Corporate malfeasance can have a devastating effect on many innocent people. Perhaps one of the best examples is the 2008 financial crisis, which was caused in part by bankers knowingly issuing subprime mortgages to borrowers with little to no income, job, or assets. As a result of the crisis, the United States unemployment rate skyrocketed…
Year: 2016
No Break for Nestlé’s Kit Kat Trademark Claim
For the past five years in the United Kingdom, chocolatiers Nestlé and their rival Cadbury have been locked in a legal battle stemming from Nestlé’s attempt to trademark the shape of the four-fingered Kit Kat chocolate bar.1 On July 8, 2010, Nestlé applied to register a trademark for the four-fingered shape of chocolate without the…
Efforts to Equalize Wage Disparity Amongst Women and Minorities: Tracking Salary
Although women and minorities have broken the glass ceiling in businesses and female minorities have broken the “double glass ceiling,” a stark salary inequity still looms. In 2014, it was reported that women were only paid 79% of what men make, resulting in a gap of 21%.1 In an effort to combat these effects, President…
Revising Silicon Valley’s Tasty Tax Exemptions?
Competition amongst the high-tech players in Silicon Valley for top engineering talent has been fierce for some time. In addition to six-figure salaries and generous stock options, companies have gone to extraordinary lengths in developing perk programs to recruit and retain employees.1 In an environment filled with helicopter rides, arcades, and concierge services, it might…
Portland Housing Crisis – Adding to or Forcing out Portland’s Weird?
Portland, traditionally known for its young culture and promises of “Keeping Portland Weird,” has become a haven for young professionals seeking a vibrant culture.1. The “progressive values” of the city attract young people, as young families look for a new culture in which to raise their children.2. This movement to the city has created a…
The Business of Law Firms: Evolution Driven by Pressure
Law firms are evolving. This evolution is in response to market pressure demanding that firms do more with less.1 To meet this demand, law firms are striving to reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and differentiate from rival firms.2 This blog is the first in a two part series, examining the evolution of law firms. This first…
Going for the Beer, but Staying for the Taxes
Guinness isn’t the only reason to go to Ireland anymore. Ireland’s status as a tax haven has continued to attract companies who are unhappy with America’s sky-high corporate tax rate. With another major US corporation moving overseas through a merger, American politicians are forced to reevaluate corporate tax policy in order to maintain its tax…
The Modern Merger
The business world welcomed news of Pfizer’s plans to acquire Allergen in a $160 billion deal.1. The merger not only represents the biggest pharmaceutical merger of all time, but is also viewed as an indication that the business world is back on its feet as deal activity is surpassing all pre-recession metrics.2. While many positives…
U.S. v. Apple: Was the Second Circuit Wrong in a Novel Antitrust Case?
On June 30, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that Apple Inc. had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by conspiring to fix prices for e-books with the six largest U.S. publishers.1 The case was, at heart, a question of “whether the vertical organizer of a horizontal conspiracy” to fix prices…
Drivers v. Uber – An Employment Law Challenge
Despite its mass appeal and outstanding business prospects1, ridesharing platform Uber continues to face regulatory and legal hurdles that threaten to upend its business model. In this blog, I offer a primer of the most significant challenge Uber faces in the United States, a class action battle against their drivers. Unlike traditional taxicab companies which…