Author: Ted Folkman

  • Getting a Chinese Apostille

    I received my first Chinese apostille today. It’s purpose is to authenticate a Chinese judgment for use in a US case. The process was a little bit more complicated and time-consuming than I would have wished, but it shows that the Apostille Convention is now in effect between the US and China not just in……

  • Case of the Day: Voltage Pictures v. Gussi

    The case of the day is Voltage Pictures LLC v. Gussi S.A. de C.V. (9th Cir. 2024). Voltage was an LA film production company. Gussi was a Mexican film distributor. The two companies had an agreement for the distribution of Ava in Latin America. Who is Ava, you ask? She is played by Jessica Chastain.……

  • How Do Appeals Bonds Work?

    Appeals bonds, or supersedeas bonds, have been in the news recently. And there has been a lot of commentary about how they work, some of right, some of it not so right. What’s the story? When a trial court enters a judgment for damages, the defendant has a right to appeal. But how does the……

  • In Memoriam Steven Wise

    Steven Wise, the head of the Nonhuman Rights Project, has died at 73. I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog explaining why his legal theories of animal personhood are ridiculous. Because Wise was a man of ideas and a protagonist in his quixotic fight, I think the way to be most respectful of……

  • The Bill of Discovery

    One of the great things about Section 1782 is that you can use it in aid of a prospective proceeding. Is that anomalous or unprecedented? Nope. Our own courts have long recognized a “bill of discovery,” which allows for discovery necessary in order to bring an action. I’ve been practicing law for a long time,……