Art Protection in the Event of Natural Disasters

Janet Fries and Katherine Howard-Fudge

Art is both a cultural and financial asset, making its physical protection crucial. The Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025 underscored the importance of safeguarding works of art. This wasn’t the first wake-up call for threats to art. For example, Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 flooded New York City’s Chelsea art district, leading to numerous […]

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Insuring Your Art: Protecting Its Value for Your Peace of Mind

Janet Fries and Katherine Howard-Fudge

If you have art assets, you must have appropriate, up-to-date insurance. If your art collection is valuable, having a fine arts policy rather than including art on a homeowner’s insurance policy may be worth the added expense. Unlike a standard insurance policy that may include art coverage, a fine art insurance policy has significantly fewer […]

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What Trademark Owners Need to Know in 2025: Tariffs and Excusable Nonuse of Trademarks

As of this writing, the Trump Administration’s tariff policies remain in flux, with multiple changes to the affected countries, tariff rates, and the duration of tariffs which will be imposed on foreign imports. Therefore, both large and small businesses are assessing the impact of the increased tariffs. One unintended consequence of higher tariffs is that […]

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The De Minimis Doctrine: When Is Copying Too Trivial?

Carolyn Wimbly Martin and Katherine Howard-Fudge

Although infrequently discussed in the case law, the de minimis doctrine is an important aspect of copyright law that protects creators from claims of infringement for uses of the works of another that would otherwise be considered substantially similar. The doctrine, which allows instances of trivial copying which would otherwise be infringement, comes from the legal […]

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USPTO Home Address Rule

Carolyn Wimbly Martin and Katherine Howard-Fudge

A 2019 United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) rule making domicile address reporting on trademark applications more stringent spurred concern regarding the policy’s privacy implications. However, on October 7, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for certiorari in Chestek PLLC v. Vidal, 2024 U.S. Lexis 3347 (2024), leaving in place the domicile […]

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AI and Its Impact on the Fashion Industry

Carolyn Wimbly Martin and Isabel Jonson

Fashion industry professionals disagree as to whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a valuable tool for the industry or a force that will result in job losses and stifle imagination and innovation. In the former camp, Matthew Drinkwater, head of London College of Fashion’s Innovation Agency, believes AI could prove to be a “hugely beneficial tool” for creatives […]

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Preserving Cultural Heritage: Some Updates

From time to time we report on significant developments – positive and negative – in the preservation of cultural heritage. Below are some updates to prior reports and new items of interest. Showcasing of Hindu Temple Backfires Earlier this year we reported on the consecration of the Ram Mandir temple in Ayodhyh, India, a northern […]

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American Privacy Rights Act Draft Update July 2024

Carolyn Wimbly Martin and Ella Sands

The American Privacy Rights Act (“APRA”) is the most recent effort by Congress to create a comprehensive consumer privacy law. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) introduced the bill in April, and the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Data, Innovation and Commerce unanimously approved an updated draft […]

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