The Creative Alliance

This year has seen two of the biggest advancements in drone regulations in the U.S. since June 2016, when 14 CFR Part 107 was introduced. While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued numerous waivers for flights that go beyond the scope of Part 107, as it is colloquially referred to, there have been no widespread changes to the rules for almost five years, despite pressure from ...

On June 21, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the administrative patent judges (APJs) of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) were not constitutionally appointed, and that the patent owner, Arthrex, Inc., is entitled to a remand for a rehearing by the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). United States v. Arthrex, Inc., 593 U.S. _ (June 21, 2021). Backgr...

You have to know the rules to win the game, especially when the rules change… often. In 2013, the movie Captain Philips told the true story of the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama. In April 2009, the Maersk Alabama cargo ship was attacked and captured by four Somali pirates less than 300 nautical miles off the Coast of Somalia. The Maersk Alabama recognized the threat yet had little ability to...

Many people say that the pandemic had an interesting effect on how they perceived time. On one hand, it seemed like the months spent in quarantine went on forever. On the other hand, memories of our personal and business lives suddenly grinding to a halt are extremely vivid for most of us, making it seem like that change happened “just yesterday.” So now, as the pandemic appears to be behin...

Reducing energy consumption in a commercial building—and all the good that comes from that—is something that sounds good to everyone. However, putting that concept into practice may seem challenging. But it doesn’t have to. The key is to understand the “tools” you have available to you and then leverage them effectively. What follows is a helpful checklist you can use to ensure you’re doing...

The ability to track trucks and semi trailers using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology is essential to efficient and effective operations and fleet management. Using telematics to monitor when and where rigs are traveling can help you reduce fuel usage, complete more jobs in a given time period and provide better customer service, to mention just a few of the advantages. Many trucks...

It’s a sound you don’t want to hear: You have just started a trip and you apply the brakes or round a corner and a thud or the cracking of wood tells you that the cargo in the back of your dry van trailer or refrigerated trailer has shifted and something has been damaged. You pull over, open the cargo door and discover that you have some clean-up work to do and will be having an uncomfortable...

The United Kingdom’s decision to withdraw from the European Union, commonly referred to as Brexit, came about as a result of a referendum held in 2016. The UK had joined the European Economic Community, as the EU was then known, in 1973, but its involvement was politically contentious for much of the period. The referendum was designed to bring the issue of the UK’s membership to a close on...

According to ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers), ventilation is defined as the process of supplying outdoor air to or removing indoor air from a dwelling by natural or mechanical means. Such air may or may not have been conditioned. It’s notable that, in addition to its meaning in the field of engineering, the term is also used in biology. Merr...

Few characteristics in the spaces where we work and live are as important as the air we breathe. Maintaining good air quality is essential to our health and our comfort, which is why having the right air filtration is so crucial. But how do you know if the air you’re breathing is being filtered properly? An important measure of air filtration is what’s called the Minimum Efficiency Reportin...