Can you trademark the Easter Bunny?

Europe's High Court heard a suit brought by Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli against Franz Hauswirth GmbH over a trademark for their gold-foiled chocolate Easter bunny.  According to Reuters, "Hauswirth argued Lindt was using its trademark to quash competition unfairly. It said chocolate bunnies traditionally come wrapped in gold foil and that it is normal for the shapes to look similar as they are based on animals." However, Lindt ultimately prevailed, an in 2012, the Court ruled that Hauswirth had to stop making their own gold-foiled bunnies.

New I-9 issued by USCIS

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires that all employers have their new employees fill out a Form I-9. A new version of the  I-9 has been issued by the government, of which the most obvious change is the addition of a second page. If employers do not use the new version of the form after May 7, 2013, they will be considered as non-compliant and will be exposing themselves to the possibility of civil, or even criminal, penalties. Current employees do not need to fill out a new I-9 unless they have an event that necessitates re-verification under the
provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The I-9 can be found here: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=31b3ab0a43b5d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=7d316c0b4c3bf110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD

Wills for Heroes

I spent this past Saturday volunteering with Wills for Heroes, which held a session at the James N. Robey Public Safety Training Center in Marriottsville. Wills for Heroes is a phenomenal program which provides free wills and other estate planning documents for first responders - i.e. fire department and police department personnel. According to the Wills for Heroes website:

Anthony Hayes, a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough, LLP, in Columbia, South Carolina, started the Wills for Heroes program shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Anthony emailed the Columbia Fire Department asking what lawyers could do to help that department. During an impromptu focus group, it became clear that there was a glaring need for estate planning services.
 

The attorneys who volunteered this past Saturday were able to provide estate planning documents to roughly 70 individuals.

Amended zoning for Normandy approved

From the Baltimore Sun: Howard County Council approves amended zoning for Normandy

Right to Google for a Lawyer?

A criminal case out of Canada highlights the growing disparity amongst older generations who grab the phone book and younger generations who use an internet search engine when in need of services. The case ruled that a 19-year-old defendant had the right to use the internet to find a lawyer. From the article:

"In the year 2013 it is the Court’s view that all police stations must be equipped with Internet access and detainees must have the same opportunities to access the Internet to find a lawyer as they do to access the telephone book to find a lawyer.”

While Canada's due process differs from that in the U.S., the evolution of courts recognizing a legal right to internet access is universal.

Merriweather Post Pavilion and Noise Limits

From the Baltimore Sun: Merriweather Post Pavilion adjusts request for noise limits

HoCo Exec Ken Ulman Awarded for Sustainability

From the Baltimore Sun: Ulman accepts sustainability award for Downtown Columbia plan