Germany Seen as A Future Focal Point of American Investment in Europe : American Chamber of Commerce Business Barometer via German Missions in the U.S.

German Missions in the United States writes that a recent survey by the American Chamber of Commerce Business Barometer revealed that 80% of the companies surveyed viewed Germany as a future focal point for their European investments.

Read the whole article.

USPTO and UK-IPO : Transatlantic Cooperation on Patent Processing

Transatlantic cooperation on patent processing by Harry Small, Helen Kemmitt and Tabeebah Malik at Baker & McKenzie -- via Lexology.

Patentable? Software and Business Methods

Via Lexology an article by Paul Horbal of Bereskin & Parr LLP at Patentable? The issue of software and business methods.

Draft Online Privacy Bill Unveiled by Boucher (Democrat-Virginia) and Stearns (Republican-Florida) in the U.S. Congress

At Lexology, Patrick S. Campbell from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in the posting Draft online privacy bill would tighten disclosure requirements, expand FTC authority alerts us to fact that House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Ranking subcommittee member Cliff Stearns (R-FL) have "unveiled draft online privacy legislation on Tuesday that would require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to implement and enforce rules that would ensure the “security, integrity and confidentiality” of information collected online."

Read the full posting here.

Social Media – The Legal Industry Is Catching On | Karasma Media Legal Marketing Blog by Kara Smith

Social Media – The Legal Industry Is Catching On | Karasma Media Legal Marketing Blog by Kara Smith

Will Retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens write the Upcoming Supreme Court Opinion in Bilski?

At the Patently-O Patent Law Blog in the posting Bilski Predictions: Justice Stevens there is reference to the blog Concurring Opinions in Where is Bilski? by Prof Gerard Magliocca and particularly a response thereto by Prof Joe Miller which suggests that retiring Justice John Paul Stevens will write the soon upcoming Bilski opinion.

We agree that this is a very likely possibility and that Stevens will finish his 35 years on the Court with a flourish in writing the majority opinion in this already famous case, accentuating the principles that he -- in our opinion -- correctly formulated in his dissent in Diamond v. Diehr, 450 U.S. 175 (1981), a case which came to the wrong conclusion in a muddled majority opinion written by Chief Justice Rehnquist, who was unable to distinguish known industrial processes and known formulas from the mere application of modern computer technology to their implementation.

Corporate Directors and General Counsel Rank Top 20 Law Firms in the U.S.A.| e.g. A Firm Like Paul Weiss is in Demand by Corporations in the Financial Crisis

The 10th annual rankings of America's Best Corporate Law Firms as conducted by Corporate Board Member magazine and FTI Consulting Inc. via corporate directors and general counsel is found at Boardmember.com in Annual Legal Study Ranks Top 20 Law Firms in the U.S

We are gratified to see that the law firm Paul Weiss et al., of which the LawPundit is an alumnus, made both lists after reporting the most profitable year in the history of the firm in 2009, which should surprise no one. When the going gets tough, people seek out the best lawyers out there.

As written by Vivia Chen at The American Lawyer:

"... Paul Weiss represented -- and continues to represent -- several of the largest financial institutions now under siege, including Citigroup, Bank of America and JPMorgan/Bear Stearns. "We are fortunate to have been tapped by a number of the most significant financial institutions in the world to handle their most challenging representations as they navigate the financial crisis," Karp [the firm chair] says.

The firm is defending Citigroup in subprime and credit-related litigation and representing Citi in lawsuits related to its involvement in the Enron and Parmalat fraud cases. Moreover, Paul Weiss is defending Bank of America in litigation arising from its much-criticized merger with Merrill Lynch. The firm also serves as lead counsel to JPMorgan/Bear Stearns in lawsuits stemming from the collapse of Bear Stearns in 2008."

See also our posting at Another Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Summer Associate to the Supreme Court? Obama Nominates Elena Kagan as U.S. Supreme Court Justice.