ProfNet Experts Available on Nepal Earthquake, Trademark Law, Ponzi Schemes, More

NEW YORK, May 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

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EXPERT ALERTS

• Logistical Challenges of Nepal Earthquake Relief Efforts
• Bill Could Harm Insurance Policyholders
• As Internet Upends Music Biz, Pop Stars Turn to Trademark Law
• Cab Cams Could Help, Hurt Trucking Company
• Oil Downturn No Excuse for Compliance Lapses
• What Is a Ponzi Scheme and Five Signs You Might Be a Victim of One
• GOP Hopeful Fiorina Says Drug Addiction Shouldn't be Criminalized

MEDIA JOBS

• Business Reporter – Savannah Morning News (GA)
• General Assignment Reporter – Herald-Journal (SC)
• SEC Football Writers – Saturday Down South (Remote)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Breaking Into Freelancing and Book Writing
• Blog Profiles: Couponing Blogs
• PR Newswire's Media Moves, May 4 Edition

EXPERT ALERTS:

Logistical Challenges of Nepal Earthquake Relief Efforts
Hannah Gregory
Spokesperson, Salesian Missions
Editor, MissionWire
"There are a lot of places that are cut off from access to relief supplies and we have to look into every possible means of getting supplies in, from using donkeys to helicopters. May of the villages are cut off and local food and other resources will run out in a matter of days. Additionally, we have to be strategic about when and where to wire funds in order to make sure we get supplies to those who need it. Supplies need to be brought in from India, for example, through ground transportation. The importance of cash donations cannot be underscored enough in the days after a natural disaster like this one. Cash is fast and flexible."
Gregory is available for interviews to discuss humanitarian efforts in Nepal following the earthquake there. She has been in constant communication with missionaries there who are working to bring in needed humanitarian supplies and coordinate efforts to assist survivors. She can also discuss the types of organizations people can give to and what to look for in terms of reputable organizations, since many fraudulent ones pop up after disasters like this.
Related article: http://tinyurl.com/oxc2k9b
Websites: http://www.salesianmissions.org and http://www.missionnewswire.org
Contact: [email protected]
 

Bill Could Harm Insurance Policyholders
Amy Kincaid Berry
Attorney
Amy Stewart Law in Dallas
A bill now pending before the Texas Legislature would dilute the incentive for insurers to do the right thing. Senate Bill 1628 would impose greater hurdles to insureds recovering penalty interest, by revising a section of the Texas Insurance Code that penalizes insurers for making late or insufficient payments. Says Berry: "Business owners and homeowners pay a lot for property and liability insurance, and if there's a loss or a claim, insurance companies should be motivated to make customers' lives easier, not harder. Unfortunately, this bill only serves the insurance industry's – not the public's – interests."
Berry represents policyholders in disputes with insurance companies.
Contact: Amy Hunt, [email protected]
 

As Internet Upends Music Biz, Pop Stars Turn to Trademark Law
Amanda Greenspon
Trademark Attorney
Munck Wilson Mandala in Dallas
Count 2015 as the year pop music intersected with trademark law in a big way. Pop star Taylor Swift surprised many when she filed a raft of trademark applications seeking to protect and potentially monetize certain lyrics, including "This Sick Beat" and "Party Like It's 1989" from her latest blockbuster album, "1989." Meanwhile, Katy Perry unsuccessfully tried to trademark a likeness from her 2015 Super Bowl performance in which a costume-clad dancer, the "left shark," flubbed his moves and became an Internet meme. Says Greenspon: "Entertainers are experiencing seismic change in the music business that is threatening their livelihoods. A well-crafted trademark application must outline specific uses and context for protecting an artist's creative content. In this way, Swift in particular is showing surprising foresight in protecting her intellectual property and adapting to changes in the music industry."
Contact: Robert Tharp, [email protected]
 

Cab Cams Could Help, Hurt Trucking Company
H. Peyton Inge IV
Trucking Defense Attorney
Chamblee, Ryan, Kershaw & Anderson, P.C. of Dallas
Swift Transportation's decision to install driver-facing cameras in company-owned tractor-trailers is a double-edged sword in the push to maximize driver safety. Says Inge: "The camera records in real time, but only transmits footage for review when a driver brakes hard or swerves suddenly. The camera's best use is one of training so that the company can address problematic driving patterns with drivers before they are involved in a collision. The utility of footage captured during a collision, however, will be decided on a case-by-case basis. In court, the jury will be able to watch the driver, as well as the other vehicle, in determining who was at fault. From a damages perspective, a secondary question then becomes, 'What knowledge did the company have before the collision of this driver's behavior, and should that driver have been on the road in their truck at all?'"
Contact: Dave Moore, [email protected]
 

Oil Downturn No Excuse for Compliance Lapses
Tom Fox
FCPA and Compliance Ethics Lawyer and Author
Advanced Compliance Solutions in Houston
Energy companies struggling with the oil price slide shouldn't expect any breaks from federal enforcers of laws barring overseas corruption. Says Fox: "Companies should determine their highest threats to complying with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and focus the most on those. Then, they should turn to technology to more cheaply and efficiently handle such matters as third-party management, internal controls and transaction monitoring." Fox notes that this is the first big energy downturn since the ramping-up of FCPA enforcement. "If the financial industry crisis of 2007-2010 is any sign, the oil business should not expect the U.S. government's aggressive actions to subside."
Contact: Kit Frieden, [email protected]
 

What Is a Ponzi Scheme and Five Signs You Might Be a Victim of One
John H. Snyder
Attorney
Snyder explains five signs you might be a victim of a Ponzi scheme: "1) The return is too high. One-year FDIC-insured CDs now pay at most 1.5%. Any investment touting a return a lot higher than that warrants close scrutiny. If it's such a good deal, why aren't the promoters keeping it for themselves? 2) Stated returns are too steady. Stock markets and interest rates often vary widely from year to year, so an above-average return that doesn't budge in response to changing economic conditions is inherently suspect. 3) There's little documentation. Inadequate paperwork can be a tipoff. This includes initial disclosures as well as financial statements that only arrive sporadically. 4) Investment methodology makes no sense. Ponzi himself touted to suckers an international arbitrage involving buying and selling coupons redeemable for postage stamps. Besides its complexity, there weren't enough coupons in existence to use. Beware investments you can't understand. 5) There's no independent asset custodian. The lack of an arms-length third party to hold invested assets makes it a lot easier for chicanery to occur. This is especially true in Ponzis, where the scam is the undetected use of fresh money to pay off existing investors. New York celebrity advisor Kenneth I. Starr, accused in May of running a $30 million Ponzi, allegedly held some client assets in an office safe."
Based in New York City, Snyder is recognized as a forceful trial advocate and creative legal strategist. His litigation practice encompasses a wide variety of commercial matters, with an emphasis on partnership/closely held company disputes. He also serves as counselor and personal advisor to executives and entrepreneurs. He was recently named to the American Society of Legal Advocates' "Top 40 Under 40" list of New York litigators, and has been rated a "Rising Star" by SuperLawyers since 2013.
Website: http://www.jhs.nyc
Contact: Ryan McCormick, [email protected]
 

GOP Hopeful Fiorina Says Drug Addiction Shouldn't be Criminalized
Kyle Simon
Director of Policy and Advocacy
Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence (CLAAD)
"Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina said Monday that the United States needs to change the way it treats drug addicts. 'Drug addiction shouldn't be criminalized,' said Fiorina during a conference call with reporters on Monday, soon after announcing her long-shot run for the White House. 'We need to treat it appropriately.' Fiorina said a number of Republican governors have made changes to their criminal justice systems that have reduced prison populations while driving down violent crime rates. She cited 'decriminalizing drug addiction and drug use' as an example of a successful reform but did not elaborate on what sort of decriminalization she would like to see nationally."
Simon manages policy and advocacy initiatives, provides policy analysis and drafting, directs rapid response efforts, and oversees a coalition of allied organizations focused on advancing common goals. His background includes several years of health care policy, advocacy, and political experience. He has worked with policy makers on Medicare, Medicaid, and regulatory issues, served members of Congress, managed a statewide political organization representing the president of the United States, and held leadership roles in multiple political campaigns.
Contact: Mark Goldman, [email protected]
 

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/

• Business Reporter – Savannah Morning News (GA)
• General Assignment Reporter – Herald-Journal (SC)
• SEC Football Writers – Saturday Down South (Remote)

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

• BREAKING INTO FREELANCING AND BOOK WRITING. Last week, we hosted a webinar featuring Randy Dotinga, president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and Dawn Papandrea, a freelance writer specializing in personal finance, higher education, and family topics. They touched on the financial aspects of freelancing, the biggest mistakes people make, setting legitimate expectations, connecting with editors, and much more. Here's a link to the recording and a few key takeaways: http://prn.to/1DEyJ6f
• BLOG PROFILES: COUPONING BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's media relations team selects an industry/subject and a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting, contributing, and blogging about the space. This week, they share reviews of a few couponing blogs: http://prn.to/1HTOE8G
• PR NEWSWIRE'S MEDIA MOVES, MAY 4 EDITION. PR Newswire's weekly audience research newsletter is chock-full of media news and job changes. In this week's issue, you'll read updates on National Geographic Traveler, Fusion, GQ, Fortune, Outside magazine, Windows IT Pro Magazine, Refinery29, MedCity News, San Francisco Chronicle, Philadelphia Business Journal and more: http://prn.to/1GUzVan

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