In this issue - #108 February 29, 2008

EBay has reached a settlement with MercExchange that gives the online auction company the rights to the "Buy It Now" patent that sparked a precedent-setting Supreme Court case, spurred a call for patent reform, and shifted the leverage in patent battles.

Amendments Relating to the Threshold for Eligible Residential Property

A recent BDO Dunwoody CEO/Business Leader poll, conducted by COMPAS Inc., indicates business leaders are suddenly intrigued by the possibilities presented by older workers. 

In Wilson, Kansas, the police chief was fired after being convicted of stealing beer from the local fire department’s refrigerator. 

Who says that relying on crime for a living doesn’t pay? 

Canada’s Parliament passed Bill C-40 through first reading recently. 

In a recent edition of his weekly column, “Legal Ease”, which appears nationally in a variety of print and electronic media, Robert Smithson addressed the extent to which employment agencies can be held liable for failure to perform the properly perform recruiting services.

The B.C. government is looking at its own version of an Ontario law that allows for the seizure and sale of vehicles owned by people convicted of impaired driving.

The Supreme Court of Canada on February 22, 2008 handed down a decision in which it determined that drivers who fall asleep behind the wheel or commit “momentary acts of negligence” should not be held criminally responsible for their mistakes even if there are devastating consequences.

For the first time in history, more than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report tracking the surge in inmate population and urging states to rein in corrections costs with alternative sentencing programs.

For years, B.C.'s Hells Angels have denied they're a criminal organization, arguing that while some of their members may have been convicted of criminal offences, that doesn't mean the entire club is a criminal gang.

Sleep Apnea Doubles Car Crash Risk

Finding that a 1993 Ford Explorer's defective rear suspension caused a rollover in which the driver was ejected and sustained permanent brain injuries, a Texas state court jury has awarded him $6.5 million.