Tuesday, April 21, 2020:  12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

As a business owner, you try to do things that set you apart from the competition. Usually, you do not want the competition to know your important business information, and you don't want them to profit from your creative expressions and original works. In this class, learn how to protect the information and work that gives your business an edge.

Class covers:

• Copyright: what is protected, and how to make sure no one profits from your original works and expressions
• Free for the taking: what you can take from others, what others can take from you
• Clearance required: what you do need permission to use
• Pitching, idea theft, and implied-in-fact-contracts
• Trade secrets: how to obtain, protect, and enforce
• Non-disclosure agreements and non-competition agreements
• Methods for protecting sensitive information

Presented by: Dan M. Forman and John L. Geiger with the support of Bixel Exchange:

Dan M. Forman is the managing partner at the Los Angeles office of employment law firm Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP. His knowledge expands beyond traditional employment law to the expanding field of trade secret litigation where he has successfully prosecuted and defended complicated cases.

Forman's vast litigation experience, including bench and jury trials, also allows him to adeptly utilize alternative dispute resolution techniques to achieve efficient and expedited results in cases with high financial exposure. His experience extends throughout state and federal courts, as well as alternative dispute resolution venues. Forman represents clients before a wide range of regulatory agencies, including California's Labor Commissioner, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Employment Development Department, Equal Employment Opportunity and similar agencies.

In addition to achieving favorable results in litigation, Forman advises California clients on the full gamut of employment topics in an effort to avoid claims. Forman counsels service providers, high tech companies, insurance agencies, security businesses, manufacturers, financial institutions, health and medical industry clients. He drafts wage and hour policies, employment and severance agreements, covenants-not-to-compete and trade secret confidentiality agreements, and advises on collective bargaining and WARN Act compliance.

To help employers and business executives stay ahead of emerging legal issues, such as social media, employee retention and non-compete and confidentiality agreements, Forman frequently provides employers and clients updates by his participation in various industry webinars and presentations.

John L. Geiger is the General Manager of Standards & Practices for Los Angeles County's Internal Services Department, where he advises on complex information technology, telecommunications, and intellectual property procurements and projects. With over thirty years of legal experience, Mr. Geiger is a former Principal Deputy County Counsel, and is admitted to practice law before all Courts of the State of California, as well as the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States Supreme Court. In 2001, he was Board certified as an appellate specialist by the California Board of Legal Specialization.

Prior to joining the public sector, Mr. Geiger was an entertainment attorney in Century City, representing entertainment celebrities, including feature film talent (producers, writers, and directors) and headline music artists. As a writer and screenwriter, Mr. Geiger is a member of the Authors Guild and the Writers Guild of America/West (Independent Film Caucus). He is co-author of the book Creativity & Copyright, to be published by the University of California Press in 2019.

Mr. Geiger is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (Bachelor of Arts - English), the University of California, Los Angeles (Master of Fine Arts - Film), and the University of Southern California (Juris Doctor).

Registration fees: FREE - sponsored by the Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library through the generous support of Pacific Western Bank.
Classes fill up fast, register today to reserve your seat! All registrants must check-in 10 minutes prior to class time to ensure your seat is not reassigned to waiting-list and walk-in attendees when classes are full.

Photography / Videography:
If you register for this class, you may be photographed or recorded. By registering for this class you are giving the LA Law Library your consent to photograph, videotape, record and broadcast your picture, likeness, voice and statements.  

No legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The Law Library is pleased to offer our patrons the opportunity to obtain assistance from third party legal service providers at this and other events within the Library. However, the Library does not control and is not responsible for the content or scope of any assistance given by those providers.