Archive for September, 2014
MANDATORY PAID SICK LEAVE FOR CALIFORNIA EMPLOYEES
Law Goes into Effect July 1, 2015 As reported in “Will California Employers Have to Cough Up Paid Sick Leave?”, the proposed Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 (Assembly Bill [AB] 1522) was the California Legislature’s third – and now successful – attempt to provide such benefits. Governor Brown signed that measure into law […]
THE ANNALS OF COPYRIGHT NUMBER 4
Defenses to Copyright Infringement As in any other sort of civil lawsuit, the alleged wrongdoer can prevail in a copyright infringement claim by asserting a valid defense. Common defenses include: 1. Lack of Copyright Notice: Under U.S. law before March 1, 1989, copyright owners were required to put a copyright notice on their works. The […]
ANGER MANAGEMENT
Jerks, Introverts and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Weaving v. City of Hillsboro The ability of employers to follow the law – and of judges to enforce it – depends on clearly defined standards of responsibility and conduct. Vaguely or otherwise poorly stated rules can lead to inconsistent outcomes in very similar factual situations. This […]
TO VAPE OR NOT TO VAPE
Should Employers Ban E-Cigarettes in the Workplace? Given the widespread popularity of electronic cigarettes, more cities and states are passing legislation to address their use in the workplace. Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery-powered and tobacco free. They vaporize a liquid nicotine solution that users inhale and then puff out (i.e., “vaping”). The exhaled water […]
THE ANNALS OF COPYRIGHT NUMBER 3
What Is Copyright Infringement? Copyright infringement has two sides: a) protecting your own copyrighted material and b) avoiding violations of another’s copyrighted work. The U.S. Copyright Act, section 106, gives a copyright owner exclusive rights to the control of an original work, including reproducing it, publicly displaying it, publicly performing it, making derivative works, and […]