impacted by two recent Supreme Court decisions. In a pair of unanimous decisions construing the Copyright Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has tightened pre-suit registration requirements and the costs that can be awarded in infringement litigation. In Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corporation v. Wall-Street, LLC,, the Court…
Thomas’ Views on New York Times v. Sullivan Undermine First Amendment
Daniela Abratt reflects upon how views recently shared by Supreme Court Justice Thomas may erode freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has called for a change in the entire defamation law landscape as it has existed for over 50 years. In a concurring opinion filed on February 19, 2019…
No Copyright Love for the ‘Carlton Dance’
Contrary to the perceptions of many children of the ‘90s, the “Carlton Dance”, in the eyes of the United States Copyright Office, is merely “a simple routine made up of three dance steps, the first of which is popularly known as ‘The Carlton.’” As such, the United States Copyright Office denied Alfonso Ribeiro’s (a/k/a Carlton…
TLo Partners Serve at ABA Forum on Communications Law
Five partners are participating in leadership roles at the 24th Annual ABA Forum. Thomas & LoCicero is proud to serve as a sponsor for the American Bar Association’s Forum on Communications Law being held at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami this week. The conference explores the leading-edge legal issues facing media and communications lawyers…
TLO Partner Named to Advisory Board
Privacy Law is the 15th specialty accredited by the American Bar Association and the International Association of Privacy Professionals is sanctioned by the ABA to handle this rigorous certification process. Thomas & LoCicero is pleased to announce that Susan Tillotson Bunch, a partner in the Tampa office, has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Privacy…
Partner Earns European Designation in Privacy
The CIPP/E is the global standard in privacy certification. Thomas & LoCicero PL is pleased to announce that Susan Tillotson Bunch, a partner and attorney practicing full-time in its Tampa office, has earned the designation Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe, “CIPP/E,” from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). The CIPP is the global standard in privacy…
State Code’s Case Notes Not Protected by Copyright
James Lake and Daniela Abratt reflect upon a recent ruling regarding copyright protection. Case notes and other explanatory material that a state adopts as part of its annotated code are not protected by copyright, a federal appeals court has ruled. In Code Revision Commission v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc., Case No. 17-11589 (11th Cir. Oct. 19, 2018), the…