Opener
While many employers have focused their attention on the stalled Employee Free Choice Act over the past few years, another more targeted bill has quietly made its way through the California legislature. Senate Bill 104, the “Fair Treatment of Farmworkers Act,” would effectively eliminate secret ballot elections for organizing farmworkers by creating a “card check” […]
It is tough to be an employer in California. Until recently it was even tough for employers to fire employees who were violent or abusive at work if they had a disability that in anyway contributed to the violent behavior. The California Court of Appeal recently recognized that employers have a duty to ensure a […]
On May 17th, the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board (the “Board”) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”) granted an opposition filed by Miguel Torres, S.A. against a trademark application for GRAN SOL and Design for Tequila (as shown below) based on the prior registration of the trademark GRAN VIÑA SOL for wine […]
In a sign of TTB’s efforts to streamline and expedite the COLAs review process, the TTB announced on May 3, 2011 that it will no longer evaluate labels for purposes of ensuring that the labels conform to legibility and type size requirements (including characters per inch and contrasting background) contained in the code. TTB will […]
The IRS has not changed the mileage reimbursement rate this year despite the rising cost of gasoline. The current rate of .51 cents per mile went into effect January 28, 2011. The last time gasoline prices were as high as they are today was Spring 2008. At that time, in recognition of the high cost, […]
Vintners and growers from the far western coastal areas of the Sonoma Coast AVA have recently launched a marketing program to promote the “WestSonomaCoast” area. The group has determined, at least for now, that the politics and bureaucracy surrounding the AVA formation process do not best serve the group’s goal of distinguishing the far west […]