In the News

Posted by: L

I heard about this yesterday morning on the radio and wanted to share: A housekeeper brought suit against her employer after she was fired for taking longer than eight weeks of maternity leave. I know this blog receives a vast amount of women readers (guys we love you, too!), so I think it is a relevant topic. Please feel free to weigh in on your opinions and thoughts in the comments. A link to the article is provided, too.

The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled, 4-3, that women are entitled to eight weeks of unpaid maternity leave under the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act without fear of losing their jobs; however, a longer leave can put their jobs at risk.

From the Boston Globe, "The ruling is limited to women whose maternity leave falls under state law, typically those who work at smaller companies but with at least six employees. People who work for employers with 50 or more employees are covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave and job protection. The ruling does not affect the federal protections."

So, what do you think? The case had a number of issues including malpractice and recovery based on the contract the employee had with her employer, but the outcome still clarifies the MA Act.

Eight weeks-- is it a fair amount of time? What do you ladies without children think, too? Guys, we'd love to hear from you, too!

The ruling is definitely something to consider when looking into applying to different sized law firms, too.

In the News

Posted by: L

The internetz are all a-buzz with Proposition 8 being overturned in California -- a major victory for all Gay Rights Activists.

Read about it here:

• Huffington Post
• LA Times
• NY Times

Here's to Equal Protection!

In the News

Pop diva Beyonce Knowles and teen clothing giant Abercrombie & Fitch are going to war over who is fiercer.

Article from the NY Daily News.

In a federal suit, the Ohio-based chain of popular mall stores sued Knowles, saying they already own the name of her upcoming scent.

The grammy-winning singer announced this week that she had teamed up with fragrance maker Coty, which launched the celebrity scent craze in 2002 when Jennifer Lopez' Glow racked up $100 million in sales in one year.

Knowles' perfume, named after her onstage alter ego, Sasha Fierce, is supposed to launch next spring. Her line of clothing, also called Sasha Fierce, just debuted in department stores.

The superstar singer described her new scent as "an alluring and sophisticated fragrance; one that's refelective of my inner power."

Abercrombie said the whole thing stinks.

Within hours of Tuesday's announcement, Abercrombie filed suit in federal court in Columbus, asking a judge to stop Knowles and accusing her of trademark infringement, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices because it already sells a men's cologne called Fierce.

The $40 cologne comes in a bottle featuring the standard Abercrombie and Fitch branding: a ripped male torso. Store employees spritz stacks of clothing with it.

The company said it has sold $190 million worth of Fierce since 2002 and Knowles' perfume plan "poses a likelihood of confusion" for consumers and could cost them sales.

Abercrombie said its attorneys sent Knowles a cease-and-desist letter but she had not backed off.

Knowles, whose 2008 album called "I am ... Sasha Fierce" went platinum, already sells a line of clothing called Dereon that includes earrings and pendants spelling out the word Fierce.

With News Wire Services

In the News

September 11, 2009
Record Companies Sue 'Ellen' Show Over Copyrights
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Some of the world's largest recording companies are suing ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show,'' claiming producers violated their copyrights by playing more than 1,000 songs without permission.

Many of the songs were played during the ''dance over'' segment of the show, when DeGeneres dances from the stage to the interview area, often through the audience.

According to the suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Nashville, when representatives of the recording companies asked defendants why they hadn't obtained licenses to use the songs, defendants said they didn't ''roll that way.''

''As sophisticated consumers of music, Defendants knew full well that, regardless of the way they rolled, under the Copyright Act, and under state law for the pre-1972 recordings, they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully,'' the suit states.

Scott Rowe, spokesman for the show's Telepictures Productions, wrote in an e-mailed statement that the company has been working with the record labels for months to resolve the issue and remains willing to resolve it on ''amicable and reasonable terms.''

Rowe said the issue does not involve DeGeneres, who on Wednesday was named as the fourth judge on TV's ''American Idol,'' and whom Rowe calls ''a tremendous music enthusiast and advocate.''

The suit claims the daytime talk show has used copyrighted music without permission since its inception, including ''recordings by virtually every major current artist of popular music.'' It claims the show routinely used some of the most popular songs of the day, which the record labels don't license for daytime television at any price.

Other songs cited in the lawsuit include Michael Jackson's ''Thriller''; The Beach Boys' ''Good Vibrations'' and Will Smith's ''Gettin' Jiggy Wit It.''

The suit calls the segment and the music played by the show's own disc jockey ''signature elements of the show.''

Plaintiffs include Arista Music, Atlantic Recording Corp., Capitol Records, Motown Record Company, Sony Music Entertainment, Virgin Records America and Warner Bros. Records.

The suit does not specify the dollar amount it seeks in damages.

---

Now, when L is home during the weekdays, she definitely tunes into the Ellen Show-- appreciating the talk that doesn't center around marriage and babies, like other daytime women-hosted shows...and really wants to compete in the Sumove It, Move It competition!!!

Team Ellen!

In the News

As you know, tons of rumors have been circulating now that the Sex & the City sequel has begun filming in Manhattan. (L needs Ike to take her there - STAT!)

What we're liking:

• A new (unofficial) website, which also debugged the Miley Cyrus rumor. Phew. (Not to be confused with the official website of the first movie...yea, go ahead turn those speakers up!)
• All the teaser photos of the hot styles SJP and crew are sporting.
• The "Look for Less" options already popping up here and here.
• Mr. Big's office will be filmed at Hogan & Hartson LLP (even though Big is not a lawyer).
• Rumor of a possible cameo by Vicrtoria Beckham.

What we're disliking:

• Rumors of Big cheating on Carrie. Hasn't he caused enough emotional heartbreak for a lifetime?
• Possible overuse of the ladies sporting Louboutins. Carrie doesn't always need to be faithful to Mr. Blahnik, but walking through the city in sky high Louboutins? Now that is unrealistic, when really, she could have stayed true to Manolo and picked up a pair of his Ligaro hiking heels to make it more realistic!

S&TC II is schedule for release May 28, 2010. (A nice reward after finals!)

In the News

9th Circuit Sides With Paris Hilton in Trademark Fight Over 'That's Hot'
09-01-2009

An appeals court has ruled that Paris Hilton can continue pursuing a lawsuit against Hallmark Cards Inc. over the use of her picture and catch phrase "That's Hot" on a greeting card.

Hilton sued the company in 2007 after it began selling without her permission birthday cards of a cartoon of a waitress serving a plate of food to a patron. A photo of Hilton's face was pasted on the cartoon's body.

Hilton alleges that the card ripped off her appearance as a waitress in an episode of her reality television show "The Simple Life."

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a lower court's ruling allowing the bulk of Hilton's lawsuit, including allegations that Hallmark infringed her trademarked catch phrase.

Hallmark has defended the card as parody, which is normally protected under fair-use law.

We'll have to stay tuned to see if our Tabloid Darling prevails over the Greeting Card tycoon!