Authored Articles

California has taken the lead in enacting new comprehensive “green chemistry” laws aimed at reducing toxic chemicals found in everyday consumer products.

Minutes, if not seconds, is all it takes for someone to cause harm to another person on the internet. Whether a single posting on social media or another online forum, or a full-fledged harassment campaign consisting of numerous postings on various platforms, it is extremely easy today to cause damage to another’s reputation online.

There are three federal wealth transfer taxes: (1) the estate tax; (2) the gift tax; and (3) the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax.

Under what is known as the First Sale Doctrine, one who buys a trademarked good may ordinarily resell that product without infringing the trademark owner’s mark.

Executives from top businesses around the world have weighed in, and they have indicated that the top risk for their respective companies is their reputation.

Lisa Babish Forbes and Aaron Williams, attorneys in the Vorys Cleveland office, co-authored “Can Localities Use Ballot Power To Ban Oil And Gas Drilling?” for Appellate Law360.

Whitney Gibson and Jordan Cohen co-authored an article for the Bloomberg/BNA Electronic Commerce & Law Report titled “Favorable Ruling for Critics of Section 230 of the CDA in Washington Case.”

Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit in the Middle District of Florida against two companies and their principals over a “gag” clause aimed at preventing negative reviews.

The Delaware Court of Chancery is considering an argument that a hyperlink to an allegedly defamatory article, for purposes of overcoming a statute of limitations defense, constitutes republication.

Ray Pinkham, an associate in the Vorys Washington, D.C. office and member of the litigation group, authored an article for the ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct titled “Embrace Inevitable Change in Legal Services Profession, Conference Speakers Say.”

Jessica Knopp Cunning, an associate in the Vorys Akron office and a member of the litigation group, authored an article for Crain’s Cleveland Business titled “The Future of Drones is Now, Even if the Law is a Bit in Limbo.”

Dave Froling and John Petzinger, attorneys in the Vorys Columbus office and members of the tax group, co-authored an article titled “Ohio Supreme Court Decision on Bright-Line Domicile Creates Uncertainty Going Forward – Ohio’s Bright-Line Test Is Not So Bright” for the Fall 2015 edition of the Journal of State Taxation.

Julie Brown, Vorys’ litigation technology executive manager, authored an article for Corporate Counsel titled “How to Decide Who Handles Your E-Discovery.”

Many businesses today are finding their products being sold online without their permission, often on third-party websites. While the First Sale Doctrine generally permits buyers to resell others’ trademarked goods without incurring any liability, it does not apply when a reseller sells goods that are materially different from the genuine goods sold by a trademark owner.

There are three federal wealth transfer taxes: (1) the estate tax; (2) the gift tax; and (3) the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax.

Steven Becker, a partner in the Vorys Washington, D.C. office, authored a column titled “Your Insurance May Not Cover Website Disability Claims” for the September 14, 2015 edition of Retail Law360.

Nelson Cary, a partner in the Vorys Columbus office, and George Stevens, an associate in the Columbus office, co-authored an article for Employment Law360 titled “When Calling The Police Is Permissible Under Labor Law.”

Last week, the Washington Supreme Court handed down a favorable ruling in a case turning on the application of the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) – favorable, that is, for those seeking to hold websites accountable for certain harm arising out of content published on their sites.

Mark E. Vannatta, a partner in the Vorys Columbus office, authored an article entitled "The Ohio Bright Line Residency Test: It Is Not So Luminous Anymore" for the Sep/Oct 2015 edition of the Probate Law Journal of Ohio.

Mike Griffaton, of counsel in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the labor and employment group, authored an article for Recruiting Trends Bulletin titled “Screening Candidates Through Social Media.”