In legal news, a process known as Know Your Customer (KYC) is evolving. Renowned as a fundamental protocol, financial institutions (FIs) have been using KYC for years to authenticate the identities of their clients. More importantly, KYC evaluates the associated financial crime risk, functioning as a crucial deterrent against illicit activities within the financial sector…
Justices at the United States Supreme Court appear divided over the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) power to impose fines via administrative proceedings. The contentious issue arises from the argument in Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, in which George Jarkesy vigorously defended the decision made in favor by the U.S. Court of Appeals for…
Major law firms such as Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Hogan Lovells, and Sidley Austin have ramped up their recruitment of energy practice partners, according to a recent report by Bloomberg. The changes come as there is a notable shift in federal policy towards clean energy, leading to increased demand for related legal expertise….
In a crucial development for both patients and providers utilizing telehealth services, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) through the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released new guidance on October 18, 2023. The update, consisting of two resource documents, is designed to educate patients on privacy and security risks associated with their Protected…
In the rapidly evolving digital economy, questions around taxation for online transactions are increasingly adding to the complexities. An essential query that legal and financial professionals often grapple with is “Do You Have to Pay Taxes When Selling Goods or Services Online?” According to a recent article by Allen Barron, Inc. on JD Supra, this…
The potential merger between Cigna Group and Humana Inc., two renowned entities in the healthcare insurance sector, is expected to attract formidable antitrust scrutiny, reminiscent of challenges faced by previous colossal mergers in the industry. This is in line with the recent trend of stringent examination of large corporate agreements by antitrust regulators, indicating that…
Global law firm Dentons has recruited Michael Park, a TMT (technology, media, and telecom) partner from Allens, one of Australia’s top law firms. This move marks Dentons’ sixth partner appointment in Australia this year. Prior to his recent move, Park led numerous high-profile deals in the TMT sector at Allens, further enhancing his reputation as…
Cravath Swaine & Moore’s recent decision to boost associate salaries above the scale set by counterpart Milbank has initiated ripples throughout the sector, pushing less profitable firms to face the uncomfortable question of how to answer with pay increases they might not afford. The distinguished law firm announced on November 28 that it will establish…
Sidley Austin, an ambitious player in the big law businesses, recently announced its strategy to navigate to the forefront of restructuring practices. A feat considered great by aspiring Big Law leaders, with only a few firms having successfully achieved this goal since the 1970s when restructuring was first established as a Big Law business by…
There is an increasing trend in the United States where state regulators are becoming more aggressive in scrutinizing how predictive Artificial Intelligence (AI) models could potentially lead to discrimination in insurance carriers’ underwriting practices. Colorado is leading the charge by being the first state to adopt a formal regulation set specifically for insurance algorithms. However,…
Major U.S trading partners are initiating the implementation of a 15% global minimum corporate tax, known as Pillar Two, sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). However, not all members of the U.S Congress are warm to such a proposal. Approval by the House, where all U.S tax legislation initiates, remains uncertain….
In June 2021, a landmark decision by the US Supreme Court in NCAA v. Alston cleared the path for college athletes to financially profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights, a move deemed long overdue. However, a more recent legal battle, Panini America v. Fanatics, potentially jeopardizes the NIL rights of professional athletes….
The intersection of digital creations, business behaviours, and artistic expression is becoming more important in this era of increasing digitalisation and virtual experiences. As was evidenced by a November 1 court ruling regarding legal protection for choreographic works, copyright law is currently experiencing significant shifts. These shifts and expansions of legal definitions can have profound…
Over the past decade, “spoofing”, a form of market manipulation predominantly observed in the commodities market, has caught the keen eye of Congress. Following the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, this deceptive trading practice became expressly prohibited and subjected to criminal prosecution. In recent years, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have…
A new lawsuit has been filed by an affiliate of Woodsford Litigation Funding against the San Francisco-based law firm, Hosie Rice LLP. The lawsuit contends that the firm’s founders are indebted to it for an amount of $1.8 million. The sum is allegedly related to earnings from the imminent sale of a highly priced property…
In a notable legal decision, a California federal judge has dismissed allegations by a scriptwriter asserting that Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, and the Creative Artists Agency utilized his script unscrupulously during the development of the 2019 film “Ad Astra” starring Brad Pitt. The judge, in his ruling, emphasized that the “undisputed facts” of the case…
Republican attorneys general in 19 states are rallying to support the effort by two conservative groups to challenge a Nasdaq Stock Market rule that mandates public disclosure of board diversity data by listed companies. They argue that the rule, which is designed to ensure transparency regarding the demographics of these companies’ leadership, is actually in…
Traxcell Technologies LLC has made a request to the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appeal that pertains to attorney fees allegedly owed to big telecommunication corporates; Sprint and Verizon. This follows a previous decision in which the aforementioned companies emerged victorious from an infringement lawsuit Traxcell had filed against them. Traxcell argues that the…
A small medical device startup in Silicon Valley is leveraging the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to litigate allegations of intellectual property infringement against technology giant, Apple Inc. The dispute centers around Apple’s purported misappropriation of health tracking software used in their smartwatches. The accusations have managed to pull notable attention and support in the…
The District Attorneys’ offices of San Francisco and Los Angeles have recently appealed to a Californian appellate panel, seeking a resurrection of their civil suit. As per their claim, the law firm Potter Handy LLP has been conducting deceptive practices, ensnaring thousands of businesses in factually unsupported disability rights lawsuits. They argue that the lower…
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced an indictment against an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, for an alleged unsuccessful assassination plot against a US citizen of Indian descent who advocates for Sikh separatism. The indictment, recently unsealed, alleges that Gupta coordinated and financed the targeted murder, laying down specific instructions that the act should…
In an interesting development this week, a Florida-based judicial ethics panel disclosed that a state judge has received permission to attend a local softball game. The game in question is one between the local sheriff’s department and the police department. What makes this situation unique is the delicate balance between leisure and maintaining a perception…
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sparked a debate over the public rights doctrine during oral arguments this Wednesday. This doctrine is used to determine whether certain lawsuits involving the government should be tried in front of a jury. Justice Thomas, known for his sparing use of questions during oral arguments, directed the attention of…
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has invalidated a portion of a conveyor belt patent, ruling that five claims in the patent owned by Laitram LLC were invalid. The decision further furthers the complexities present in patent law, particularly in the tech and manufacturing industries, where innovations and inventions frequently straddle existing patent territory….
In a recent development, the company previously known as Twitter is reportedly challenging a long-standing patent licensing agreement set in a Californian federal court, in which it is contractually bound to pay $3 million annually for several technologies related to TiVo. The contention arises as the company, now owned by business magnate Elon Musk, disputes…