"Help! I'm in East Texas and I can't get out."  First-timers in the Eastern District of Texas may find themselves frantically muttering these very words.  Some might even experience one or two of the five stages of grief: denial (venue motion); anger (mandamus); bargaining (are pre-suit license rates still available?); depression (is trial really in 18 months?); and finally acceptance.  Your case is in the Eastern District of Texas to stay.

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An enforcement call from the copyright clearance Center ("CCC") can be quite a surprise. The CCC represents many large copyright owners and its call should be taken seriously. The call may gently start out asking what your company does to prevent employees from making copies of protected works, such as their circulating electronic copies of company subscriptions or articles by interoffice or electronic mail to colleagues or customers.

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In the summer edition of the IP Litigation Insider, I prepared a list of the Top Ten Driving Songs of East Texas – songs that were either by an artist from East Texas, recorded in East Texas or somehow connected to East Texas, and that were appropriate to have on your play list as you drive the roads from courthouse to courthouse in this part of the country.  The feedback I received was immediate, plentiful and much appreciated.

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