Tag: US

Amway Legal Battles

Amway has been in business for over 50 years. And just like many other companies that have been around for that long, they have had their fair share of legal issues. Of those legal battles they have had, most of them are about product liability or distributor disputes. However, not one of those legal battles has affected the tremendous growth that has occurred within Amway.

As an example, in 1997, Amway sued a polish film maker for libel. The film, Welcome to Life, purportedly defamed Amway, showing a misleading and libelous version of what muli-level marketing was all about. Amway Poland was able to obtain an injunction, preventing the film’s release, and subsequently Amway won the lawsuit.

Other relatively minor legal battles have involved some Amway distributors using copyrighted music on promotional tapes – these usually do not affect the company as a whole and most have been settled out of court. But another type of legal battle gets at the heart of what MLM is…

**Landmark decisions**

Is MLM, and Amway specifically, a pyramid scheme? In other words, is the business model illegal from the start? This is when the big time legal battles started. Losing a challenge on this subject would mean, not just fines, but a complete shutdown of operations – maybe even jail time.

Well, in 1977, Amway was subjected to just such a challenge. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) started investigating Amway for deceptive business practices and the charge was essentially one of operating a pyramid, or Ponzi, scheme.

The crux of the issue was this, was Amway trying to make money just from recruiting distributors or was the main business model to sell products. This is a serious charge in a serious venue – the FTC had the power to completely shut Amway down.

After over two years of investigating, the FTC ruled that the Amway business model was legit. They did criticize some of the business practices, and Amway changed some of its sales materials as a result. But the ruling was clear – there was nothing illegal about MLM and network marketing.

This one single decision by the FTC save the network marketing industry as a whole. With the validation of the FTC, network marketers could finally claim what they had always known – MLM isn’t a scam, or a deceptive business practice. Instead, it is a legitimate way to sell products and grow individual businesses.

Another win

Proctor and Gamble, Amway’s main competitor, brought suit in 1995, claiming that Amway had allowed its telephone messaging service (AmVox) to be knowingly used to harm P&G. The claim was that rumors that P&G was a Satanist organization had been spread over this service and that the company’s reputation had suffered damage because of this.

After almost a decade in the courts, and lawsuits in multiple States, the case was dismissed in 2003. P&G did win money against four individual Amway distributors in Utah in 2005, but the Amway Corporation remained untouched by the slander.

**Foreign legal battles**

While the legitimacy of the MLM model was proven in the US, occasionally, the same issue has been raised in other countries. Because Amway Global is actually global in scope, these are of interest.

2006 – India started action against Amway under their version of Ponzi scheme laws. While the case isn’t entirely settled, Amway still does business in India and has won against some of the injunctions placed upon it. The original case is still pending, but in the past four years, no grounds have been found to move forward.

2007 – British authorities brought an action against Amway for what were called, “objectionable practices.” The Department of Trade and Industry (the UK version of the FTC) has the power to shut down operations and this was a serious matter. In 2008, the investigation was complete and Amway was found to have violated no laws in Britain.

**A settled issue**

With the results in, the question of whether Amway is a pyramid scheme or not is settled. Challenges to the MLM business model have been mounted, not only in the US, but several other countries. In every major legal battle, Amway had won.

Network marketing remains a viable and completely legal way to do business. In the new millennium, with the rise of the Internet, it may in fact be one of the best ways to do business. Amway has proven their model over and over again – both in the courts and on the ground. If you wish to partner with Amway, rest assured there is no pyramid scheme, no Ponzi operation – just an exciting opportunity.

Us Waivers Of Admissibility Help Canadians Cross The Border Legally

If you are a Canadian citizen with a criminal record you may not be allowed to cross the United States border legally; in fact you will be branded as inadmissible to the United States. Some people in this situation are under the misguided impression that applying for a Canada pardon will enable them to cross legally in the US, however this is not the case; Canada pardons are not globally recognized and the US is a country, which does not place any value on them. The only way to make legal entry into the US is to apply for a US waiver of inadmissibility.

US waiver for Canadians is a time consuming process, which takes around a year from start to finish. The first step is to fill out an I-192 waiver Form down-loadable at the Legal Canada Community website. Other forms that need to be completed are Form G-28 if you use legal representation to file your application and Form G-325A for your biographical information. All of these forms can be downloaded from the Legal Canada Community website.

Next each applicant must get hold of a copy of their criminal record from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). This can only be done by submitting your fingerprints on form C216C something that needs to be done for the US authorities too (on form FD-258). If you have any form of criminal record in another country you must also get hold of a copy of the criminal record or a letter from an official source stating why there is no record. Its no good thinking that you can sweep foreign crimes under the carpet the US authorities search many global databases looking for records and falsifying your record will result in instant denial for a US waiver and thus further blot your copybook. To further increase the US waiver paper trail, you must also contact every court where you have been sentenced and obtain the official court record detailing your crime, your plea and your sentence etc. Finally everyone who applies for a US waiver has the chance to state their version of events by making a personal declaration outlining the events of the crime and detailing efforts to reform such as rehabilitation courses. The aim of this declaration should be to prove to the US authorities that you are now a respected law abiding citizen.

Once you have gathered together all of these documents you can go to a US port of entry or a Customs and Border Protection Preclearance office in Canada the one in Toronto is located at Pearson International Airport; you can call for an appointment on 905-676-2606. If you present your documents here in person they will fill out your FBI fingerprint chart. Once 90 days have passed you can check out the status of your application online at inquiry.waiver., but realistically dont expect any significant progress even if you crime was of a minor nature; it takes around a year to make a decision on most US waivers of admissibility, but the peace of mind and the ability to cross the border legally that a US waiver brings is well worth it.

Court Reporting Services Boston-Choice Of Many Legal Professionals

The main responsibilities of a court reporter primary involves creating verbatim transcripts of legal conversations, meetings, speeches, and a variety of legal proceedings within a courtroom setting. These experts are fully dedicated to assisting their clients by providing the written statements of those spoken words that work as a legal proof or records of everything that goes on in court. The role of a court reporter is crucial in preserving accurate details of all legal testimony, and to help provide a complete, accurate and secure legal record. Living in Boston, US, you can find a plethora of such companies that offer quality verbatim transcribing services. The Court Reporting Services Boston usually are able to deliver real-time translating and closed-captioning services as well.

Reputed judges and lawyers generally rely upon court reporters in various legal proceedings to make sure that they get all the required information and details into the official record. In addition, court reporters are valuable for making suggestions and discussions with the concerned lawyers and judges. Court reporting is a detail-oriented task, and generally includes three major methods: electronic recording, stenographic and voice recording. In general, professional court reporters use stenotype machines in order to quickly transcribe the events in courtroom. The Court Reporting Services Boston help their clients by creating comprehensive transcription for thousands of various court cases each year.ar.

Obviously, the Court Reporting Services Bostonhas a quite a few experienced and highly educated court reporters who assist the clients in many areas, including deposition reporting, transcription, video recording and video conferencing.

About The Author

Aldrin Dalida is an expert who generally writes on the topics which help the people overcome challenges including rushed and mumbling speech, bad acoustics, and emotional testimony to deliver complete transcripts. The author also provides the information on indexed ‘manuscripts’ and searchable discs.Court Reporting Services Boston

Legal Services In India

Every couple wants to a child who can take forward their genes and legacy after they leave this world. Ability to bear child is the biggest boon for a female that nature has blessed her with. Unfortunately some couples are denied this happiness because of reasons associated with husband, wife or both.
Assuming the proper initial inquires have been made and adequately addressed, what are the cost savings reasonably attainable by an outsourcing U.S. law firm and its clients? Answering that question necessarily involves a comparative analysis of revenue and expenses.
What is the future like for LPO? While some of the largest firms and corporations in the world are using these services to handle their legal needs, will it hold up? The services offered are very effective and affordable, but what will happen in the years to come?
The above tasks can be time consuming and hence quite expensive if done by a qualified legal services provider in a country like the United States who charges tens or even hundreds of dollars by the hour. But the same work can be done very efficiently in countries like India for rates as low as one-fifth of what it costs in the US.
With money getting increasingly difficult to earn keep and manage hiring legal outsourcing attorneys seems practical. The attorneys help you in finding the best professionals at the lowest cost as possible. What does this translate into?
After BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) it is now LPO (Legal Process Outsourcing and KPO (Knowledge Process Outsourcing) that is wooing the Indian lawyer. It is natural for the Indian lawyer to opt for foreign projects as they get paid much better.
Top notch law firms focusing on LPO in India are capable of researching almost any legal issue and can providie services as is required by clients in the US or Canada. LPO is a great new way to reduce the cost of litigation in the US. It helps the client and also the law firms.
Additionally the advantage of time zone, familiarity with common law doctrines and easy availability of English speaking lawyers attracts more foreign firms to opt for LPO services India. Indian attorney with UK/US qualifications are also sought after which is perfectly fulfilled by the top legal services India.
The law firms and in house legal departments have enjoyed the benefits of a quicker turnaround time. The work left with the Indian entity at the end of their day is completed and available when they arrive at work the next day. These have become as important as the other core reason for outsourcing, namely saving of costs.
The provisional patent specifications must include a proper title with a written and brief description, some drawings if required and/or model or sample if needed. However a complete specification would also include the best mode, deposition like microorganisms and claims apart from the aforementioned.
If one is just starting out on BPO (business process outsourcing) for the first time, it is better to choose out the independent third party contractor which usually will have its own infrastructure and manpower in the offshore country from where the service is executed.

Arguable Legal Points in a Motorcycle Accident

Many people associate Oakland with some of the most storied ball clubs in the US. The Oakland Raiders in football and the Golden State Warriors in basketball are just two of the most popular franchises that the city has to offer. While sports are a major crowd draw in Oakland, there are also other notable features in the city.

As Oakland’s economy is partly dependent on the marine cargo sector, traffic to the bay area always remains heavy. Major roads can sometimes go get gridlocked during rush hours and the holiday season. Motorcycle riders are especially vulnerable because accidental collisions have a greater chance of seriously injuring them.

If you’re a motorcycle driver who’s recently gotten into an accident, it’s time to consider hiring a lawyer. If you are being falsely accused of causing the incident, a good attorney can help prove your innocence. An Oakland lawyer use the following arguments to help your position.

Right of way

This is a common issue for most motorcycle accidents in the US as other motorists fail to recognize the right of the passing motorcycle. An Oakland motorcycle accident attorney can argue that it was the other driver that was on the wrong side of the road. Arguing right of way is fairly easy especially if witnesses can also corroborate the police report.

Negligence

Sometimes the other driver failed to see you while they’re driving because they were probably distracted with something else. This is another possible argument an Oakland motorcycle accident lawyer can use. If your legal counsel can prove that the other party was using his or her mobile phone while driving, you’ve practically won the case. Driver negligence is one of the major causes of motor vehicle accidents in the US. Texting, eating or talking on the phone are the common culprits.

DUI

An Oakland motorcycle accident attorney can also argue that the other party was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Breathalyzer test results from the local traffic enforcers who handled the incident are crucial pieces of evidence. Finding empty beer cans or liquor bottles in the other driver’s vehicle are also key item that can prove your innocence.