Mintz On Air

In this episode of the EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS: Intellectual Property podcast, Mintz Intellectual Property attorneys Andrew Skale and Daniel Weinger explore copyright protections for music and other creative works. This episode was triggered by Dan’s interest in music copyrights generally and by recent high-profile cases filed by Marvin Gaye’s estate. Dan asks Andrew what musicians, artists, and authors should be aware of when it comes to copyright protection and how to prevent problems from arising in the future.

Andrew provides an overview of these issues and digs into other copyright topics, including:

• The multipart requirements to prove ownership and infringement of a copyright
• Some famous copyright cases involving music, and what we can learn from them
• If the reputations of people like George Harrison, Ed Sheeran, and Robin Thicke are damaged by the filing (or subsequent loss) of lawsuits accusing them of infringement
• The difference between being inspired by a musician or song, and copying the inspiring work
• The necessity of a written agreement to transfer ownership of copyrights on a creative work you commission for your business (logo, photo for website, jingle, etc.)
• Why it matters that one can never “unsee” Smaug the dragon from the film The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

In this episode of the EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS: Intellectual Property podcast, patent attorney Lily Zhang talks with trademark attorney Karen Won about the age-old choice between adopting descriptive brands or distinctive brands for businesses and products. As Karen tells us, trademark law is more art than science. Why is it that “bagel thins” can eventually become a trademark, but "pretzel crisps” can never be a trademark? Great question! The answer lies in trademark law's five categories into which all brand names can be sorted, each of which comes with different levels of legal protection and enforceability:

• Fanciful: Very broad, strong rights – completely invented
• Arbitrary: Broad, strong rights – an existing word that has no relation to the use
• Suggestive: Usually broad, strong rights – alludes to something about the product you are offering without spelling it out, but the boundary line with a descriptive mark is tricky
• Descriptive: No initial protection – immediately conveys information about your product, business, or both
• Generic: No protection ever

Listen to learn more about what these categories mean for you and best practice tips for naming your next product or business.

In this episode of the Health Law Diagnosed podcast, Mintz’s Susan Berson discusses her career trajectory, the benefits of building a diverse and inclusive workplace, why women may be drawn to health law, and the importance of mentorship and sponsorship.

Please join your favorite SPAC corporate attorneys, Tom Burton, Sahir Surmeli, and Jeff Schultz as they set the record straight on SPACs’ apparent boom and bust, heavily reported on in the media. In this episode, they will address the few reasons why SPAC transactions have slowed down, including the SEC’s heightened scrutiny, the question over company valuations, and recent market shifts. They will also explore the advantages now present in this new SPAC era.

The Mintz team has handled numerous multibillion-dollar SPAC transactions in recent months, including for XL Fleet and Butterfly Network, as well as the recently announced deals involving Quantum-SI, DeepGreen Metals, and Vicarious Surgical. Mintz’s SPAC practice draws from decades of experience guiding clients in a broad spectrum of industries through the intricacies of SPAC financings. The firm handled the first New York Stock Exchange SPAC transaction and has completed over 35 SPAC transactions, including SPAC IPOs and de-SPAC mergers.

This past year has been a busy one for the FDA, but it hasn’t all been about the pandemic. FDA attorneys Joanne Hawana and Benjamin Zegarelli discuss the agency's ongoing efforts to protect the public from unproven COVID-19 cures while also pushing forward with its most important regulatory priorities, such as digital health, cannabis-derived compounds, and laboratory-developed tests and other diagnostic products.

It seems that everyone is taking a second look at SPACs as the number of lawsuits against these alternative IPOs continues to increase by the day. The SEC has recently commented on the liability risks of SPACs under the securities laws following the agency’s heightened scrutiny of these blank-check companies. What exactly is happening, and how can SPAC actors mitigate the ever-increasing risk of litigation?

This latest episode of SPAC Chat features your two favorite corporate attorneys in the forefront of SPACs, Jeff Schultz and Sahir Surmeli, along with two of Mintz’s leading litigators, Doug Baumstein and Sean Prosser, as they discuss this latest SPAC trend.

The Mintz team has handled numerous multibillion-dollar SPAC transactions in recent months, including for XL Fleet and Butterfly Network, as well as the recently announced deals involving Quantum-SI, DeepGreen Metals, and Vicarious Surgical. Mintz’s SPAC practice draws from decades of experience guiding clients in a broad spectrum of industries through the intricacies of SPAC financings. The firm handled the first New York Stock Exchange SPAC transaction and has completed over 35 SPAC transactions, including SPAC IPOs and de-SPAC mergers.

The ability to provide health care from a remote location has been around for many years, but with the arrival of COVID-19, hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers have had to rapidly rethink their traditional models of health care delivery. This episode explores the many changes to the telehealth regulatory landscape necessitated by the pandemic, including expansions in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, the deregulation of certain HIPAA privacy and security rules, the loosening of state licensure requirements, and whether other barriers to telehealth will continue to fall in the months and years to come.

There is no denying the surge in special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and that these financing vehicles have had a significant impact on financial markets. Join your favorite SPAC attorneys as they discuss the key trends highlighted in Mintz’s comprehensive new SPAC report produced in collaboration with PitchBook, Breaking Down the SPAC Surge: A Review of Key Trends & Issues Defining the Phenomenon.
 
Topics covered will include:
- The steady rise of capital
- Redefining company valuations
- The strength of the PIPE market
- Ever-evolving risks

Tom Burton, Jeff Schultz, Sahir Surmeli, and the Mintz team have handled some of the hottest multibillion-dollar SPAC transactions in recent months, including for XL Fleet, Butterfly Network, and Canaccord Genuity’s Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp. Mintz’s SPAC practice draws from decades of experience guiding clients in a broad spectrum of industries through the intricacies of SPAC financings. The firm handled the first New York Stock Exchange SPAC transaction and has completed over 35 SPAC transactions, including SPAC IPOs and de-SPAC mergers.