Sugar Companies Try to Cane Corn Association

This past September I wrote about a lawsuit pitting sugar against corn.  Initially, two sugar manufacturers sued the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) and six high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) manufacturers for false advertising under the Lanham Act, as well as for being in violation of California Business and Professions Code Section 17200 as a result of their corn sugar “re-branding” campaign.  At the time I…

The Aftermarket Economy

So Facebook filed its IPO papers, and the numbers are eye-popping.  The company appears to be worth about $100 billion, or a bit more than the GDP of Tunisia.  Others shade it a bit lower, but one thing is certain: it’s good to be Facebook.   Facebook is special because, in network economic terms, its…

Stop Online Piracy Act: fair play or a stacked deck?

Currently under debate in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Stop Online Piracy Act (“SOPA”) would provide the Attorney General and copyright holders with tools to combat copyright infringement and trafficking of counterfeit goods. Whether the bill goes too far, though, is under heavy scrutiny. Opponents to SOPA, including Internet giants such as Google and…

Stopping Online Piracy – One Way or Another

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), currently the subject of hearings in the House Judiciary Committee, has generated interest far beyond the community of copyright lawyers.   To its proponents, SOPA is a critical addition to copyright law, necessary to help creative Americans protect their legitimate property rights from foreign attackers, and thus to preserve the…