Every trademark attorney knows that a generic term cannot be trademarked. However, using a small exception to that rule, Best Buy registered a federal trademark in “best buy,” even though a court had previously ruled that “best buy” was generic. For a great summary of the situation, read Best Buy, Resurrected From the Trademark Graveyard?…
As a Minnesota business attorney, I am often asked questions related to Minnesota noncompete agreements. Below I explain an overview of Minnesota noncompete law and answer common questions. Overview If you are an employee, employer, or independent contractor in Minnesota, 2023 brought a huge change in the law affecting you. The Minnesota Legislature passed a bill…
This article explains whether RSS feeds are copyrighted. In short, the answer is YES. What is RSS? Websites are normally accessed with a web browser. RSS is a technology that allows a webpage (blog, etc.) to be accessed without a web browser. RSS can be accessed by many tools, including an RSS reader, which is…
Minnesota business owners in a partnership may desire to limit the fiduciary duties they owe each other. They may ask their lawyer to draft a partnership agreement providing limitations on their duty to disclose to each other. They may also ask their lawyer to include a provision allowing the partners to compete with the partnership….
The Minnesota Federal District Court is currently hearing arguments regarding whether a company can use Google AdWords to place ads on a SERP (search engine results page) when someone searches for a competitor’s name. In 2005, one court ruled that Google could permit competitors of GEICO insurance to target people who search for “GEICO,” but…
Some people find themselves in a situation where they cannot pay their IRS tax debt. For example, a taxpayer may owe taxes but cannot pay because the taxpayer has little money compared to the taxpayer’s debts. If the IRS is convinced that the IRS will probably not recover the amount owed, the IRS may make…