Intellectual Property

Neiman Marcus is Fighting Back Against a Notorious Dallas-Based Patent Troll

In the decade since it was founded in Dallas, IP Nav has established itself as a global leader in the increasingly lucrative business of "patent assertion," offering clients the ability to "maximize the value of their IP assets." Put more bluntly, it's a patent troll, shaking down companies by threa ... More >>

Carrollton Man Gets 36 Months in Federal Prison for Selling Crappy Counterfeit Cellphone Accessories

The iPhone cases with crooked "Chanel" logos you see over at your local cellphone accessory store or mall kiosk could be evidence of an international criminal conspiracy, according to the feds. A Carrollton resident, Shiraz Sherali Odhwani, 54, has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison and o ... More >>

The New Craft and Growler Offers a Whole New Craft Beer Experience

Patent attorney Kevin Afgani and his wife, Catherine Kinslow, opened Craft and Growler just outside of Fair Park in mid-November. This new spot plays a unique role in the growing North Texas beer culture because it allows Dallasites to buy local beer and take it home to drink. See, only two local br ... More >>

Ludacris Throws Legal 'Bows in Dallas, Proving Rap Beefs Aren't What They Used to Be

Back in October, Demitri Brown and Donna Evans-Brown filed a not-at-all-frivolous lawsuit in Dallas County District Court claiming that Christopher Bridges, aka Ludacris, had stolen their trademark and illegally used it to build his Atlanta-based record label/entertainment empire. The dispute cente ... More >>

Frackers Are Walking Through Gaping Holes In Texas Chemical Disclosure Law

Last summer, as the Dallas City Council was briefed on the ins and outs of bringing heavy, industrial processes into a densely populated, urban area, industry boosters like Ed Ireland of the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council assured council members we would know in virtually all cases what was ... More >>

Patent Trolls and the War on Innovation

On the front line of the costliest battle in the high-tech world.

Dallas Music Producers Claim Ludacris Stole Their Business Name, Throw 'Bows in Court

It was in 2001 that Christopher Bridges, a.k.a. Ludacris, released "Move Bitch," a song still considered his masterpiece. (The inimitable chorus: "Move bitch, get out the way/Get out the way bitch/Get out the way.") It was the third single from the album Word of Mouf, and it helped propel the corn-r ... More >>

Man Allegedly Bilked Investors Out of $1 Million By Telling Them How Awesome His Trailer Hitches Were

One evening during the summer of 1994, Karl Pratt was wrapping up a day at Lake Lewisville. It had been a satisfying outing but, as he backed his truck to the water's edge to pick up his boat, he realized his trailer had been stolen. Someone had cut the lock and taken off with it. It took him a week ... More >>

All of the Arguments About Digital Music, Summarized

Piracy is theft. Piracy isn't theft because nothing physical is being stolen. You are taking money out of the hands of artists. Artists were already being ripped off by labels. Artists can make the money back by touring. Kickstarter. Here is a bulleted list of numbers showing how much it costs ... More >>

Facing SOPA, Dallas Calmly Tells Reps, "DON'T STOP ADVANCEMENT OF HUMAN RACE"

​As you may have noticed, Wikipedia, the world's leading purveyor of pretty accurate information, was offline yesterday, one of thousands of websites blacked out in protest of Congress' SOPA and the Senate's PIPA anti-piracy bills. Giants such as Facebook, Google and LinkedIn issued letters of ... More >>

Sue Sue, Sue-dio: The Ten Most Interesting Lawsuits In Music History

​The finger-pointing game has begun in the wake of this year's Electric Daisy Carnival.  Although any legal repercussions in regards to the festival that took place this weekend have yet to be determined, we're keeping our eye on the whole thing -- mostly because, let's face it, music and leg ... More >>

Powerful Sports Marketing Agency Concerned Employee Left With Confidential Trade Secrets

​There's no shortage of stories extolling the genius of John Tatum, the 45-year-old who in 1994 co-founded Genesco Sports Enterprises, the Woodall Rodgers-based consulting group that marries the right product with the right athlete, sport or major league. Sports Business Journal noted in '08 that ... More >>

35 Conferette Panels: Entertainment Lawyers Warn Musicians of The Dangers of Copyright Laws, The Benefits of Labels.

​It's not always a glamorous life in the music industry. In fact, it rarely is -- because, like any other industry, it's closely tied with many legal practices and issues. During yesterday's daytime panel conference, "Music Business Legal Check List: Five Things You Better Think About and Do," con ... More >>

Today In Music News: Glastonbury Put On Hold, Pink Floyd To Maybe Get Back Together and Gene Simmons Gets Hacked

Your daily dose of national music news for Tuesday, October 19, 2010...If you were planning on heading to England to catch the Glastonbury Festival in 2012, save your miles... the fest's been canceled because of the lack of port-o-potties. Could Pink Floyd be getting back together for the kids?Look ... More >>

Today In Music News: Kanye Goes Back To VMAs, Parody Is Now Infringing And Nelly Hits The Radio

Your daily dose of national music news for Thursday, August 12, 2010...Apparently MTV has forgiven Kanye West. The rapper/producer/twitterer will perform at this years VMA's.So, now parody songs are violate copyright infringement? The former rap star known as Nelly has gotten a part-time job as a ... More >>

Dirty Diamond

UTD Professor's Research At Center Of Pirate Bay Copyright Case

Today in Stockholm, Sweden-based bit torrent site The Pirate Bay entered the eighth day of its trial against International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which is accusing the site of possible copyright infringement, given its role as a host for torrent swapping. And it's a fairly landmar ... More >>

What's Commish John Wiley Price's Real Beef With the Inland Port?

We Aren't Marshall: Volkswagen Wants Case Moved to Dallas

Crazy Fish May Redefine Computer Industry

He claims to have invented e-mail. He holds a world skydiving record. But his current invention promises to top them all

Film School

Wednesday, October 17, at the Cavern

Blockbuster Closing 282 Stores. Didn't Know They Still Had 'Em.

Room with a Beef

Think Safe

Claim ownership of your brain children

Cowboy court

Who owns America's Team?

Who Owns "America's Team"?

Rental Property

Caffeine jitters

They have the java, but who has the jive?

Book Of Common Themes

Sliced Meat Loaf

Richie Rich Round-Up

Howdy, Folks...in Reverse

Call Me

M-I-C...See ya real soon, Big Tex

Software Bug

Dallas Appraisal District battles a software developer over property rights

Woot, There It Is

Plus: News Blackout; Sky’s the Limit

mellowdrone

July 2

Advance Screening

Pssst, wanna see a movie that isn't out yet...legally?

Richard X

Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 (Astralwerks)

Cockfight

A Plano homemaker finds herself in a legal pit with a very big rooster

Chinese Cookie Torture

Why don’t fortune cookies tell our fortunes anymore?

Custody Battle

Marvel Comics isn't going to give up Captain America without a fight

Meet John Doe

Trinity Industries certainly wants to, at least when it comes to Internet critics

Going deep

First Friday celebrates its paper anniversary with a name change

Blues for Freddie

The family of a Dallas guitar legend fights to protect his legacy

Buzz