Hispanic National Bar Association Appoints William G. Pagán as Deputy Regional President

The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) has appointed William G. Pagán to the role of Deputy Regional President for Region VI covering North Carolina and South Carolina. Founded in 1972, the HNBA is a non-profit, nonpartisan, national organization representing Hispanics in the legal profession throughout the United States and its territories.  Its core missions include

C&B Welcomes Attorney Deirdre Beasley

Coats & Bennett is proud to welcome its newest Associate Attorney, Deirdre Beasley.  Deirdre brings nearly a decade of experience as a former Primary Patent Examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office to the firm.  A graduate of Bowie State University’s Computer Science program, Magna Cum Laude, she further deepens Coats & Bennett’s

Verdict Reached in Depp v. Heard Defamation Trial

Jurors have reached a much-anticipated verdict in the Depp v. Heard defamation trial.  In case you haven’t already heard, Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for defamation, asking a jury for $50 million in damages.  Ms. Heard countersued for defamation, asking the same jury for $100 million in damages.  After deliberating for about 13 hours over

Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” Doesn’t Infringe on Unoriginal Aspects of Christian Rap “Joyful Noise”

In a previous post, we emphasized that copyright protections do not extend to elements of a work that are unoriginal.  A recent precedential decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reinforces these principles, emphasizing the need to consider to what extent a work is genuinely an original work of authorship. If you haven’t been following along,