May It Please The Court: Weblog of legal news and observations, including a quote of the day and daily updates
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Quote of the Day - Today, a successful Congressman has the fundraising ability of a hooker trying to raise cab fare home.
Mustang Ranch Lives On In NevadaHere's some business news for a Sunday: the Mustang Ranch, closed for some time due to racketeering and fraud charges leveled by the IRS, is reopening.The last part of the original operation has been moved, saved from the Bureau of Land Management's (don't ask me how they ended up with it - even though that's quite fitting) plan to demolish it. Looks like it's reputation will live on, saved from the auction block. I don't make this stuff up, I just report it. It's Not As Easy As It LooksYep, it's not as easy as it looks. In fact, it's quite challenging, and constantly requires research.Blogging, that is. Just ask Richard A. Posner, who tried it for a week on Lessig's blog. Posner sits on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The ABA reported on Posner's stint, who now says he has no intent to start his own blog, despite requests from many fans. The process is too time-consuming, he says. Here's Sabrina's thoughts on it. "You have an accumulation of ideas you can express, but if you did it week after week, you’d have to keep generating new ideas," Posner says, "which means you’d not only have to spend a lot of time actually writing the blog, but doing the research and constantly renewing your thoughts." No kidding! Are there any applicants out there for a stint on MIPTC? The Majors Start a New Patent FightYou may not know that your favorite breakfast drink is subject to several patents. Yes, an in-depth review of the Minute Maid legal page (how boring can that be?) shows that Coke doesn't actually claim patents, but despite what Coke says or doesn't say, Procter & Gamble does make that claim.What's the connection? Well, liked a scorned suitor, P&G was upset when it's business deal with Coke didn't go through. Apparently, P&G claims that before the deal went through, Coke took advantage of some of P&G's patented technology to make Minute Maid OJ last longer. So, like P&G has done so many times before, it sued. P&G claims that Coke stole its patented formula for preserving orange juice and limiting microorganisms. Microorganisms grow in food, and green chemistry keeps them in check, us safe, and the food lasting longer. P&G claims it has the market cornered on the technology, and is going after Coke to prove it. Now, the question will become who will pay? The Orange berry that Coke produces or the 13 stars on the old P&G logo? And the winner is .... You'll have to stay tuned for the next installment, same Bat time, same Bat channel. Running Your Business Into RetirementYou've established your business, but now that you're approaching retirement, what do you do?Sell your business? To your child? If you do, be aware that statistics show that businesses don't last in the third generation, but there are always exceptions. But, family businesses have been doing well. So well, in fact, that there are businesses about family businesses. So, you pick a successor and then what? Sit back and watch? Do you take back paper? Well, there are a lot of questions, and not a lot of answers out there. Probably your best bet is to identify your successor and let him/her get financing from the bank. That way, the risk of failure is not yours. That's just one of many considerations in selling a business. The larger question may be retire or consult? Do you have a non-compete agreement? Are you obligated to stay on with your old company to ease the transition to the new management? Some are set to retire early, others work and work and work. Whatever you do, plan ahead. Then go talk to your lawyer. Touring and Masked BallsWe're here in Santiago de Compostela, learning about the bones of St. James, which many believe are buried right here in the Cathedral.Wrote some postcards, and told my Mom that we stayed here and attended a Masked Ball. Tons of fun! Postcards from SpainWhen you go places, you want to see the countryside. We took a tour of the region known as Galicia, and learned about Spanish Celts, and even got to see the inside gardens of Castle de Oca (our photo).Almost ready to head home, but we're still enjoying the vacation. Postcards and Pilgrimages from SantiagoHere's a post from WebTV, quite a bit like a postcard from afar. I cannot access any other pages, so I cant put in any links. Sorry about that. I am lucky, I guess, to just be able to get on the internet in Santiago de Compestela, Tomorrow, though, I will find an internet cafe, which should provide a better means of posting. It is difficult using a wireless keyboard and a television monitor. Not all of the keys work on the keyboard (like the apostrophe), and the TV screen is far from sharp.Nonetheless, the view outside the room is spectacular. I am staying at the Rios Catholicos, a Parador hotel, right next to the Santiago cathedral. It is supposedly the oldest hotel in the world. Pretty cool to be able to use the internet from it, though. Saw the tomb of the apostle St. James, and did the last bit of the pilgrimage. More tomorrow. Bighorn Ram Debuts As Public Art ProjectRegular readers will know that I'm a supporter of the Bighorn Institute. Some may have even heard of The Path of the Bighorn, which is a Public Art Project out in the Coachella Valley.Well, here's what the rams look like, and the Institute's Executive Director, Jim DeForge, speaking about one of the rams.
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