Courts at the opposite sides of the country (and some in between) have long differed on how easy it is for a party to file a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement. A March 4, 2019, decision by the United States Supreme Court has standardized the process throughout the nation. In Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. …
Read More

On March 19, 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced two major changes to the H-1B visa program. First, USCIS will allow a modified form of premium processing for H-1B visa petitions that are subject to the annual cap (“cap-subject H-1B petitions”). In the past two years, USCIS had suspended premium processing …
Read More

On Oct. 1, 2018, an amendment to the Rules of the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court took effect codifying the Commercial Division’s support of the use of technology assisted review (TAR) during discovery. Specifically, Commercial Division Rule 11-e(f) encourages parties to “use the most efficient means to review documents, including electronically stored information (ESI), …
Read More

Commentary: Long Island has been my home for most of my life. Here are a few of my favorite things about my hometown: beautiful beaches, great public education, fried clams, Billy Joel, the lunar module, four Stanley Cups, the Belmont Stakes and Bethpage Black. Some of my not-so-favorite things: unbearable traffic, exorbitant property taxes and …
Read More

It is now H-1B visa season, meaning that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is accepting H-1B visa applications from April 1st to April 5th. The H-1B visa program has come under intense public scrutiny over the last two years. In response to perceived abuses in the H-1B program, President Trump issued the “Buy …
Read More

On February 20, 2019, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent the Office of Management and Budget a proposed rule that would eliminate the work authorization for those present on an H-4 visa. The proposed termination of work authorization has the potential to drastically affect the companies that employ H-4 workers. Proactive employers can avoid a disruption …
Read More

On January 31, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will publish a final rule changing the H-1B lottery system. The final rule implements the proposed two changes discussed earlier here. According to the DHS announcement, “The final rule reverses the order by which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) selects H-1B petitions under the H-1B regular …
Read More

Waymo – the self-driving technology subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet Inc., – launched a self-driving taxi service in Phoenix at the end of 2018. As companies continue to speed into the autonomous vehicles space, the birth of this industry is raising unprecedented issues. Policy-makers, insurers, automobile manufacturers, employers, and others are encouraged to begin considering …
Read More

The public comment period for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) proposed changes to the H-1B lottery system has now closed.  U.S. companies filing H-1B visa petitions must typically enter a lottery because the law caps the number of H-1B visas that DHS can issue each year. The proposed rule would make two important changes …
Read More

Nancy Del Pizzo published an article in The Computer & Internet Lawyer entitled “Are Your Clients’ Web Sites Accessible?” It discusses how businesses’ online presence may leave company owners open to litigation due to a lack of accessibility by the disabled. It relates how the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination at “places of public accommodation,” and …
Read More