Author Archives: Library Relations

National Library Outreach Day

While we do not have a bookmobile (although some of you may remember the Discover PLUS bus), PLI librarians strive to regularly connect with PLI customers and to meet you where you are, whether that is at home, at the office, or on the go.

In addition to regularly meeting with customers to provide in-person and online training on the PLI PLUS platform, we…

  • Host monthly webinars to highlight PLI resources in a given practice area while also demonstrating the overall functionality of the research database. Learn more.
  • Create video tutorials and other quick reference guides. Check out the full list of training materials in our Training Center.
  • Post about new and popular PLI publications on Twitter. Follow us at @PLI_Librarian
  • Attend conferences and host events to meet in-person and virtually. Stay tuned for AALL news.

Happy National Library Workers Day!

Today is National Library Workers Day 2022. To mark the occasion, we decided to interview one of PLI’s very own inhouse librarians. Meet Elizabeth Beller, PLI’s Taxonomy Application Manager.

What led you to becoming a librarian?

EB: A few years before I started my studies in Library Science, I had been taking post-graduate classes in Asian art history with the intention of applying for PHD programs. The professor I was studying with wasn’t convinced I was the best candidate for a PHD program, but my Japanese language skills were at the time still quite good, and he suggested I look into Library Science. It took me a few more years to get there but I did enroll in Pratt’s program for Library Science after those conversations. And then this whole new world opened up to me that I hadn’t even been able to envision when I started looking into the MLIS and the field of librarianship. For instance, I entered then program with the goal of becoming an Asian language librarian in an academic setting and here I am working with Taxonomies for a CLE provider and legal publisher.

What is one thing about being a librarian you wish more people knew?

EB: It’s so much more than books! Librarians today fill this very interesting space between a glut of information and people seeking that information. This role can happen in so many ways: we can be reference librarians; we can work with information architecture or user experience; or we can work with taxonomies!

What is taxonomy and why is it important?

EB: Taxonomies are structured (hierarchical) lists of an area of human knowledge or experience. Their organizational structure makes them incredibly well suited to digital information. So instead of a card catalog, today we can “tag” or “index” content with taxonomic terms and then create organization through this tagging. Every time you shop online and use filters to hone down to the specific type of shoe or shirt or pants you want – you’re using taxonomy!

What is your favorite part about your job?

EB: Aside from the people – because the people at PLI are one of it’s most incredible assets! I like that at PLI I am able to role up my sleeves and really dive into some complex and exciting projects. I’ve been working with PLI’s taxonomy since 2016 and I’ve gotten to see the project evolve and grow from just us tagging content to the tags now being displayed and used across multiple public-facing PLI websites.  We’re big and ambitious enough that we take on large projects but small enough that I get to be involved in many steps and areas of these projects.

What are you currently reading?

EB: Right now I’m reading Caliban’s War by James. S. A. Corey – the second book in the series the tv show The Expanse was based on. I had a baby on Thanksgiving and I need to ease myself back into serious reading. I do love Sci-fi though. My stack of books to be read is pretty big and varied…The Mirror and the Light by Hillary Mantel, The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doer…

Immigration Law Resources Webinar – This Thursday!

On Thursday, March 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET, PLI’s Associate Legal Editor Jenna Fiore will provide a brief demo to highlight the Immigration Law resources available on the research database PLI PLUS. Jenna will cover popular Immigration Law titles and review research scenarios to demonstrate key features of PLI PLUS.

POPULAR IMMIGRATION LAW TITLES AVAILABLE ON PLI PLUS INCLUDE:

This demo is part of PLI’s ongoing webinar series. Each month we highlight PLI’s resources in a different practice area while also demonstrating the overall functionality of the research database.  For registration and a list of upcoming webinars, visit PLI Practice Area Webinars.

Treatise Update – How to Write a Patent Application (Third Edition)

The third edition of How to Write a Patent Applicationwalks you step-by-step through the entire process of preparing patent applications.  Completely up-to-date, it is stocked with sample drafting language, documents, drawings, and checklists.  In addition to providing practical suggestions and commentary, the book analyzes the latest USPTO initiatives and key decisions of the federal courts.

New or updated topics addressed in this release include:

  • Assignments: For a discussion of (1) the extent to which an employer can rely on an assignment clause to assert an ownership interest in a patent that was obtained after employment and (2) how to make an assignment effective for the doctrine of assignor estoppel, see section 2:3.3.
  • Translations: For an example of the indefiniteness issues that translation into English can create and ways to avoid a finding of invalidity due to mistranslation, see sections 2:8 and 8:6.4.
  • Abstract ideas: New examples of inventions that the Federal Circuit held were abstract ideas have been added to section 7:4.1[B]. A recommendation for drafting specifications and claims for inventions using blockchain technology to avoid abstractness is included in section 7:4.6.
  • Enablement: To see how the use of functional language can make satisfaction of the enablement test more difficult, especially for biotech inventions, see sections 8:3.5[A] and 9:3.2[A]. What’s more, the need to clearly distinguish between prophetic examples that describe predicted experimental results and working examples is explained in section 9:3.2.
  • Appendix B (selected regulations), the Table of Authorities, and the Index have also been updated.

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

Treatise Update – International Tax & Estate Planning: A Practical Guide for Multinational Investors (Third Edition)

In International Tax & Estate Planning: A Practical Guide for Multinational Investors (Third Edition), one of the nation’s leading multinational investment authorities presents a clear and practical approach to managing and disposing of private wealth.  Featuring detailed planning checklists and formulas for calculating taxes and tax credits, the treatise is an indispensable resource for lawyers, private bankers (both investment and commercial), corporate personnel of multinational corporations, accountants, and investment advisers.

The twenty-fourth release of the book provides updated practical information that enables multinational investors (and those who advise them) to protect investments, minimize taxation, maintain confidentiality, and assure proper disposition of assets upon an investor’s death.

Specifically, the latest iteration of the book includes:

  • A revised Chapter 1, Conflict of Laws, which explores topics including the definition of domicile in various states and countries, and revisions to, and ratification of, the Convention on the Conflicts of Laws Relating to the Form of Testamentary Dispositions.

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

New Title! Cyber Insurance Claims, Case Law, and Risk Management

PLI Press is proud to announce the publication of the new treatise Cyber Insurance Claims, Case Law, and Risk Management.

This treatise provides comprehensive analysis of the ever-changing and escalating cyber claim landscape as it relates to insurance coverage and overall risk management. It features in-depth case and insurance policy analysis and discussion of loss mitigation steps, along with chapter summaries that can serve as quick reference checklists for practitioners. A valuable resource for law firms, breach response counsel and any risk management professional, this book guides readers by:

  • Providing tools for assessing cyber risk profiles and liability exposures, understanding insurance coverage and recognizing frequent pressure points in the scope of such insurance coverage
  • Improving loss prevention and loss mitigation efforts to reduce cyber exposures and the threat of legal action against senior management
  • Providing a reference guide to key insurance policy insuring agreements and protections
  • Identifying problematic issues encountered by others in pursuing coverage
  • Providing analysis of legal arguments and outcomes regarding claims for coverage
  • Identifying issues likely to be encountered when addressing cyber losses and pursuing insurance recovery

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

Treatise Update – Derivatives Deskbook: Close-Out Netting, Risk Mitigation, Litigation (Second Edition)

Derivatives Deskbook: Close-Out Netting, Risk Mitigation, Litigation is a comprehensive resource for all users of swap agreements and derivatives, from financial institutions to corporate end-users. The treatise defines the key terminology and identifies the major players, discusses the full range of required documentation, highlights best practices for the legal risk management of derivatives, and includes numerous practice-tested legal forms. Most importantly, it examines all significant, and often difficult-to-find, derivative transactions litigation cases from leading jurisdictions worldwide.

Highlights of this new release include:

  • Expanded section 1:1 explains the repercussions of the Texas energy crisis that occurred in February 2021, particularly with regard to how it relates to corporate end-users of derivative transactions.
  • Revised section 6:6.1 explores how additional termination events that are tied to the financial health of a counterparty could be specified conditions similar to having events of default as specified conditions.
  • Completely revised Chapter 9 examines the Dodd-Frank Act, EMIR, and MiFid II, and their implications on the OTC derivatives market in light of the 2020 revisions to Commodities Futures Trading Commission regulations.

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

Treatise Update – Electronic Discovery Deskbook (Third Edition)

Electronic Discovery Deskbook guides attorneys through the legal, procedural, and technical challenges of e-discovery while reducing its costs and risks. The Deskbook aids in developing cost-effective, legally defensible information and litigation management policies and procedures for the identification, preservation, collection, preparation, and production of discoverable, electronically-stored information (ESI).  It offers a bounty of useful tips and alerts readers to vital trends, focusing on new technologies, new compliance demands, and new legal vulnerabilities for counsel.

Updated chapters reflect the latest cases, legislation, guidance, and commentary pertaining to electronic discovery. Highlights of the new release include:

  • Mobile and wearable technologies: The new §13:2.4 discusses litigation on the issue of whether, for purposes of ESI, an organization has “control” over devices used by its employees.  It provides guidance on how employers may avoid or limit the need to collect data from such devices, regardless of whether they are provided by the employer or the employee.
  • International Laws: Chapter 14 International Issues includes the most recent developments outside of the United States pertaining to electronic discovery.

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

Treatise Update – Deskbook on Internal Investigations, Corporate Compliance, and White Collar Issues (Second Edition)

Deskbook on Internal Investigations, Corporate Compliance, and White Collar Issues is a vital reference for attorneys, executives, compliance officers, securities professionals, and regulators that examines the regulatory and criminal issues that can arise in a corporate setting. It offers guidance on how to build a comprehensive compliance program that can prevent legal missteps, carry out internal investigations to identify and remediate legal problems, protect the rights of employees when they are subject to investigation or prosecution, and cooperate with government investigators in ways that help reduce legal and financial damage if wrongdoing is proved.

All chapters are updated to reflect the most recent trends and specific high-profile DOJ investigations, settlements, and actions. Highlights of the new release include:

  • Filter Teams: A new section discusses the government’s use of “filter teams” to review seized records that may contain attorney-client privileged communications and/or work product. Courts have issued disparate opinions on whether the practice is proper (see § 2:8).
  • DPAs: A new section presents likely changes within the Biden administration regarding the use of DPAs based on activities and statements of President Biden, Attorney General Garland, and several other recent DOJ appointees (see § 9:3.3). Another new section discusses recent congressional activity pertaining to DPAs, specifically the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 (see § 9:3.4).
  • Antitrust Investigations: New subsections discuss additional current ongoing Antitrust Division investigations: collusion in the broiler chicken industry as part of the Division’s larger interest in how conspiracy affects household staples (see § 12:4.3[B]); matters, both domestic and international, pursued by the DOJ’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force (see § 12:4.3[C]); and labor market prosecutions involving agreements among employers that constrain the terms of hiring or employment in violation of the Sherman Act (see § 12:4.3[D]).

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.

Treatise Update – Kane on Trademark Law: A Practitioner’s Guide (Seventh Edition)

Kane on Trademark Law is a comprehensive resource on trademark law and tactics that provides court-tested practical suggestions on how to quickly spot potential conflicts and save time on searches, overcome common descriptiveness rejections, update or amend registrations, and prepare witnesses for depositions. It includes illustrative lists of cases, full-color illustrations of previously litigated marks, sample forms, and step-by-step checklists. The treatise is updated regularly to provide in-depth analysis of the most recent developments in the field.

The new release provides expert analysis and practical insights regarding a wide range of trademark issues. Topics of interest include:

  • Trademark selection: Highlights comprise cases from the Second Circuit and the TTAB on color protection (see Sulzer Mixpac AG v. A&N Trading Co. in § 2:10.2[B] and In re Medline Industries, Inc. in § 2:10.4 and App. B, Illustration 67).
  • Trademark registration: Revisions include an update to the Booking.com case regarding the expenses that an appealing party in an ex parte appeal must pay when appealing to the district court (see § 6:6.1[B]) and a precedential case from the TTAB on the registrability of a mark that includes a depiction of the U.S. flag (In re Alabama Tourism Department) (see § 6:5.2).
  • Trademark use and priority: For an update on the PRETZEL CRISPS dispute and a decision from the district court on issues of genericness and consumer confusion, see § 5:3.3.
  • Initial interest confusion: Consult § 8:1.1[A] for The Eighth Circuit’s blessing of the initial interest confusion doctrine in Select Comfort.
  • Infringement: See § 8:3.4 for an update to a Second Circuit case on landlord liability for a tenant’s counterfeiting (Omega SA v. 375 Canal, LLC).
  • Defenses to infringement: There is a new section on upcycling and repairs with citations to the Nike Satan shoes case and the Hamilton watch case (see § 12:1.5 and App. B, Illustration 68).
  • Costs: For a discussion about the significant costs of losing on appeal, see § 18:7.
  • Fraud: Go to §§12:2.6[G] and 19:2.2[B] for the TTAB’s ruling in a precedential decision about whether conduct amounting to reckless disregard constitutes fraud on the PTO as a matter of law.

Order a print copy today.

PLI PLUS subscribers can access this title through their subscription.