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Duff on Hospitality Law

Monthly Archives: August 2011

Fall Events: Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association Annual Convention, Washington Lodging Association Annual Convention, ZZIF, Travel Distribution Summit and Others

Posted in Conference Notes, Music Licensing/Copyright, Technology

Fall is upon us and like every fall, there is no shortage of upcoming travel and tourism industry events to attend. Over the next few months, our team will be busy attending and speaking at a number of industry-related events. Upcoming events include:

Cease and Desist! Copyright Infringement.

Posted in Music Licensing/Copyright

(Companion post to “Do You Know What’s Happening on Your Network? Copyright Infringement.”) A number of organizations, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Chilling Effects, keep watch on what they consider overly aggressive policing of rights on the Internet by owners of copyrights and trademarks. Lately, a couple of extremely irate attorneys have taken… Continue Reading

Washington State Franchise Law Catching Up

Posted in Update

The Securities Division of the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions has just released a draft bill it is sending to the Legislature next January. The bill would make state franchise law more consistent with the modernized Federal Trade Commission (FTC)Rule governing the offer and sale of franchises.

Patent Trolls – Not Just for Technology Companies Any More

Posted in Hotels, Music Licensing/Copyright, Technology

Lately, we’ve been hearing from a number of our clients and friends in the industry of a startling increase in the number of letters and emails alleging patent infringement. As hospitality- and restaurant-industry businesses become bigger and bigger users of patentable technology, we expect we may see many more of these claims. In an effort… Continue Reading