The Supreme Court’s decision today confirming same-sex marriages falls well beyond my area of expertise. For that reason, I will readily leave its legal analysis to more capable colleagues. However, as a human, a concerned citizen, an active member of local, national and global communities, I am
Read more →Archive for the News Category
News sources are reporting that Disney‘s long running challenge to the use of ‘mouse ears’ by deadmau5, a world famous electronic music DJ, has been settled. The dispute started when deadmau5 applied to register his stage mask as a trademark. Trademark protection is primarily concerned with avoiding consumer confusion. It
Read more →IRS efforts to accelerate review of tax exempt applications appear to be paying off. One recent report suggests the backlog, which once exceeded 60,000 pending applications, is now current. At one time, it was not unusual for an organization to wait nearly a year before receiving any inquiries
Read more →My office has recently fielded a flood of questions about Fair Use across a range of contexts – using a recording of a documentary subject using software on her computer; posting thumbnails on a website; sharing recipes and ingredient lists; and, most recently, artists asking whether the art they share
Read more →Zak Shusterman, along with colleagues committed to providing pro bono legal services to their communities, was recognized this morning at an event honoring attorneys who have volunteered with the Pro Bono Partnership. The Pro Bono Partnership provides free business and transactional legal services to nonprofit organizations serving the
Read more →Any tax exempt organizations (e.g., 501(c)(3) nonprofits) that file their annual form 990, 990-N, or 990-EZ online should pay special attention to this security alert issued by the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS). According to the alert: “an unauthorized party or parties have gained access to the Form 990
Read more →Important changes are coming for US design patents. These changes will be a great boon to US applicants, making it possible to use a single application to simultaneously seek protection of their designs in dozens of countries around the world. This change comes as the US took measures last week
Read more →Congratulations to client Corbin Hill Food Project on being awarded Innovation of the Year. The award was presented to founder Dennis Derryck by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) at its 2015 Big Apple Innovation Awards on January 14, 2015. Honored alongside Corbin Hill was Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association,
Read more →Earlier this month, the IRS issued revised procedures for several important matters affecting exempt organizations (including those commonly referred to nonprofits). In particular, some of these revisions address the new streamlined application for tax exempt status. Qualifying organizations may be able to save themselves considerable time and expenses
Read more →Congress is currently considering extending three important charitable giving incentives that have expired. These incentives address donations related to (i) IRA rollovers, (ii) food inventories, and (iii) land conservation easements. Federal law promotes a policy encouraging individuals to support charitable organization by allowing itemized deductions for contributions.
Read more →The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the USPTO today issued a split decision finding that the football team name “Redskins” is disparaging of Native Americans. Among the many reasons that a trademark may be blocked from being registered in the first place, or cancelled if it has
Read more →Without delving into the politics behind the government shutdown, many of my clients are curious about whether and how the current shutdown will be affecting any matters they have pending before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) or applications that they’re considering submitting. Because the USPTO generates
Read more →Not just lawyers that offer pro bono services to good causes. Local ad firm @AdsWestchester gives back! prnewswire.com/news-releases/…
Read more →Zak Shusterman is honored to have joined the corporate board of the Hudson Valley News Corporation. The Hudson Valley News Corporation is the parent company of The Hudson Independent, the only newspaper covering the Rivertowns region of Westechester, NY. The Hudson Independent is the area’s most respected
Read more →A hearty congratulations to the staff and supporters of client Dance/NYC. Dance/NYC recently completed the complex process of establishing itself as an independent entity, serving as the support structure for all things dance-related in the greater New York City metropolitan area. Dance/NYC was initially a project Dance/USA, the
Read more →A hearty congratulations to client Community Food Pantry of Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown. The Pantry will be honored with a prestigious award tomorrow morning at a ceremony hosted by Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill. The Food Bank for Westchester will be presenting the Michal Winter Memorial Award for Agency Excellence to the
Read more →Client Corbin Hill Farm has once again made news, this time for the role New School alumni have played in its development and growth. A new documentary has been produced by a team at the New School, where founder Dennis Derryck is faculty in Milano School of International
Read more →Client My Pet Chicken was featured in the Huffington Post on May 8, in an article entitled “10 Oddball Businesses That Actually Exist“. My Pet Chicken is identified as one of the so-called oddballs – a small business “founded on unorthodox ideas” but with a proven track
Read more →Client featured in an article about telecommuting in The Journal News today. An accompanying video features input from several members of the space discussed why they chose coworking. Telecommuting has received much attention recently as Yahoo’s incoming CEO called for an end to that company’s generous telecommuting policy while
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NEWS: Changes to Form 990-N filing for small exempt organizations
The IRS has announced that, effective February 29, 2016, exempt organizations that required to file Form 990-N will do so through the IRS website – IRS.gov . This form can only be filed online – mailing a paper alternative is not an option. Until now, Form-990 was filed