Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig

12/28/2018

DBL News Flash: Immigration Programs During The federal #governmentshutdown.

Knowing what is and isn’t open is always difficult to find. The DBL #Immigration Team has been fielding questions and has put together a quick reference guide for people or companies that use Immigration systems or it's facilities. https://bit.ly/2Sq1hjM @USCIS @EVerify @CBP

12/27/2018

Thinking about the new year? It may not be the most pleasant thought, but it’s important that you consider what the future will bring for your spouse, children, relatives or other family members. The smart move is to think about what will happen to your estate after your passing and make sure that your intentions are carried out. Who will be the beneficiary? If you set up a trust for your assets or physical property, you can be assured that your estate will be distributed based on your wishes. But who to select as your #trustee? #estateplanning #PlanningTheirFuture https://bit.ly/2QUDFHk

12/26/2018

18 Commercial Real Estate Trends To Dominate In 2019

As the new year approaches, commercial #realestate news site, Bisnowspoke with several industry execs, researchers and economists who pointed out possible #trends to expect in 2019. The Commercial real estate market continues to boom and with that continued power, opportunities will arise for #investors. Read through and see if you think they got it right! https://bit.ly/2rEDT6m

Experts anticipate these 18 trends to dominate in the new year.

12/24/2018

At the holiday season, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our success possible. It is in this spirit we say… thank you and best wishes for the holidays and a happy new year!

12/21/2018

Please enjoy the December 2018 Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/ejY-PfP #newsletters

12/21/2018

China's top court has just issued new guidance on preliminary injunctions in #patent cases. Here is DBL’s @RobinsonErick‬ with a point-by-point analysis of the new rules. https://bit.ly/2V5Tf1B @IAM_magazine #China @Apple @Qualcomm ‏

12/20/2018

We’ve all heard of it before - #RentToOwn. So what do you have to look out for if you’re considering one of these purchases? One of the major drawbacks of renting a home is that your monthly payments aren’t building any #equity. In the end, you’re just keeping a roof over your head. Then you might move to another home and you still have nothing gained. You’ll never benefit from a jump in property values, and you’ll have nothing to sell when it’s time to move. The only up-side is that maintenance and #taxes are someone else’s headache. With a rent to own agreement, part of the money you pay in rent will be deducted from the purchase price if you choose to buy the house. #realestate @SuzeOrmanShow https://bit.ly/2QGoulh

12/20/2018

Apple pushes out software update to avoid China iPhone ban

This week, @Apple sought to avoid a ban on the sale of older #iPhones in #China, by releasing a software update that some #IntellectualProperty lawyers said could enable the company to keep selling those products in the world's largest smartphone market. The move came in response to a preliminary injunction from a Chinese court that ordered the company to stop selling iPhones while it studies Apple's suspected infringement of two software #patents held by chip maker @Qualcomm.‏ The two American giants in the #smartphone industry are locked in a bruising legal battle over technology licensing. #PhoneWars https://lnkd.in/eRanmWE

Move comes in response to court injunction from Qualcomm's patent-infringement suit

12/19/2018

Sometimes, there may be a need to negotiate a #Trademark Coexistence Agreement (TCA). Brands register their trademarks in order to stop other companies for using them and creating confusion or #competition in the market. There are times where two companies may be using a very similar mark without even being aware of it. This can happen when the two businesses are trading in different geographic areas, or are providing two completely different and unrelated services. A TCA can take the form of a proactive consent agreement. That’s where one party agrees to let the other register their similar mark with strict limitations. One of the most famous examples is @Apple Computers and the Beatles company, Apple Corps @applecorps_rec. After nearly 30 years, an agreement was reached and in 2008, the @thebeatles catalog was made available on @iTunes. https://bit.ly/2PQ3UJR

12/18/2018

Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig partners Thomas Dunlap, Justin Banford and David Verhey worked with their client, Virginia-based @Eruptr LLC’s founding management team, Kevin Minnelli and J.K. Lloyd, who have significant leadership experience in #healthcare internet marketing and technology, to complete a successful sale of the company as a strategic #acquisition by H.I.G. Growth Partners. Eruptr maintains direct customer relationships with blue-chip health care providers and serves a client base of over 70 hospital systems representing over 150 hospitals. The Company runs over 1,000 high-impact campaigns per month across the country to target and educate qualified patients searching for treatment and appointment options. H.I.G. Growth Partners is the dedicated growth capital investment affiliate of @HIGCapitalLLC, a leading global #privateequity investment firm with over $27 billion of equity capital under management. For more about Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig’s strategic mergers and acquisitions, practice contact us at 703-777-7319 or visit our website at https://bit.ly/2SVwDPq

12/18/2018

Fortnite and Carlton are going to battle! Fortnite is one of the most popular #VideoGames of 2018 with more 200 million users playing a third-person shooter. Some artists have accused @FortniteGame of stealing their dances moves and as of Dec. 17, actor @alfonso_ribeiro is suing Fortnite for using his signature "Carlton Dance” from the #TVshow the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. #ShouldHaveTrademarkedIt #TrademarkTuesday https://bit.ly/2Gs31rg

12/16/2018

12/14/2018

Tennis in 2018: Did intellectual property hold serve?

#IntellectualProperty #IP in Tennis is just as important as it is in the rest of the world. The design right to the @serenawilliams “catsuit”, the re-naming the grass-court tournament at @TheQueensClub‏, and the trademark issue of the @rogerfederer “RF” logo. The absence of the “RF” logo from Roger Federer’s tennis clothing was noticed at @Wimbledon‏. The registered #trademark belongs to Nike in multiple jurisdictions and Federer no longer endorses @Nike. However, given the close association of the “RF” logo with Federer and the fact that Federer previously endorsed Nike, could Nike be stopped from using their own registered trademark? By not intervening, the impression is that the goods are endorsed by Federer. Also, by not registering the trademark himself, it could be said that he made an unforced error in his #BrandMmanagement. ‎@Ipkat https://bit.ly/2QRNa9p

The IPKat blog reports on copyright, patent, trade mark, info-tech and privacy/confidentiality issues from a mainly UK and European perspective.

12/13/2018

Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig, proudly announces the addition of David R. Keesling as Partner. Joining DBL’s Tulsa #Oklahoma office along with Keesling are Associate Attorneys Timothy Kittle and Destyn Stallings, both formerly of McMurray Keesling. DBL has a long-standing presence in #Tulsa and will be better served with the firm’s ever-expanding group of #corporate and #IntellectualProperty clients. David Keesling’s decades of national and international high-profile litigation experience will greatly complement DBL’s trial teams continuing the tradition of unrivaled success both inside and outside of the courthouse. Tulsa office has contributed greatly to DBL’s growth and the addition of David, Tim, and Destyn will greatly enhance our position as the fastest growing firm in the region. https://bit.ly/2LfHAZf

12/12/2018

Erick Robinson, a Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig patent lawyer, was recently interviewed for an article published by the Huffington Post @HuffPost. The continuing saga of the Huawei @Huawei CFO arrest has the potential to become a major issue for US-based companies. While a tentative #tariff truce is in place, China has vehemently protested the arrest of Meng Wanzhou by Canadian officials. @Qualcomm ‏@Apple https://bit.ly/2zTxedm

12/12/2018

DBL is proud to announce a significant victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for the statewide Republican Party of Virginia @VA_GOP ‏. Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig has been defending the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) and the Frederick County Republican Committee (FCRC) @Frederickcorepublicans .

The case involved two former Republican Party @GOP members who lost their party membership due to their public advocacy against the GOP’s nominees. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia dismissed the case because #PoliticalParties are not government entities and can manage its own internal affairs. The #AppealsCourt viewed the RPV’s management of its own internal affairs did not constitute actionable government conduct but instead was an exercise of the GOP’s own fundamental right to freedom of association. Because the RPV’s actions were not government conduct, but instead were private activities protected by the First Amendment.
https://bit.ly/2SHocXB

12/11/2018

At some point, you’re going to be interesting in Selling, #Licensing but Protecting #Registered of #Copyrighted Materials. No matter what the scenario, the goal is to facilitate the transfer of ownership or right to produce, distribute, market, etc. that piece of technology. In addition to the patented items themselves, the parties must transfer ownership of either registered marks and/or copyrighted materials. These #transfers in ownership may be incredibly lucrative but should occur only after an extensive period of due diligence. #patents @CopyrightOffice #trademarktuesday https://bit.ly/2GbIur5

12/10/2018

7 Reasons It's Time To Update Your Estate Plan

So you think you’ve got everything covered. You have an estate plan in place and have checked all the boxes. Life goes on and you’re sure that that’s one area of your future that you don’t have to worry about. Little do you know, there are things that commonly happen that can cause problems with those plans. The following article from @Forbes contributed by Bob Carlson, editor of Retirement Watch @RWcommunity ‏has provided a quick outline of things to review. Before you relax too much, get in touch with your #EstatePlanning attorney, or hire a new one, to go over any changes that have happened since the documents were drawn up. You may be surprised by what problems could be lying in wait. #LifeHappens http://ow.ly/nJEC30mVOgM

The most frequent estate planning error probably is not having a plan. The second is not updating an existing plan.

12/07/2018

A wonderful gathering of employees to celebrate our successes, recognize our stars and prepare for the year to come. The party afterwards was abuzz about new ideas and great conversation. Here's to another great year! #teamwork #reflection #excitement

12/06/2018

When you hear the word “non-profit”, a 501(c)(3) is the most likely the first thing that comes to mind. The name comes from the location in Title 26 of the United States Code (@uscode‏) (@IRSnews). Under this code, 27 types of non-profit organizations receive federal tax exemption. The majority of these fall under section 501(c)(3). Generally, these are charitable organizations supported by donations. To receive the benefits of a #501c3 , a #nonprofit has to be a charitable, educational, religious, literary, scientific, advocate against animal cruelty or child abuse, organize amateur sports competitions, or test public safety. #501c3 http://ow.ly/u0HI30mTl0E

12/05/2018

Another successful month at DBL!

12/04/2018

The United States Copyright Office (USCO) dictates #Copyright Infringement. Under the copyright laws of the United States, the creator of the original expression in a work that is fixed in any tangible medium of expression is its author. The #Author is also the owner of copyright unless there is a written agreement by which the author assigns the copyright to another person or entity, such as a publisher. In cases of works made for hire, the employer or commissioning party is considered to be the author. #CopyrightInfringement occurs when another party uses a copyrighted work and uses it for derivative work similar to the copyright, distributes, publicly performs, or publicly displays the piece without permission from the copyright owner. @CopyrightOffice http://ow.ly/iiH430mRA6R #trademarktuesday

12/03/2018

Forced tech transfers and intellectual property theft will dominate trade talks after Trump-Xi deal

It appears that following the #G20Summit2018 US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping focused primarily on trade deficits rather than China’s alleged practice of forcing technology transfers (@China ’s licensing and administrative rules force foreign firms to share #technology if they wanted to do business) and apparent theft of #IntellectualProperty from American companies. US concerns over forced technology transfers in China, intellectual property violations and #CyberCrime issues will likely become a central focus going forward, as trade negotiations between both countries continue. The reality of the situation is that there are no quick fixes to the complexities of forced technology transfers and intellectual property violations. @reuters https://cnb.cx/2KSNM9i

Over the weekend, the United States and China agreed to put their bilateral trade war on hold for 90 days to negotiate lingering disagreements but the deal downplayed two crucial areas: forced technology transfers and intellectual property theft. 

11/30/2018

DBL proudly announces its expansion into #China with the opening of DBL #Asia in #Beijing. Erick Robinson is the lead DBL employee in Beijing, managing our affiliation with Intellestragy. Robinson and colleague Dragon Wang are joining DBL as Partners and will be leading the Beijing office with a focus on #Patents. Erick and Dragon bring years of experience in global patents and cross-border patent #litigation and a team of four additional Chinese patent and intellectual property attorneys to DBL. With the opening of this office, DBL is expanding its worldwide patent work. #NewLocation http://ow.ly/3B4W30mOQYt

11/29/2018

Modern Methods of Raising Capital vs traditional capital raising. Over the last decade, a new form of investing emerged, crowdsourcing. #Crowdsourcing involves dozens, hundreds or even thousands of investors pouring small amounts into a single #investment opportunity. Utilizing a crowd of eager investors is a huge advantage for potential #VentureCapital (VC) firms who determine their investments more on the “who” rather than the “what.” https://bit.ly/2Seld8M

11/28/2018

The @USCIS will begin accepting new H-1B visa petitions on April 1, 2019. Companies can begin filing #H1BVisa petitions up to 6 months before the start of the government fiscal year of October 1. An #H1B is one of the most commonly used visas for US employers. Most are for jobs that normally require at least a university degree in a specific specialty. New H-1B visa petitions are limited to 65,000. 20,000 new H-1B visa petitions available for individuals with graduate degrees from US universities. https://bit.ly/2ztPDNk

11/28/2018

DBL is pleased to announce that Attorney, Wright Lewis, has joined our team. Wright will be working from our Vienna, VA office. Mr. Lewis will provide legal guidance on business matters ranging from business formation and organization to employment agreements and executive compensation, regulatory compliance, services and licensing agreements, debt, private equity, and venture capital financing, and mergers and acquisitions. Learn more about Wright by visiting his profile page: https://bit.ly/2DMIV8l #NewHire #GrowingTeam

11/27/2018

An update from our Strike Out Cancer fundraising event. The DBL Partners and employees not only met but exceeded our goal of $1000!! All proceeds were donated to the American Cancer Society. We're looking forward to an even bigger event next year!

11/26/2018

Operation “In Our Sites” - is an ongoing #intellectualproperty enforcement initiative targeting fake websites. More than 1 million #copyright #infringing website domain names selling counterfeit automotive parts, electrical components, personal care items, and other fake goods were criminally and civilly seized in the past year. The operation was facilitated by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center @IPRCenter and a joint-task force agency led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement @ICEgov https://bit.ly/2BzlTAq

11/22/2018

Happy Turkey Day from DBL Puerto Rico!

11/21/2018

A special greeting at Thanksgiving time to express to you our sincere appreciation for your confidence and loyalty. We are deeply thankful and extend to you our best wishes for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day.

11/20/2018

You’ve started your business and after discussions with a licensed trademark #attorney, you recognize the necessity of obtaining a federally #registered #trademark. The US Patent and Trademark Office @uspto routinely issues “Office Actions” in response to an applicant’s proposed mark noting some technical/procedural fault. Depending on the scope, you may have the option to simply amend your application. https://bit.ly/2zgUWj5. Contact us to discuss you case https://www.dbllawyers.com/contact/