A case management conference is a meeting to determine deadlines and other details about how the case will proceed. It is used when a case is going to go to trial. It may or may not involve footsie.

Im pretty sure you’re making that up.

Can he hit me with a sword that turns on poise?

Yeah its possible but would really depend on how far they take it. More information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derivativ…

Good question. When trying to determine infringement, you look at the two pieces of art and if they are “substantially similar”, then you can determine that copying has occurred. So it would take a fair bit more than tweaking to get around such a test, to the point that it would need to become wholly transformative…

I don’t know about that. Depending on the situation, I’m a big fan of the low and slow burndown to 35