Civil Law

Global Legal Insights Publishes “Cartels 2022”, featuring contributions from Partners Zhan Hao and Song Ying

AnJie Partners Zhan Hao and Song Ying were once again invited to pen the China chapter for Global Legal Insights: Cartels 2022 (“Cartels 2022”), which has been published recently. Cartels 2022, published by the Global Legal Group (“GLI”), aims at providing global legal professionals with an overview and insights into the laws and practices relevant to cartels (referred to as “monopoly agreements” in China) in different jurisdictions.

Based on the relevant rules and enforcement practices of monopoly agreements in China, … Read the rest

Civil Law

Colorado Adopts Regulations to Prevent Insurers from Stopping ALE and Replacement Cost Benefits

Colorado has suffered major wildfire catastrophes. There are not enough contractors to handle the repairs. As a result, Colorado issued new regulations for insurers regarding the handling of these claims.

The most important part of the Colorado bulletin is the following:

Section 5 Rules

In the event of a catastrophic disaster, an insurer shall waive any waiting periods related to ALE benefits for those policyholders whose residence requires repair or replacement or if the policyholder permanently relocates.

In the event

… Read the rest
Civil Law

Years in the making: New York issues two sets of “final draft” corporate tax reform regulations

On April 29, 2022, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance issued two sets of “final draft” regulations relating to the corporation franchise tax reform that took effect for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2015. Since the sweeping corporate tax reform was enacted, the Department has published a series of proposed updates to the Article 9-A corporation franchise tax regulations, but the two sets of regulations issued on April 29 are the first to be … Read the rest

Civil Law

Korea Trademark Act Amendments

The Korean Intellectual Property Office has put out a useful guide to recent Korea Trademark Act amendments.  Below is a summary of amendments effective as of April 20, 2022:

Extension of Trial Request Period.  The time to request a trial against an amendment rejection or a final rejection has been extended from 30 days to three months.

Petition for Restoration of Trademarks.   The grounds to restore trademark rights that have been extinguished due to invalidity of trademark procedures … Read the rest

Civil Law

Senate Grows Impatient with PTAB

Tillis/Hirono Demand Answers on OpenSky

Barely on the job for a week, Director Vidal is already being politically pressured to address a festering issue of patent policy.   That issue—the use of a recycled IPR petition as a means to collaterally attack large damage verdicts— is a self-inflicted wound for the agency.  The OpenSky business model wouldn’t exist absent the ill conceived expansion of discretionary denial practices under former Director Iancu.

Senator Tillis (a vocal supporter of Director Iancu) sent a … Read the rest

Civil Law

CBP to Issue Warning Letters to Certain Importers in Advance of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Implementation

In December 2021, President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”) into law. The UFLPA creates a rebuttable presumption that goods “mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part” in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (“XUAR”) of China, or by certain other entities in China, are made with forced labor and that such goods, wares, articles, and merchandise are not entitled to entry to the United States.[1] The presumption applies unless the Commissioner of … Read the rest

Civil Law

State AG Updates: March 31-April 6, 2022

Each week, Crowell & Moring’s State Attorneys General team highlights significant actions that State AGs have taken. Here are this week’s updates.

Multistate

  • A multistate coalition of 23 attorneys general led by New York Attorney General James and California Attorney General Bonta filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in support of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to restore access to Title X federal funding for family planning services. The Biden-Harris administration is attempting to
… Read the rest
Civil Law

Employee Terminations: Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Firing an employee can be much like breaking up with a significant other– stressful, messy, and awkward. No one wants to be the “bad guy,” and oftentimes it feels kinder to sugarcoat the facts rather than telling an employee the real reason for termination. But those good intentions may land employers in hot water.

A recent case serves as a potent reminder that an employer should always give the real reason or reasons for termination. As a result of failing … Read the rest