Discovery In Website-Based Suit Required To Determine Personal Jurisdiction

Richard Raysman is a Partner in our New York office

Incorporating ergonomics into the workplace, a term/ethos which broadly refers to the principles of "fitting a job to a person," is all the rage these days. Companies large and small, as well as some of their enterprising employees, are extolling the virtues of standing desks and enhanced lumbar support for those millions who spend at least 8 hours a day, 5 days a week fastened to a chair in their cubicle. Designs of ergonomic devices are considered intellectual property by the variety of businesses that provide services related to the optimization of such devices. Such designs, which encompass guides, layouts, images and manuals, recently became the subject of an intellectual property dispute in federal court in Michigan between two companies in the field. Humantech, Inc., v. Ergonomics Plus, Inc., No. 14-CV-12141, 2015 WL 1492224 (E.D. Mich. Mar. 31, 2015). However, the opinion issued discussed herein did not