So I finish writing a blog post about blatantly false information purveyed by attorney referral service, UpCounsel (which claims it isn’t a referral service, but that’s exactly what it does), and saw, after mere seconds, more false information. This time UpCounsel says that provisional patent rights “are in force between
...continue readingUpCounsel Provides False Information on Design Patents
Rely on UpCounsel.com to your detriment. The web is full of poor, and sometimes completely false, information. I recently came across a site that has been popping up in the top results when I’m searching for certain legal information: UpCounsel.com. These sites are usually just portals to hiring an attorney,
...continue readingCredit Card Fees and Florida Statute 501.0117
After the Florida Bar changed its rule on credit card fees, an attorney reached out to me still worried about whether lawyers in Florida could lawfully pass on the costs associated with accepting plastic. His concern stemmed from one of Florida’s consumer laws—a “no surcharge” law—that purported to prevent nearly
...continue readingMiami-Dade Summons Fillable Form
You know what’s annoying? Finding a form online that isn’t fillable. You know what’s even more annoying? Having a form with additional pages that require re-entering the same information from the first page multiple times! Well, the Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts has just such a form for a civil court
...continue readingGriffin Klema Quoted in Florida Bar News on Credit Card Fees
Attorney Griffin Klema has been quoted in the Florida Bar News on the Florida Supreme Court’s recent approval of an ethics rule change allowing lawyers to pass along credit card fees to judgment debtors and parties entering into settlement agreements. I am pleased that Floridians now have greater freedoms to
...continue readingProposal for Settlement Calculator
Calculating Statutory Settlement Offers Trying to figure out what an opposing party would have to get in a judgment to beat your proposal for settlement? Want to make an offer of judgment under Florida’s statute (Section 768.79) and need to calculate the amount? The math seems pretty straightforward, but in
...continue readingSuing for patent infringement outside the U.S.
The Supreme Court opens the door for collecting lost profits and royalties on patent infringement that occurs beyond U.S. borders. What if you have a U.S. patent, and a competitor makes some of the parts to your patented product in the U.S., but assembles them outside the U.S., say in
...continue readingTrademark Registration as Defensive Asset
Can you use a trademark as a defensive shield to protect yourself and your business, besides using it to enforce your brand? Most people think of a trademark as a weapon to prevent a competitor from stealing their customers, ripping off their brand, and taking marketshare. True, that’s the primary
...continue readingFlorida Bar Ethics Committee Proposes Change to Credit Card Acceptance Fees
Recently I felt compelled to see if I could have an impact on all Florida attorneys and their practice. Currently, the ethics rules prohibit lawyers from charging a losing party (or their client) the transactional costs associated with accepting credit cards, or other forms of payment. Current Rule The prohibition
...continue readingNo Trade Secret for Uber’s Data in Government License
No Trade Secret Protection for Uber’s Rider Data On January 10, 2018, the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeals held that rideshare company Uber (through its subsidiary Raiser LLC), could not claim trade secret protection to prevent the disclosure of its rider data. The case resulted from traditional taxicab company,
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