The attorneys at Morningstar Law Group are leaders who are frequently asked to share their legal insights and expertise. Here is a sampling of the wisdom our attorneys are sharing at industry conferences, in published articles, and at continuing legal education events.

Insight

For World IP Day, Partner Richard Caira Shares Thoughts on IP Challenges & Developments

April 26, 2023

What are the main challenges in the field of intellectual property law in the current global landscape? As the metaverse expands and becomes more prevalent in our society, it is important to approach the concept of it as being “real” from a legal standpoint. While the metaverse may exist in the virtual world and whether […]

Insight

IP Protection in the Metaverse

June 17, 2022

With the rapid expansion of the interconnected world, augmented reality, and virtual reality, it seems we have a “metaverse” on our hands.  Consequently, the USPTO has seen a jump in the number of trademark applications to protect goods or services in this expanding virtual landscape.  And indeed, intellectual property (“IP”) rights can be protected in […]

Insight

For cybersecurity threats, get to know the CISA.

March 29, 2022

With the Russia-Ukraine conflict entering its second month, and dark warnings from the US government about potential retaliatory cyber-attacks from Russian hackers, there’s one US Agency that all companies should be familiar with – the CISA, or Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (cisa.gov). The ongoing, and increasingly important, mission of the CISA is to reduce […]

Insight

Morningstar Law Group's Richard Caira Contributes to Financial Times Article on Data Regulation

March 11, 2021

Richard Caira, a partner in our firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology practice group, was recently interviewed by Financial Times for their article on the increasing demand for legal services, both advisory and litigation, brought about by the growing regulations on data privacy. Richard was well positioned to contribute having over 20 years of experience advising […]

Insight

COVID-19 and Privacy: Can We Remain Anonymous?

May 20, 2020

The unprecedented spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus has alarmed policymakers and healthcare professionals alike. The rate at which infections continue to spike and the fact that most cases appear to be asymptomatic makes efforts to control the outbreak much more difficult as compared to other diseases. Certain mitigation efforts taken by governments around the world, […]

Insight

Time to Panic? The Effects of COVID-19 on the Internet.

April 16, 2020

Given the social distancing guidelines and broad stay-at-home orders necessitated by the global COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, organizations and schools around the world have been forced to reevaluate the way they conduct their day-to-day operations. As a result, those organizations and schools have shifted to telecommuting and remote learning, which has placed a major strain on […]

Insight

Dumbing Down Some of the Privacy and Security Risks Associated With Smart Devices

March 25, 2020

Bluetooth sunglasses, temperature-controlled insulated bottles, voice-controlled dishwashers and other kitchen appliances, smart TVs, and doorbell cameras are just a handful of examples of the many everyday items that have been enhanced with “smart” capabilities to better fit within our increasingly connected and convenience-centric society. As we intensify our reliance on such “smart” Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, […]

Insight

Wing Wednesday, Yes, But No Taco Tuesday

March 12, 2020

Last year, shortly after news broke of Tom Brady’s unsuccessful attempt to register the trademark “Tom Terrific” (see my article about that here), there were reports of a few other intriguing, high-profile sports-related trademark matters that seemed deserving of some additional commentary.   Possibly not coincidentally, given Brady’s historic distaste for the State of Ohio […]

Insight

Not So Terrific Understanding of Trademark Law There, Tom …

October 21, 2019

This recent article about Tom Brady and his unsuccessful efforts to register the trademark “Tom Terrific” came to my attention the other day: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27445881/not-terrific-tom-brady-trademark-refused. As an IP lawyer, I felt compelled to set the record straight and clear up any misconceptions Brady may have conveyed about trademark law to the general, non-(IP) lawyer public. First […]

Insight

What CEOs and Other Executives Can Learn from the Equifax Data Security Breach Fiasco

September 12, 2017

by Richard J. Caira, Jr. Last week there was yet another massive data breach of an ostensible industry bastion – Atlanta-based credit bureau Equifax – resulting in the loss of the personally-identifiable information of over 143 million people in the United States. For perspective, the entire U.S. population is currently around 325 million, of which […]