Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced measures on Friday to address disinformation and potential escalations of violence surrounding the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. This announcement comes after the European Union called for social media platforms including Meta, Youtube, and Tiktok to adopt stronger actions against the spread of misinformation. In…
In an unexpected shift in China’s legal landscape, Shenzhen is fast becoming a preferred location for international law firms. This year alone, three major players announced new office launches in the city: Bird & Bird, Holman Fenwick Willan, and Morgan Lewis & Bockius. These developments come as other leading Chinese cities, such as Shanghai, witness…
Law firms Sidley Austin and Maples Group are currently advising one of China’s largest private property developers, Country Garden, on a staggering $17 billion offshore debt restructuring effort. The news comes via Law.com International, from which it has been gleaned that the property developer is considerably distressed, wrestling with upwards of $190 billion in total…
One of the most notable deals of the past week involved a food pantry securing a $105 million initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, led by Paul Hastings. Financially speaking, the deal may not be massive, but its significance as a solitary development among an overall slow 2023 business landscape in the…
If you thought law graduates had their future set in stone upon receiving a job offer, then the recent case of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (DPW) may surprise you. The firm has reportedly rescinded job offers to three law students, leaders in organizations affiliated with Harvard University and Columbia University, who allegedly signed controversial…
In an intriguing turn of events in the corporate law world, a tennis technology company has been awarded $119,000 in lost profits, a ruling granted by a New York federal judge recently. The case is of particular note due to the inclusion of two distinctive parties: a defendant notorious for evading legal suits and the…
In an October ruling, a Ninth Circuit panel has reversed a previous summary judgment from a California federal judge in the much-publicized row between Samsung and Netlist. The prior ruling had concluded that Samsung had breached a joint development and patent license agreement with Netlist, specifically related to computer memory products. The recent decision by…
In an interesting development in Colorado, the state’s highest court has expressed its unease with a fee levied by a family law firm on attorneys for departing with their clients. Judges engaged in spirited questioning over why, as the legal firm asserts, such per-client fees do not impinge upon a lawyer’s right to practice. The…
In light of recent events surrounding John Eastman’s California disbarment trial, a notable update came to light on Tuesday. Eastman’s attorney reported that a certain right-wing podcaster, well-known for his propagation of unfounded conspiracy theories related to the 2020 election, abstained from testifying due to receiving “serious” death threats. It remains to be seen what…
A potentially significant legal battle is in progress regarding a $100 million dispute involving a former employee of an international steel dust recycling company. The defense counsel recently argued before a federal court in Houston that two existing noncompete agreements between the company and the former employee were either overly broad or not legally enforceable.More…
A software firm based in Massachusetts has launched a lawsuit against a former executive who is set to start a “president-level sales role” at cybersecurity behemoth, Palo Alto Networks. The suit alleges that the former executive intends to entice their old customers over to Palo Alto Networks. The Monday suit, as reported by Law360, requests…
In a recent decision by the Federal Circuit, a Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) verdict which invalidated a Monterey Research LLC memory device patent was upheld. The patent was subject to challenge by STMicroelectronics Inc. The decision affirms PTAB’s judgement of the patent as self-evident, thereby nullifying it entirely. This development follows STMicroelectronics Inc.’s…
In a recent hearing at the Manhattan federal court, Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX founder’s attorney, scrutinized Nishad Singh, the former executive of a now-defunct crypto exchange. The line of questioning aimed to enhance the defense’s assertion that Bankman-Fried acted in absolute good faith. It also attempted to demonstrate that cooperating witnesses, including Singh, may have altered…
Video game controller manufacturer, Ironburg, is returning to court following its previous $4 million win in the first-ever Zoom patent jury trial. This time, their goal is providing a strong argument against the recent Federal Circuit ruling that threatens to obliterate the patent driving their initial victory. What drove these legal circumstances? A swift look…
A recruitment platform leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate job postings on Google has initiated legal proceedings against a competitor. The claimant alleges that the rival firm, also an AI technology provider specializing in job searches, has unethically scraped information from its unique database. According to the allegations detailed in the complaint, the defendant purposefully…
Publicly traded companies, amidst the growing threat of cyber-attacks, have long been grappling with the question of when a cybersecurity incident warrants public and investor disclosure. Adding some much-needed transparency to this topic, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has put forth new directives for said companies. They now find themselves obligated to submit…
Recent developments concerning New York’s rent stabilization laws has garnered attention from legal professionals, especially those dealing with real estate and housing laws. These laws, which were amended in 2019, arguably stand as the most stringent across the nation. Challenges to these regulations are far from novel; they have been questioned and tested by parties…
In a significant recent development, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) disclosed its Advisory Opinion No. 23-07, confirming the extensive protection available for employees’ compensation under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute’s (the “AKS”) bona fide employee exception and safe harbor provisions. This advisory opinion can be accessed at the…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is set to host its next open meeting on Thursday, October 19, 2023, indicating several significant items to be acted upon. According to the FERC’s Sunshine Notice agenda, these prominent items are majorly associated with the electricity industry. Among the notable topics, FERC plans to act on is a…
A group of U.S. Senators engaged in a hearing on Tuesday, discussing a range of measures aimed at protecting student-athletes and their prospective earnings. The crux of the conversation was whether these athletes should be classified as employees, which opens up additional legal and financial implications. The hearing focused on the necessity of creating transparency…
In a fascinating mirroring of Greek mythology to a modern legal context, our understanding of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission’s (AMCC) application process finds parallels with the myth of Sisyphus. The founder and king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth), Sisyphus was punished by Hades for evading death two times. His eternal punishment involved ceaselessly…
The concept of Annahmeverzugslohn, the employee’s right to demand outstanding salary in case of wrongful dismissal, is gradually losing its effectiveness as a safeguard against unfair dismissal proceedings. This conclusion finds its roots in the broad practice, and unique set of legal employment regulations in Germany. More specifically, it is due to a particular characteristic…
John Eastman, a lawyer who previously advised President Donald Trump, defended his actions in urging Vice President Mike Pence to delay the certification of electors in the 2020 presidential election. During his defense, he stated that he was in constitutional terms “petitioning an officer of the government for redress of rather serious grievances.” Eastman is…
On October 11, 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its final rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), obliging an extensive range of companies to store records and report extensive PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) data. Scheduled to take effect on November 13, 2023, the rule is intended to help manage the…
In a recent legal development, a Minnesota federal court dismissed a case involving a tunneling contractor’s alleged differing site condition, on the grounds of an untimely notice. According to details from the case, Engineering & Construction Innovations Inc. took legal action against Bradshaw Construction Corp (ECI v. BCC). The crux of the legal matter lay…