JDJournal http://www.jdjournal.com/2012/07/07/copyright-royalty-board-structure-declared-to-be-unconstitutional/ On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that the three-judge board of the Copyright Board violates the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. The Appointments Clause requires all officers who hold ‘significant authority’ to be appointed by the President with confirmation of the Senate. However, the court...Read More

by Tabitha S. Fish, Esq., Associate, Saxon, Gilmore, Carraway & Gibbons, P.A. FAHROgram Article July-August 2012 In July 2010, the Florida Legislature enacted three new statutes that have recently pitted Florida public housing authorities (PHAs) against homeowners’ associations, condominium associations and cooperative associations. The statutes can be found at § 718.116(11), 719.108(10) and 720.3085(8), Florida...Read More

The Federal Government is starting the process of developing a new Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement. The government is asking for public input in shaping the Administration’s intellectual property enforcement strategy. OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET Development of the Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement; Request of the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement...Read More

By Jamie Goldberg, Washington Bureau http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/06/nation/la-na-housing-caps-20120606 WASHINGTON — The Department of Housing and Urban Development is instituting a permanent salary cap of $155,000 for top officials at public housing authorities, following reports of oversized compensation packages that included roughly $600,000 for the top official at the Atlanta Housing Authority. Atlanta Housing Authority President and Chief...Read More

By Jim Kuhnhenn, Washington http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-06/D9V6VV8O0.htm The Obama administration is clamping down on excessive pay at public housing authorities, setting caps that extend and expand limits imposed by Congress. The action comes as the administration revealed that the top official at the Atlanta housing agency received a compensation package of $644,214, the highest in the country....Read More

Posted byLexisNexis® Mealey’s™ Legal News http://www.lexisnexis.com/community/litigationresourcecenter/blogs/litigationblog/archive/2012/04/16/supreme-court-grants-certiorari-in-first-sale-copyright-dispute.aspx WASHINGTON, D.C. – (Mealey’s) The U.S. Supreme Court agreed yesterday to again address the question of whether a foreign-made work can be resold within the United States without the permission of a copyright holder (Supap Kirtsaeng, d/b/a BlueChristine99 v. John Wiley & Sons Inc., No. 11-697, U.S. Sup.; See...Read More

A proposal that would have cut property taxes and authorized the Legislature to increase homestead exemptions in the future, was refused by the Florida House of Representatives, because it would shift the tax burden to non-homestead properties. Supporters of the bill stated it should be passed as a step to eventually eliminating property taxes and...Read More

by Tabitha S. Fish, Esq., Associate, Saxon, Gilmore, Carraway & Gibbons, P.A. Parties engaged in mediation in Florida should be aware of a recent and important change to the landscape of Florida mediation. The Florida Supreme Court has recently modified the rules pertaining to mediation representatives, clarifying the requirements for party representatives attending mediation. Effective...Read More

by Tabitha S. Fish, Esq., Associate, Saxon, Gilmore, Carraway & Gibbons, P.A. Parties engaged in residential foreclosures in Florida should see a drastic reduction in the frequency of these cases going through mediation. The Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program, in effect since June 2010, was terminated on December 19, 2011. Prior to December 19, 2011,...Read More

by Tabitha S. Fish, Esq., Associate, Saxon, Gilmore, Carraway & Gibbons, P.A. Published in FAHROgram November/December 2011 Once a tenant breaches his or her lease, understanding when and how payment of rental amounts should be made can make or break a landlord’s eviction case. Pursuant to Florida Statutes §83.56(5), “If a landlord accepts rent with...Read More