With the growing competition in the marketplace and the increasing number of antitrust claims, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continue to intensify its crackdown on anticompetitive conduct across all industries. The FTC recently announced the creation of an internal task force that would monitor and investigate potential antitrust violations arising in the technology markets.
Also known as claim construction hearing, the Markman hearing is a significant proceeding in a patent infringement case. Getting it right is crucial to the success of a case.
In December 2019, the Final Regulations for Qualified Opportunity Zone Program were issued by Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Final Regulations were reported in the Federal Register in January 2020 and will become final in mid-March.
Effective calculation of intellectual property damages is a crucial factor in any IP litigation. However, with significant court cases constantly shaping the process, several risk issues including apportionment analysis, royalty base issues, and damages calculation methodologies must be carefully considered to avoid unwanted risks and pitfalls.
Special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), also known as “blank-check companies,” have recently reemerged as a feasible acquisition vehicle for many private companies. The sole purpose of SPACs is to purchase other companies by raising capital through initial public offerings (IPOs).
QA automation has been prevalent over decades in the Software Testing Industry, and it's continuing to mature to pace up with a wide variety of technologies, programming languages, and methodologies. While QA automation has helped enhance the test coverage, lower overall QA costs, and accelerate test cycles; however, we’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg.
Effective December 31, 2021, the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) will be replaced by the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) as a primary benchmark index. The impending transition is expected to disrupt the whole market structure and pose significant challenges and risks to financial institutions.
In fall of 2019, a final rule to amend the "Volcker Rule" was approved by the Federal Reserve Board and other agencies charged with implementing the Volcker Rule. In January 2020, the agencies proposed further revisions to the covered funds provisions of the Volcker Rule, requesting comment by April 1, 2020.
The SECURE Act, an acronym for “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act” was signed into law on December 20, 2019, as part of a massive compromise government spending bill. The Act represents the most significant reform of the retirement system since the Pension Protection Act of 2006.
The regulatory landscape for the cannabis industry continues to evolve as it reaches new heights both in the U.S. and Canada.
In this LIVE Webcast, a panel of thought leaders and professionals brought together by The Knowledge Group will provide and present an in-depth analysis of the fundamentals as well as recent developments in eDiscovery and Litigation Preparedness: Tools, Tactics, and Best Practices to Leverage. Speakers will also present all important issues surrounding this significant topic. Join us for this Knowledge Group Webinar!
The implementation of anti-corruption programs has become more proactive over the past years. Multinational corporations have continued to prioritize investments with strong anti-corruption initiatives. Additionally, jurisdictions have taken significant measures to improve their legislative framework against bribery by requiring businesses to follow internal policies and regulations.
As the world grapples with the unprecedented economic disruptions brought by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the U.S. and Canada are confronted by the added challenge of maintaining transfer pricing compliance. Most businesses are now forced to adjust their transfer prices, analysis, and documentation and revisit their force majeure clauses to look for alternative means of fulfilling their contract obligations. Thus, creating a profound strain on the operations of MNEs.
The Department of Labor Regulations on disclosure of 401(k) plan fees and expenses are designed to provide transparency to participants in a user-friendly format, allowing for an apples-to-apples comparison of fees and expenses under a plan’s investment options that impact participant account balances, and a look under the hood on plan administration costs charged to participant accounts. But greater disclosure can lead to greater scrutiny, and an essential duty for plan sponsors is monitoring fees and expenses that could reduce participant account balances, and timely addressing excesses.
In May 2019, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published a framework for OFAC compliance. The core elements of the guidance are aimed at creating a tailored risk-based strategy to ensure sanctions compliance across an organization. It also outlines five components of a compliance program and it includes an appendix identifying the root causes of compliance breakdowns and deficiencies. To mitigate risks, it is imperative for companies to assess the adequacy of their OFAC compliance programs and to tailor them to target risks relevant to the business.
