A recent opinion piece by Rosabeth Moss Kanter for the Harvard Business Review reflects on soon-to-be-departing CEO Tony Hayward's conduct during BP's Gulf oil spill crises. Moss Kanter considers Hayward's leadership during the trying time for the company as well...
Business Law Professionals
Month: July 2010
Americans with Disabilities Act Became Law 20 Years Ago Monday
It was 20 years ago Monday, July 26, that President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. When he signed the monumental law, he borrowed a line from Ronald Reagan's Berlin Wall speech, saying, "Let the shameful walls of exclusion...
Nets’ New GM Says He Will Make Prudent Acquisitions
You may have heard by now that the New Jersey Nets hired a new general manager last month. In mid-July, Nets president Rod Thorn officially handed over the position to Billy King during a press conference. King was formerly the president and general manager...
Feinberg Says Businesses Did Not Break Law With Payouts
The Wall Street Journal reports today that Kenneth Feinberg, the U.S. "pay czar," has announced that the 17 financial firms that he investigated as the Obama administration's special master for compensation used poor judgment but did not break any laws when they gave...
Intellectual Property Dispute Round-Up, Part 2
J.K. Rowling and her "Harry Potter" series have been on both sides of intellectual property litigation. In 2008, Rowling successfully blocked the publication of an encyclopedia of Harry Potter facts in the U.S. by convincing the court that the project fell...
Intellectual Property Dispute Round-Up, Part 1
Two recent intellectual property disputes have made the news, one involving Microsoft Corp. and the other involving the author of the Harry Potter books, J.K. Rowling. U.S. computer software company Microsoft is cracking down on the piracy of its software in China. On...
U.S. Industries Falling Behind Globally in Scientific Innovation
In the previous post, we discussed New Jersey-based Merck & Co.'s current plans to restructure in order to foster more scientific innovation. An opinion piece appearing today in The Wall Street Journal, America's Growing Innovation Gap, by the chairman,...
New Jersey Drugmaker Merck Closing 8 More Plants After Acquisition
According to The Associated Press, drugmaker Merck & Co. announced Thursday that it is closing eight manufacturing plants and eight research sites around the world. The Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, company has been strategically restructuring its...
Consumers Sue Apple Over Alleged Unfair Business Practices
Apple Inc. is being sued by consumers over problems with its latest iPhone. The iPhone 4 was released June 24 and consumers soon complained that calls were dropped or reception was weakened when users placed a palm over the lower left corner of the device. Apple has...
Authorities Crack Down on Intellectual Property Rights Violations
Authorities launched a major antipiracy effort this week against websites offering free movie downloads. Internet piracy has hurt the movie industry by offering free versions of new movies, often soon after they are released in theaters. This week, "The Twilight...