Community Groups Organize Free Intellectual Property Workshops

Here is news on free workshops that should help young artists and entrepreneurs. If you’re an artist or entrepreneur building or maintaining a web site the knowledge provided at the seminars should be extremely helpful.

Gregory

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The Bronx Council on the Arts, The Harlem Arts Alliance, and
The Community Development Project of the Legal Aid Society
present
A Free Two-Part Intellectual Property Workshop
Tuesday, December 6 & 13 / 6:00-8:00pm
at the Dwyer Cultural Center

The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA), the Community Development Project of the Legal Aid Society and the Harlem Arts Alliance present a FREE two-part Intellectual Property Workshop for artists, arts organizations & small businesses on Tuesday, December 6 & 13, 6:00-8:00pm, at the Dwyer Cultural Center located at 258 Saint Nicholas Avenue #2 at West 123rd Street in NYC. Doors open at 5:45pm. Program begins promptly at 6:00pm. Light refreshments will be served. Admission is free and all are welcome.

December 6th’s session: You Made It Now Protect It: Trademarks and Copyright for Artists, Arts-Related Nonprofits and Small Businesses is geared for artists and cultural organizations, creating or commissioning a work of fine or practical art is just the beginning. To protect the ownership of the finished work, it is essential to learn about trademarks, copyrights, design patents, and work-for-hire agreements. An expert panel of intellectual property attorneys will explain these concepts using examples that will be familiar to artists and arts organizations. The concepts learned in this workshop will also be useful to nonprofits and small businesses that are not arts-related.

December 13th’s session: The Website Audit: Best Legal Practices on the Internet for Artists, Arts-Related Nonprofits and Small Businesses is for any individual, organization or small business that has a website or is thinking about starting one. Learn the essentials of website management, including: Protecting your trademarks and copyrights, terms of use, implementing a privacy policy, linking, and ownership of the website.

Both workshops will be facilitated by attorneys from Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper and Scinto and the Community Development Project of the Legal Aid Society.

RSVP at http://twopartworkshop-eorg.eventbrite.com.

The Dwyer Cultural Center is located at 258 St. Nicholas Avenue. Entrance is on West 123rd Street.Directions by Public Transit: Train: A, B, C or D to West 125th Street; Bus: M3, M10, M101, BX15, M60 to West 125th Street and Frederick Douglas Blvd. For additional directions, call 212-222-3060 or visitwww.dwyercc.org

For additional information on this workshop or other events presented by the Bronx Council on the Arts, call 718-931-9500, e-mail info@bronxarts.org, or visit BCA’s web pages at www.bronxarts.org.

Here is news on free workshops that should help young artists and entreprenuers. If your an artist or web developer the knowledge provided at the seminars should be extremly helopfull.

Gregory

Thessalonia Cultural Community Center in Conjunction with the Black Bar Association Present a Symposium on Our Youth and the Criminal System

I am all for the strong police presence in the Bronx but I am also all for individuals knowing their rights and responsibilities. Please see information below on an important conference set for this Thursday.

Gregory
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Thessalonia Cultural Community Center
in Conjunction with
The Black Bar Association of Bronx County

presents

A Symposium

OUR YOUTH and the CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM:
THEIR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Thursday, April 14,2011
6:00Pm - 9:00pm
Thessalonia Cultural Community Center
951 Rev. James A. Polite Ave
(East 163rd Street between Prospect and Westchester Avenues)
Bronx, NY 10459

Invited Speakers:
Judges and courts attorneys from the Bronx Supreme and Family Courts; attorneys from the Bronx District Attorney's office, New York City Corporation Counsel, Legal Aid Society Juvenile Rights Division, the Bronx defenders, and private practitioners; New York City Police Department,
Department of Corrections, Department of Probation and Department of Juvenile Justice; Community based organizations.

Event contact:
Thessalonia Cultural Community Center

718.542.0828 - 718.542.0376
www.thessaloniabaptistchurch.org

Admission is free

Temporary Restraining Order Prevents City From Stopping April Advantage Rent Subsidies For 15,000 Current Advantage Recipients

Here is the latest on the fight by the Legal Aid Society to prevent NYC from reneging on its promises to Work Advantage tenants and landlords. Hopefully NYC will come to its senses and avoid squandering millions on more costly shelters. It's interesting and comforting to see a heavy hitting law firm like Weil, Gotshal & Manges get in the mix. Kudos to them for working with the Legal Aid Society on a social issue as important as this one.

Gregory
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Temporary Restraining Order Prevents City From Stopping April Advantage Rent Subsidies For 15,000 Current Advantage Recipients
THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2011

New York County Supreme Court Justice Judith J. Gische issued a temporary restraining order late Monday preventing the City from terminating Advantage rent subsidy payments due in April for 15,000 formerly homeless families and individuals. The Legal Aid Society and the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manages LLP filed a class action lawsuit on Monday seeking a class-wide injunction to prevent the City from stopping Advantage rent subsidies for these 15,000 formerly homeless households before their Advantage subsidy agreements expire.
Steven Banks, Attorney-in-Charge of The Legal Aid Society, told the New York Law Journal that "moving forward with rent cut offs for 15,000 households would wreck havoc with the shelter [system], overwhelm the housing court and cost millions of dollars in the long run in increased shelter placements." He said the affected families and individuals "would never have moved into these apartments that they can't afford without these subsidies."
Steven Banks, Judith Goldiner, Jane Sujen Bock, and Joshua Goldfein are handling the case for The Legal Aid Society with paralegal support provided by Christina Schrum-Herrera. Representing the plaintiffs from Weil, Gotshal are Konrad Cailteux, Debra Dandeneau, Isabella Lacayo, Jesse Morris, and Adam Lavine, together with paralegal Elizabeth McConville.

Legal Aid Society Prepares for Battle with NYC over Work Advantage Program Termination

The following was sent by the Legal Aid Society. It informs tenants and landlords that the Legal Aid Society will sue NYC over its decision to terminate the Work Advantage rent subsidy program. Also included in the notice is information on what actions tenants should take to protect themselves.

Gregory
********

TO ALL ADVANTAGE TENANTS

New York City has sent notices to 15,000 Advantage households saying it will no longer
pay Advantage rent supplements after March 31. Legal Aid believes this is illegal. Legal
Aid will sue the City to require it to pay the promised rent subsidies for current tenants.

When the City signed Advantage leases, it promised to pay the rent subsidies for at least
one year. The City and Advantage participants signed an agreement saying: “the City
will pay the Advantage Rent Payment directly to my Landlord on a monthly basis, for the
first year of the Advantage Program.” The City also promised to pay rent subsidies for
a second year for people who met certain eligibility conditions.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS – PROTECT YOURSELF

Ask for a fair hearing IMMEDIATELY and ask for Aid to Continue by
following the instructions on your “Important Notice Regarding your Advantage Rental
Supplement”. You can ask for a hearing in any of four ways:

1. Fax a copy of your notice to 518.473.6735 (keep a copy of your fax confirmation
sheet to prove you asked for the hearing) or

2. Make an online request at www.otda.state.ny.us/oah/forms.asp or

3. Go in person to the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance at 14
Boerum Place, Ground Floor (corner of Livingston), Brooklyn, New York. (By
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Borough Hall; N, R to Court Street) or

4. Call 1-800-342-3334 (but this number is usually busy).

Request your hearing with Aid to Continue within 10 days of when your notice
was mailed so your Advantage rent can be continued until your hearing is decided.

Your landlord cannot evict you without taking you to housing court.

Continue to pay your portion of your rent to your landlord on time.

Continue to comply with the Advantage program requirements.

LEGAL AID SOCIETY, HOMELESS RIGHTS PROJECT: 1-800-649-9125


SPANISH VERSION

¡ATENCIÓN! TODOS INQUILINOS DE ADVANTAGE

La Ciudad de Nueva York ha mandado avisos a 15,000 hogares de Advantage diciendo que no
pagara más subsidios de renta después del 31 de marzo. La Sociedad de Ayuda Legal considera
esto ilegal. La Sociedad de Ayuda Legal demandará a la Ciudad para obligarla a que pague los
subsidios de renta prometidos para los inquilinos actuales.

Cuando la Ciudad firmó contratos de arrendamiento de Advantage, prometió pagar el subsidio
de renta por al menos un año. La Ciudad y los participantes de Advantage firmaron un acuerdo
diciendo, “La Ciudad pagará el Pago de Renta de Advantage directamente al dueño
mensualmente, por el primer año del programa de Advantage.” La Ciudad también prometió
pagar los subsidios de renta por un segundo año para personas que llenen ciertos requisitos de
elegibilidad.

CONOZCA SUS DERECHOS – PROTÉJASE

• Pida un audiencia imparcial INMEDIATAMENTE y pida Continuación de Ayuda
siguiendo las instrucciones en su aviso “Important Notice Regarding your Advantage Rental
Supplement”. Puede pedir la audiencia imparcial a través de una de estas maneras:

1. Envíe por fax una copia de su aviso al número: 518.473.6735 (guarde una copia del la
confirmación de recibo para comprobar que pidió la audiencia imparcial) o

2. Complete el formulario a través del sitio: www.otda.state.ny.us/oah/forms.asp o

3. Lleve su aviso al la Oficina de Asistencia Temporal y Asistencia para Incapacitados del
Estado de Nueva York localizado en el 14 Boerum Place, Primer Piso (en la esquina de
Livingston), Brooklyn, NY. (Por Tren: 2, 3, 4, 5 a Borough Hall o N, R a Court Street) o

4. Llame al 1-800-342-3334 (este número normalmente está ocupado).

Pida su audiencia imparcial con Continuación de Ayuda dentro de 10 días del envío
del aviso para continuar los pagos de renta hasta que se decida su audiencia imparcial.

• El dueño no lo puede echar sin llevarlo a la corte de vivienda.

• Siga pagando su parte de la renta al dueño a tiempo.

• Siga cumpliendo con los requisitos del programa de Advantage.

Proveeremos más información cuando este disponible.

LEGAL AID SOCIETY, HOMELESS RIGHTS PROJECT: 1-800-649-9125