The Lance Armstrong Foundation has sued an Oklahoma pet collar manufacturer for trademark infringement over the use of its Barkstrong and Purrstrong animal collars. The pet collars are sold by Animal Charity Collar Group, a Tulsa for-profit operation that sells its tic and flea collar for $6.99, while a "support collar" costs $4.99. The Oklahoma
Iowa Non-Compete May Be Enforceable Even if You’re Fired
Charlie Longbrief picked up the phone on a Friday afternoon. He was accustomed to these late Friday afternoon calls. People with problems always seemed to call at this time because they need peace of mind over the weekend. It was his friend Joe Smith who worked as sales manager for Shake, Rattle & Roll, Inc. a local baby toy manufacturer.
"Charlie I
Jury Selection and Challenges for Cause
New Iowa law blogger, Larry McLellan, posts on challenges for cause in jury selection on Sullivan & Ward’s Iowa Law Blog.
Larry references a great article on Building the Foundation for Cause Challenges by jury consultant Harry Plotkin. If you are a trial lawyer it is definitely worth the read.
Employee Reviews: Is Everybody Really Above Average?
I read with interest fellow IowaBiz author Victor Aspengren’s article on Forget the Ratings in conducting annual performance reviews. Victor points out that most companies use subjective rating systems in their performance reviews which leave everyone in the company, supervisors and employees alike, dreading the annual review process.
What happens next is what I call
Midwest Business Lawyers and their Clients More Reasonable
Over on the Iowa Law Blog I discussed the fact that the number of lawsuits is down this past year for U.S. businesses. The statistics are based upon a study from the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski. But you need to read a little deeper to find a more intriguing statistic:
The
Looking for a Franchise? Be Sure to “Pick” the Right Resources
As regular readers of this blog know, I am engaged in a never ending search for blogs that present franchise opportunities in a fair and objective manner. All too often franchise related sites are merely promotional pieces.
FranchisePick is a site worth checking out. Yes, there are some promotional pieces on the site. But franchise marketing veteran, Sean
Identity Theft Can Happen to You
West Des Moines financial planner Art Dinkin’s story shows that identity theft can happen to anybody. Be sure to read the comments for some helpful hints in what to do if identity theft strikes you.
Read my previous post if you are interested in Tips to Protect Your Business and Customers from Identity Theft.
Accountability in the Workplace
First with Drew McLellan on marketing, and now with Shirley Poertner on leadership, the IowaBiz.com free breakfast series is off to a fast start. Shirley spoke yesterday about accountability in the workplace. A concept that is frequently missing in many organizations.
Shirley says we have fallen into a "blame" society.
- If you spill hot coffee in
Baseball and Human Resources
I’ve got baseball on the brain over on Sullivan & Ward’s new Iowa Law Blog thanks to HR Capitalist. Go Tribe!
photo on flickr by hyku
Job Descriptions Must Be Carefully Prepared
Attorney Liz Overton has an excellent post on the need to carefully prepare job descriptions for small businesses over on Sullivan & Ward’s Iowa Law Blog.
I encourage you to check it out.