Nasir and Matt discuss the pregnancydiscrimination case against AutoZone that resulted in a $185 million verdict. They also answer, “Can I protect our trade secrets in a confidentiality agreement?”

Nasir and Matt close out the week by talking about the Starbucks’ promotion that resulted in untendedbuy one get one free offers. The guys then answer, “Can I have one of my employees also be a contractor for special events?” Here is the image of the coupon and the tweet exchange with Starbucks from@daveraleigh.

The guys discuss the recent data breach at the US Postal Service that led to confidential employee information being compromised. They also answer the question, “What do I need to do to my guest room to make it a writeoff for my business?”

Nasir and Matt start the week by discussing Ohio State University suing a t-shirt company for trademark infringement and unfair competition after t-shirts were sold with school names, logos, and slogans. They then answer, “Many years ago we bought up a bunch of trademarks for potential names for new product lines. Someone approached us to…

The guys end the week by discussing a recent lawsuit in New York involving restaurants being sued by the music industry for playing music. They answer the question, “One of our former employees filed a frivulous lawsuit against us. Our attorney is reluctant tocountersue for malicious prosecution soshould I just forget about it?”

The guys talk about the email Nasir received about AmmoToGo.com informing customers of a security breach. They then answer the question, “Every quarter we have to take care of some corporate stuff and many of my employees are required to work on the weekend. Some of the employees have voiced complaints but can I legally…

Nasir and Matt talk about the COO who left Lyft for Uber and is now being accused of breaching confidentiality agreements and soliciting employees. They then answer, “What is some good advice to avoid copyright infringement issues?”

The guys end the week by talking about Chevrolet awarding the World Series MVP a possibly defective truck. Nasir and Matt also answer a pizza related question about Yelp!

The guys talk about the nationwide ban of Google Glass in movie theaters. The later answer the question, “Some of my employees travel to our different offices during the week. Normally this wouldn’t be a big issue but some of our offices are in different states. What should I be concerned with?”

Nasir and Matt start the week by discussing Lindsay Lohanstealing an app from a previous business venture. They then answer, “Should I take any Ebola precautions with my employees?”

The guys end the week by talking about short-term leases for Halloween costume shops. They then answer the question, “We are planning a Halloween costume contest but I was concerned about liability. Is there anything I should prohibit or any rules I should put into place?”

Nasir and Matt talk about Facebook’s lawsuit against DLA Piper and other law firms accused of furthering a fraudulent lawsuit. The guys also answer, “Can I ban e-cigarettes in the workplace?”

Nasir and Matt discuss the legal fallout froma company scamming consumers with work from home opportunities. They then answer, “We sent some of our employees to a conference and one of them lost their laptop. Are we responsible for buying them a new one?”

Nasir and Matt close out the week by discussing the validity of the noncompete agreements Jimmy John’s has employees sign. They then answer the question, “I own a bunch of restaurants and we are considering expansion. Is there anything from a legal standpoint that I should be considering that’s different from what I have now?”…

The guys discuss thetrademark dispute between a CrossFit gym and Nike over the Jordan Jumpman logo. They then answer, “Can I prevent my employees from showing tattoos during work?” What do you think, did this CrossFit gym infringe on Nike?

Nasir and Matt talk about the possibility of a law being changed to make franchisors liable for unfair labor practices. They also answer, “I am the sole managing member of a Delaware based LLC. Recently, I was engaged by a company to do consulting work. They requested that I fill out a Federal Form W-9….

Nasir and Matt end the week by discussing the accountant who got fired from his job after a dispute he had with Comcast. They then answer the question, “We just brought on our first set of employees. How should we structure their pay to make them happy now and not have it backfire long-term?”

Anita Ron, President of BriteWorks, joins the show to talk about how her companyhas been affected by being a certified women-owned business and the the increase in minimum wage. She also provides her input on the question, “I allow my employees to BYOD for their jobs. What should be my biggest concerns, or should I…

The guys kick off the week by discussingthe new requirement for California businesses to provide identity theft solution services after data breaches. They then answer the question, “We developed some IP for clients and could not decide on who owns the IP. As a result, we decided to jointly own it. Should I be worried…

The guys end the week talking about why the valet mode in Corvettes may be illegal in some states. I want to make a short web series that is similar to a popular TV show. How much should I be worried about copyright infringement?”

Nasir and Matt welcome Mark Faggiano of TaxJar to discuss how business owners cancomply with the various sales tax rules. They also answer, “I’m looking to incorporate in the next few months. How much should the tax consequences play a factor in my decision making?”

Nasir and Matt kick off the next 100 episodes by discussing the religious discrimination lawsuit involving Abercrombie. They also answer, “The retailer argues in its brief that job applicants should not be allowed “to remain silent and to assume that the employer recognizes the religious motivations behind their fashion decisions.”

Nasir and Matt recordtogether for the first time forthe 100th episode. They give some updates onstories discussed in previous episodes of the podcast, including Arian Foster’s failed IPO, the Ryan Seacrest patent dispute with Blackberry, Johnny Manziel’s trademarks, the outcome from the Airbnb squatter, the settlement from the Oakland Raiders cheerleaders, and the podcast patent…

Nasir and Matt talk about one woman’s revenge against Huffington Post after she realized it used her photo without giving her credit. They also answer the question, “We are trying to negotiate a deal on entering into either a joint venture or some profit sharing partnership for our service and wanted to know if we…

Nasir and Matt talk about the recent court decision that requires insurers to inform consumers of the name of a competitor. They then answer the question, “One of our employees is a backup driver for our food delivery business and we get a discount from our insurance company if our drivers take a defensive driving…

Nasir and Matt kick off the week by discussingApple’s assertion that itcannot crack into user’s devices under the new operating system. They also answer, “Would like to find out if on-call, temporary Registered/Vocational Nurses who are paid “Per Visit” in a home care agency can be classified as “Independent Contractor”? They usually work for other…

Nasir and Matt talk about the legal fallout from the Ray Rice suspension by the NFL and answer “I’d like to know about the legalities and liabilities from a safety standpoint – whose responsibility is it to check that items conform to safety laws, what can be done to ensure that CE Certification, Kitemarks, RF…

Nasir and Matt discuss the recent ruling which allows Yelp to alter reviews based on whether a business purchases advertising. They also answer, “Hi, I am 16 and my partner is 15. We have started our own car brokerage business. When do you think we should actually establish and when we do, what should we…

The guys discuss the beneficial license granted to Fig Newmans from Nabisco and also answer the question, “What things can I do to make my C Corp more attractive to investors?”

Nasir and Matt discuss the IRS looking into taxing free lunches provided by Silicon Valley companies. The two then answer, “I’m a franchisor, can I be held responsible for labor law violations of my franchisees if I don’t know about it?”

The guys discuss the trademark infringement case involving Mickey Mouse and Deadmau5. They also answer, “What should I include in a general release?”

Nasir and Matt kick off the week by talking about the newly introduced legislation that will require California employers to give all employees paid sick leave. They then answer the question, “Can someone claim trademark infringement if my name is similar to theirs but I pronounce it differently?”

Nasir and Matt end the week by discussing the recent study that shows how women may be discriminated against for the possibility of having children. They then answer the question, “Can my work monitor my cell phone usage at work if it’s not a company phone?”

Nasir and Matt talk about what to do when someone outside of your business takes control of your social media. They also answer the question, “Who can sign off on an agreement for a specific type of entity?”

Nasir and Matt discuss the recent case against FedEx that will affect many businesses. They also answer, “I noticed that there is already an (my business name)registered under FBN with the county. From a legal standpoint, are the names too similar for FBN? I was planning on checking name availability with CaliforniaSecretary of State anyways,…

The guys end the week discussing another well known company making critical labor law violations. The two then answer, “We are going through a rebranding process, what should we look for on the legal side?” For a more in depth analysis of today’s question, check out Nasir’s blog post.

Nasir and Matt get into a discussion about the Oakland Raiders cheerleaders labor dispute. They also answer the question, “I want to start a fantasy football league with my employees. Are there any legal issues with this?”

The guys kick off the week by discussing the Red Bull lawsuit over false advertising. They then answer, “My employees are receiving small tips on credit card receipts and we get hit with a processing fee each time. Can we deduct the fee from our employees’ tips?”

Nasir and Matt cap off the week talking about San Diego Comic-Con suing a comic con in Salt Lake City for trademark infringement. They then answer the question, “I want to bring on a new shareholder in my S Corp. The only problem is they are not a US citizen. How can I get around…

Nasir and Matt debate about whether a monkey can own a copyright to a photo and answer, “There has been a lot of chatter with my employees. Can I ban gossip in the office?”

Nasir and Matt kick off the week by talking about Uber’s deceptive tactics against Lyft. They also answer the question, “I recently incorporated in California, but when I tried to file for a DBA, my name was taken. Should I be concerned about this?”

Nasir and Matt close out the week by discussing how restaurants across the US are offering discounts to customers when the bring a gun with them.  They then answer the question, “If I put a project up on Kickstarter and receive funds, do I owe taxes on it?”

The guys talk about the big payout LinkedIn made to its employees for backed pay. They also answer, “I wanted to incorporate as an S Corp but I heard there are restrictions. What rules do I have to follow?”

Nasir and Matt get into the story that may rethink your decision for terminating someone for having a headache (migraine). They also answer the question, “I want to hire an employee from a competitor but I think he may have signed a non-compete. What can I legally do to steal him?“

Nasir and Matt get into the story about a woman being accused of trademark infringement after changing her middle name to “Skywalker.” They also answer the question, “What is the agent for service of process and who can I use for my business?”

The guys talk about UrbanSitter, the company that matches up parents with prospective babysitters in the area. They then answer the question, “Can I get in trouble for having my employees give our competitors negative reviews on review sites?”

Nasir and Matt discuss how the Supreme Court will address the upcoming technology based cases on the docket. They also answer, “What is the difference between a Trademark and Service Mark? Which do I need for my advertising golf cart business?”

Nasir and Matt talk about the New Jersey Highway complaining about infringement of its logo by a pizza shop in Florida.* They then answer, “How long do I have to wait until I can terminate an employee who was on maternity leave?” * Apparently toNew Jerseyans, the logo is alluring.

The guys discuss Fixed, the company that fights parking tickets in San Francisco. They also answer “In our industry a few competitors have very very vague patents. For example one has patented “exit intent” technology that pops up something when a user is about to leave a website. This feature essentially can be replicated in…

Nasir and Matt kick things off by discussing the Airbnb squatter who refuses to leave the condo he rented. They then answer the question, “Can my website be sued for publishing public records?” Update: apparently the Airbnb squatter may haveraised some $40,000 on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter for a video game that never materialized, leaving scores…