By Patrick Emerson Oregon Economics Blog You think there is controversy in Portland about bike lanes? You gotta be kidding – just go to NYC and then you’ll see what controversy is. Start taking away parking in Manhattan and the gloves come off. But it is interesting to witness erudite […]

Costly Employment Bills Rear Their Head SB 35, 611, and 624 Would Prove Costly and Detrimental to Oregon Companies By J.L. Wilson Associated Oregon Industries AOI commented on several employment-related bills during the week that would have the effect of expanding employer taxes, employer liability, and tying up company assets. […]

Is it Madness to Say “March Madness” On the Air? – The Trademark Issue Davis Wright Tremaine LLP Oregon law firm Like “Super Bowl,” “Olympics” and “NASCAR,” “March Madness” is also a term that is protected by trademark law, and its unauthorized use in commercials could result in legal liability. […]

By Tim Duy, Oregon Economic Forum sponsor, KeyBank. The University of Oregon Index of Economic Indicators™ was flat in January at 90.6 (1997=100) after a revised 1.5 percent gain in December. A sharp decline in core manufacturing orders offset otherwise generally positive indicators. Highlights of the report include: • The […]

Supreme Court Upholds “Cat’s Paw” Theory In Employment Discrimination Cases By Ryan Gibson, Stoel Rives World of Employment Oregon law firm Today the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Staub v. Proctor Hospital, upholding the “cat’s paw” theory of employer liability, under which employers are liable for discrimination where lower-level supervisors […]

IRS sitting on $1.1 billion in unclaimed refunds IRS Press Release — Refunds totaling more than $1.1 billion may be waiting for nearly 1.1 million people who did not file a federal income tax return for 2007, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. However, to collect the money, a return […]

Free movie websites offer hidden problems By Oregon Better Business Bureau It might be tempting to download “free” movies and music on computers; but with virus risks and copyright infringements flourishing on the Internet, Better Business Bureau reminds it’s not always safe. “Illegally pirated entertainment puts consumers and their computers […]

Walden votes to kill 1099 tax reporting law Congressman Greg Walden Press Release, WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives today voted overwhelmingly by a 314-112 margin to scrap a widely-panned new tax-reporting burden that more than 175 small business organizations have asked Congress to repeal. Buried deep in section […]

Bill to centralize business registration, help small business owners, has first hearing in Senate Committee Senate Majority Office Press Release, SALEM – Oregon’s Secretary of State Kate Brown and Senate leaders testified in support of Senate Bill 6 during a hearing of the Senate Business, Economic Development, and Transportation Committee […]

$25,000 Fine for Broadcast of Telephone Conversations Without Permission Davis Wright Tremaine LLP Oregon law firm Just two weeks after rejecting a claim that the FCC’s rule against the broadcast of a telephone conversation without permission was unconstitutional, the Commission’s Enforcement Bureau made clear that it would not hesitate to […]