The firm’s website was down for most of the past two weeks, which was aggravating. But good work by Northstar Design Studio team got it up again!
In the meantime, I exchanged a flurry of texts with a long time Fairfield client about a worker getting greedy (demanding a 20% raise within a week).
In a Milford partnership dispute, the firm conducted legal research on quantum meruit and unclean hands, updated secretary of state paperwork to reflect the expulsion of a company member, drafted a new LLC operating agreement, considered a reasonable proposal for settlement, drafted a settlement agreement, negotiated revisions to the settlement agreement, had several phone calls with client and opposing counsel, and finalized and sent the Settlement Agreement for signatures, before finally delivering the fully executed Agreement to parties.
The Bridgeport convenience store saga continued, funny how fairly small transactions can sometimes just eat your days.
For a change of pace, the firm filed for a North Haven client a utility patent application on a fishing rod holder for charter boats (also usable on a private vessel). Key things I consider when asked to handle a patent application include utility (would somebody want to buy it for a purpose it could serve), clarity of description (can the inventor explain how to make it and use it), novelty and inventiveness (when I look at the limited universe that I know of prior “art” in the same field, does this look different in a way that somehow surprises me).
I advised a Milford client on a copyright agreement with a tattoo artist. There are a large number of scholarly articles about whether tattoos are copyrightable. Even if it’s not possible to “reproduce” someone’s inked-up skin, photographs and sketches of tattoo art arguably infringe the artist’s copyright. My client wants the artist to design a cartoon character, and needs some assurance that the artist isn’t just copying anybody else’s work and that she will have ownership of the artist’s work.
In a Bridgeport Superior Court dispute over the purchase of a failing business with broken fixtures and equipment, I served discovery responses to the defendant’s counsel.
The firm followed up with a Waterbury construction contractor about a warranty dispute.
In Milford Superior Court, the firm served discovery requests on a plaintiff in a quasi-lemon law suit (“quasi” because there is no exact lemon law for used cars, which are sold as-is).
I’m happy to be doing more in Milford lately. I also prepared and filed an application for prejudgment remedy in a contentious business divorce case, where one of the partners has been hiding revenue and disposing of equipment, inventory, and fixtures out the side door.
For a client in New Haven Federal District Court, the firm reviewed a copyright deposit and engaged in settlement negotiations with opposing counsel.
A matter in New Britain Superior Court was settled by a stipulation of judgment in which the creditor accepted my debtor’s payment plan proposal.
Res ipsa loquitor: Big Law contumely.
Finally, I submitted a specimen of use for an ophthalmic lens trade mark.
