Gibbons Law Alert

On February 11, 2010

On February 9, 2010, Governor Chris Christie issued an Executive Order stopping all work for ninety (90) days on the processing of applications for substantive certification or implementation of the Third Round regulations by the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH). The Executive Order also creates a five-member Housing Opportunity Task Force which is tasked with producing a public report with analysis and recommendations regarding the current COAH rules within 90 days.

New ICANN Electronic UDRP (“eUDRP”) Procedures for Domain Name Disputes

by Gibbons P.C.

Posted in Trademarks

On February 2, 2010

Last month, ICANN announced that its Board had approved changes to the Rules for the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (“Rules”) providing for electronic filing of UDRP documents. Under the modified Rules, electronic filing will become mandatory effective March 1, 2010. Both the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”) and the National Arbitration Forum (“NAF”) were quick to implement the paperless filings. WIPO began accepting paperless filings on December 14, 2009. The WIPO eUDRP procedures are explained in its new Supplemental Rules, Model Complaint and Filing Guidelines.

Determining What Standards Apply to Your Site Just Got Easier

by Paul M. Hauge

Posted in Environmental and Green Issues

On January 28, 2010

Without changing a single standard, NJDEP may have made it easier to comply with its many surface water, groundwater, drinking water, and soil remediation standards by compiling a useful on-line compendium of selected environmental standards. Standards can change, though, so the prudent developer, consultant, or attorney will check the New Jersey Administrative Code before making any decisions.

Lesniak Announces Hearing Date for COAH Reform Legislation

by Gibbons P.C.

Posted in Development/Redevelopment

On January 28, 2010

Senator Raymond J. Lesniak announced that on Monday, February 1, the Senate Economic Growth Committee, which he chairs, will begin hearing testimony on his Bill S-1, co-sponsored by Senator Bateman. S-1 would abolish the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) and establish a streamlined and simple process to comply with NJ Supreme Court mandates that require every municipality maintain a fair share of low- and moderate-income housing.

Keeping Up With SRRA Developments

by Paul M. Hauge

Posted in Environmental and Green Issues

On January 27, 2010

The passage in 2009 of the Site Remediation Reform Act (SRRA) introduced a great deal of uncertainty into the site cleanup process. The procedures, paperwork, and terminology of the site cleanup process have changed. NJDEP has developed a web page to help the public to stay abreast of all SRRA developments, including information such as the new Administrative Requirements for the Remediation of Contaminated Sites (ARRCS Rules).

Admissibility of Expert Testimony: Patent Law v. Federal Rules of Evidence

by Gibbons P.C.

Posted in Patent

On January 26, 2010

Judge Young recently wrote a colorful and entertaining decision addressing a “disconnect between the Federal Rules of Evidence and the substantive doctrines of patent law [that] seems to have gone totally unremarked both by the patent bar and evidence scholars.” In the end, Judge Young ruled that the patent laws on obviousness trump the Federal Rules of Evidence. NewRiver, Inc. v. Newkirk Products, Inc., C.A. No. 06-12146-WGY, Memorandum & Order (D. Mass. Dec. 16, 2009).

Governor Christie’s Department of Environmental Protection Transition Subcommittee Issued Final Report

by Gibbons P.C.

Posted in Environmental and Green Issues

On January 26, 2010

Governor Christie’s Department of Environmental Protection Transition Subcommittee issued its Final Report on January 15, 2010. The Report calls for significant changes in policies and practices in order to meet three overarching goals: “1) accelerate improvements to the environment, 2) remove unnecessary obstacles to economic growth and 3) more effectively manage limited fiscal and human resources.”

Acquiring Distressed Debt: Anatomy of a Mortgage Acquisition Transaction

by Russell B. Bershad

Posted in Transactional Real Estate and Leasing

On January 25, 2010

By all accounts, banks and other lenders are holding enormous amounts — several trillion dollars — of commercial mortgages that are nonperforming, under-performing or approaching maturity with dim prospects for refinancing. Although lenders have not yet flooded the market with sales of distressed debt, there are many reasons to believe that the gates will open wider in the not-distant future. This article provides an overview of a distressed commercial mortgage loan acquisition transaction.

Limits on Number of Claim Terms to be Construed

by Wendy R. Stein

Posted in Patent

On January 20, 2010

Some courts, whether by local patent rule or by individual order, are restricting the number of patent claim terms they are willing to construe. For example, the Northern District of California’s Local Patent Rule 4-1(b) directs parties to “jointly identify the 10 terms likely to be most significant to resolving the parties’ dispute, including those terms for which construction may be case or claim dispositive.” Other courts, such as the District of Massachusetts, have memorialized a suggestion that “no more than ten (10) terms per patent be identified as requiring construction.” See Appendix to D. Mass. Local Rule 16.6, section (B)(4)(d).

CONSUMERS FAIL TO MAKE THEIR MARK: Pro Se Plaintiffs Initiating Qui Tam Suits Under The False Marking Statute Face Uphill Battle

by Gibbons P.C.

Posted in Patent

On January 15, 2010

What do adjustable bow ties have in common with disposable coffee cup lids? Not much, other than the fact that they have recently been at the center of false patent marking suits brought against major corporations not by competitors, but consumers. In each case, a consumer noticed that markings on certain products referred to patents which had long since expired.