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International Trade
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August 12, 2024
Top 4 Trade Policy Developments Of 2024: Midyear Report
International trade continued its ascent as a national security and industrial policy tool this year, including through new sanctions aimed at isolating Russia, updated tariffs on Chinese goods, new solar import policies and an expanded definition of unfair subsidies. Here, Law360 takes a look back at the top trade policy developments of 2024 so far.
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August 12, 2024
Fed. Circ. Says Co. Can't Patent Coke Zero's Secret Sweetener
A Federal Circuit panel found Monday that the company that developed the artificial sweetener used in Coke Zero can't patent its formula after it has already touched the lips of customers even if they kept the recipe secret, something that's consistent with "precedent going back to the 1800s."
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August 09, 2024
9th Circ. Wipes Out BNSF's Retaliation Win
The Ninth Circuit on Friday overturned BNSF Railway Co.'s win in a late conductor's retaliation suit on Friday, saying the railroad failed to show it would've terminated the worker regardless of his refusal to stop conducting a brake test — even though the employer has insisted he was mainly fired for insubordination and misreporting his time card.
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August 09, 2024
Bond Denied For Ex-Ecuador Official Convicted In Bribery Plot
A Florida federal judge denied bond to Ecuador's ex-comptroller Friday after a jury convicted him earlier this year of laundering more than $12 million in bribes received in a construction scandal, saying the record would not support releasing him from custody before he is sentenced.
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August 09, 2024
Ex-Mozambique Finance Minister Convicted For $2B Scheme
Mozambique's former finance minister was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges in connection with his role in the $2 billion "tuna bonds" scandal, prosecutors announced.
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August 09, 2024
DC Circ. Makes Case For Restarting FERC Gas Policy Revamp
The D.C. Circuit's recent wipeout of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approvals of gas infrastructure projects is a sign that the agency should restart a stalled effort to update its decades-old pipeline approval policy, FERC watchers say.
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August 09, 2024
Fla. Forex Trader Gets 24 Years For $57M Ponzi Scheme
A purported foreign exchange trader has been hit with a 24-year prison sentence and a $57 million forfeiture order after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges in connection with a Ponzi scheme that took in over 1,100 would-be investors.
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August 09, 2024
3 Notable Trade Disputes Of 2024: A Midyear Report
This year the U.S. Supreme Court refused its last outstanding challenge to the president’s tariff power, a split Federal Circuit panel expanded decades-old duties on plumbing pipes, and the first North American trade pact labor panel tossed Washington’s claims. Here, Law360 revisits the most notable international trade cases of 2024 so far.
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August 09, 2024
Nigeria Must Face $65M Award Suit, DC Circ. Rules
The D.C. Circuit on Friday affirmed a ruling greenlighting litigation to enforce a $65 million arbitration award issued to a Chinese company after it was ousted from Nigeria, saying the country's sovereign immunity defense fails because it agreed to arbitrate the dispute.
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August 08, 2024
ITC Rips Google's Bid To Wield Chevron's End In Sonos Row
The U.S. International Trade Commission on Thursday joined Sonos in urging the Federal Circuit to reject Google's argument that the end of so-called Chevron deference means the appellate court should review precedent on the ITC's patent powers, calling the dispute a "poor vehicle" for such a review.
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August 08, 2024
Amazon Must Face Pandemic Price-Gouging Claims In Wash.
Washington's high court said on Thursday that Amazon can be sued under the state's Consumer Protection Act over alleged price-gouging early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but stopped short of agreeing with customers that the law bars specific markup percentages.
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August 08, 2024
Apple Wins Bid For 2 Trials In IP Dispute With Masimo
A California federal judge will hold separate trials on Masimo Corp.'s trade secrets and patent claims over the Apple Watch, siding with Apple Inc. and rejecting Masimo's request for one later trial on all the issues, in a case with potentially billions of dollars at stake.
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August 08, 2024
Texas LNG Investor's Estate Sues In Del. Over Stake Valuation
The estate of a deceased investor who had a minority stake in a long-delayed liquified natural gas export project in Texas has sued his investment company and co-investors in Delaware's Chancery Court, alleging they are attempting to short-change the estate by undervaluing his stake in the project.
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August 08, 2024
VC, PE Firm Says Chinese Co. Cost $150M SpaceX Investment
A California-based venture capital and private equity firm has sued a Chinese company in California federal court, claiming Elon Musk's SpaceX rejected its planned $150 million investment after the Chinese company breached its promise to abide by strict confidentiality requirements and instead publicized its involvement in the planned investment.
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August 08, 2024
Where Judicial Vacancies Stand As Congress Is In Recess
The U.S. Senate doesn't return for about a month, but when it does, Democrats will be on the final sprint to try to top the 234 judges confirmed in former President Donald Trump's first term.
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August 08, 2024
Green Groups Seek Ban On Imports From Unsafe Fisheries
Environmental groups urged the U.S. Court of International Trade to order NOAA Fisheries to ban imports from fisheries that use equipment dangerous to marine life, saying Thursday that the imports continue to enter the domestic market despite lawmakers mandating a prohibition years ago.
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August 08, 2024
Hunters, Breeder Say CDC Overstepped With Dog Import Ban
Hunting groups and a breeder challenged a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rule barring them from bringing young puppies into the U.S., telling a Michigan federal court that the agency overstepped to prevent the spread of rabies.
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August 07, 2024
DOD Contractor Wants No Prison For Parts Sales From Turkey
A Florida defense contractor who admitted to using a front company to supply critical military components that were made in Turkey asked Tuesday for a non-prison sentence, arguing that her participation in the scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Defense was driven by financial desperation and a misplaced trust in those who ran the operation.
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August 07, 2024
Insurer Wants Bad Faith Claim Tossed In Russian Planes Suit
HDI Global and underwriters of insurance policies on airplanes stranded in Russia have asked a Florida court to toss a bad faith claim by aircraft leasing company Avmax, arguing that bad faith only applies to coverage denials without a reasonable basis and that in this case there has been no denial, and it is "fairly debatable" whether coverage applies.
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August 07, 2024
6th Circ. Backs 20 Years For Chinese Spy Who Targeted GE
The Sixth Circuit upheld a 20-year prison sentence for a Chinese spy convicted of espionage for trying to steal trade secrets from General Electric's GE Aviation unit, noting in an opinion unsealed Wednesday the punishment was reasonable as he continuously pursued the confidential information using sophisticated tradecraft processes for several years.
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August 07, 2024
Robot Vacuum Cleaner Patent Ruling Remains Undisturbed
Federal Circuit judges proved unpersuaded on Wednesday to do anything to touch an administrative board ruling that wiped out most, but not all, of the claims in a patent that allegedly covered a new feature in the Roomba brand of robotic vacuum cleaners.
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August 07, 2024
Split Fed. Circ. OK's Penalty Rates For Taiwanese Nail Cos.
A divided Federal Circuit on Wednesday backed the U.S. Department of Commerce's decision to base Taiwanese nail companies' antidumping duties on penalty rates assigned to businesses that refused to cooperate with investigators, saying the practice was the default method.
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August 07, 2024
Biden Trampled Free Speech With Israeli Sanctions, Suit Says
A group of dual U.S.-Israeli citizens sued the Biden administration in Texas federal court Tuesday alleging that an executive order authorizing sanctions and visa restrictions for individuals said to undermine peace and stability in the West Bank violates their First Amendment rights.
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August 07, 2024
Fla. Bank Shareholders Lose Bid To Stop Recapitalization Deal
A Florida federal judge has denied a post-trial bid by Eastern National Bank NA shareholders to halt a recapitalization deal and stop the bank's board from implementing an equity compensation plan following claims that the bank didn't have proper authorization from the U.S. government to implement the plan.
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August 07, 2024
Green Groups Say Export-Import Bank Is Harming Climate
Environmental and animal rights groups on Wednesday asked the U.S. Department of State to order the Export-Import Bank to stop helping fund projects they said are contributing to climate change.
Expert Analysis
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EU Investor-State Dispute Transparency Rules: Key Points
The European Union's recent vote to embrace greater transparency for investor-state arbitration will make managing newly public information more complex for all parties in a dispute — so it is important for stakeholders to understand the risks and opportunities involved, say Philip Hall, Tara Flores and Charles McKeon at Thorndon Partners.
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Takeaways From EU's Initial Findings On Apple's App Store
A deep dive into the European Commission's recent preliminary findings that Apple's App Store rules are in breach of the Digital Markets Act reveal that enforcement of the EU's Big Tech law might go beyond the literal text of the regulation and more toward the spirit of compliance, say William Dolan and Pratik Agarwal at Rule Garza.
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25 Years Of OECD's Anti-Bribery Convention
Marking its 25th anniversary this year, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's anti-bribery convention has advanced legislative reforms and reshaped corporate conduct in dozens of countries amid the persistent challenges of uneven enforcement and political pressure, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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2 Rulings Serve As Conversion Fee Warnings For Banks
A comparison of the different outcomes in Wright v. Capital One in a Virginia federal court, and in Guerrero v. Bank of America in a North Carolina federal court, highlights how banks must be careful in describing how currency exchange fees and charges are determined in their customer agreements, say attorneys at Weiner Brodsky.
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Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Intra-EU Enforcement Trends
Hungary recently declared a distinct stance on the European Court of Justice's 2021 ruling in Moldavia v. Komstroy on intra-EU arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty, highlighting a critical divergence in the bloc on enforcing investment awards and the complexities of balancing regional uniformity with international obligations, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.
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Opinion
Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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'Outsourcing' Ruling, 5 Years On: A Warning, Not A Watershed
A New York federal court’s 2019 ruling in U.S. v. Connolly, holding that the government improperly outsourced an investigation to Deutsche Bank, has not undercut corporate cooperation incentives as feared — but companies should not completely ignore the lessons of the case, say Temidayo Aganga-Williams and Anna Nabutovsky at Selendy Gay.
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Series
Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.
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Series
After Chevron: A Sea Change For Maritime Sector
The shipping industry has often looked to the courts for key agency decisions affecting maritime interests, but after the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright ruling, stakeholders may revisit important industry questions and coordinate to bring appropriate challenges and shape rulemaking, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Mitigating Risks Amid 10-Year Sanctions Enforcement Window
In response to recent legislation, which doubles the statute of limitations for actions related to certain U.S. sanctions and provides regulators greater opportunity to investigate possible violations, companies should take specific steps to account for the increased civil and criminal enforcement risk, say attorneys at Freshfields.
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A Timeline Of Antisemitism Legislation And What It Means
What began as hearings in the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce has expanded to a House-wide effort to combat antisemitism and related issues, with wide-ranging implications for education, finance and nonprofit entities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Unpacking Pressures, Trends Affecting Global Supply Chains
A recent HSBC report reveals a number of trends and challenges for global supply chains in the current uncertain geopolitical landscape, and with constant emerging opportunities, companies that can stay informed, be proactive and adapt to change will be well positioned to succeed, says Michelle Craven-Faulkner at Shoosmiths.
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Series
After Chevron: Rethinking Agency Deference In IP Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent overturning of Chevron deference could make it simpler to challenge the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s proposed rule on terminal disclaimers and U.S. International Trade Commission interpretations, says William Milliken at Sterne Kessler.