Civil Law | Judiciary.org

PTAB to Discuss “Interim” Bifurcation

Boardside Chat This Thursday

The PTAB will host its next Boardside Chat webinar on Thursday, April 17, noon to 1 p.m. ET, for a discussion of the new interim processes for PTAB workload management. The new processes concern institution of AIA trial proceedings and bifurcation of discretionary considerations from merits and other non-discretionary institution considerations.

The new interim processes were announced on March 26, 2025. The Board will discuss more details about the processes and a question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. (Register Here) … Read the rest

Civil Law

Tariffs threaten safety of imported specialty foods

New U.S. tariffs, particularly on Chinese imports like soy sauce, are driving up costs at specialty stores, raising fears that smaller importers could face pressures challenging their ability to maintain safety standards.

Surprise policy shifts have added uncertainty to the trade landscape.

On April 9, 2025, the Trump Administration paused its steep “reciprocal” tariffs on countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines for 90 days, leaving a baseline 10 percent tariff on most imports from these nations. However, tariffs on … Read the rest

Civil Law

AMT: Does It Impose Additional Taxes Under Income Tax Bill, 2025?

Background

The Alternate Minimum Tax (“AMT”) has its genesis in the Minimum Alternate Tax (“MAT”), which was introduced to ensure that taxes were paid by even those companies that intended to avoid payment of taxes by engaging in ingenuous tax planning methods despite having earned significant amount of book profits. These companies, called “zero-tax companies”, while reporting significant book profits, paid minimal or no income tax by leveraging various exemptions and deductions available under the Income … Read the rest

Civil Law

A New Era for Consumer Protection: The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act

An overhaul of the UK consumer law landscape is on the horizon, with the consumer law provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 set to take effect on 6 April 2025.

By Fiona Maclean, David Little, Irina Vasile, and Sean Newhouse

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) represents a significant shift in the UK’s consumer protection regime. By introducing new enforcement powers and substantive obligations on top of a foundation of restated law, the … Read the rest

Civil Law

Former FDA leaders say staff cuts are killing the agency

Two former FDA leaders have taken to social media to say that the agency as we know it no longer exists.

Robert Califf, who stepped down from his post as Food and Drug Administration commissioner earlier this year, wrote on LinkedIn that the agency “is finished.” His pronouncement came as the first wave of firings at the agency went into effect. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. oversees the FDA and is firing 3,500 people from the … Read the rest

Civil Law

GETTING REAL ABOUT THE FISCAL CHALLENGES AHEAD

The source for this is a website called U.S. Debtclock.org. It allows you to look at the picture of America’s economy in 1980 and today. To add drama, it does it much as the other debt clocks you can find on line where the debt we owe as a nation expands by millions every hour. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the data but as I analyzed it with other statistics I have seen it “feels” accurate.

We take … Read the rest

Civil Law

Upcoming webinar: Managing cross border sexual harassment investigations in Australia and Asia

Conducting workplace investigations into sexual harassment claims is challenging, and especially so across borders. Multinational organisations that implement robust, cross border investigation procedures can significantly lower their risk of facing disputes and legal actions.

In this webinar, Seyfarth partners will explore managing sexual harassment claims in the Asia Pacific region, where diverse legal landscapes and cultural norms further complicate cross border investigations. Topics include:

Regional nuances: Key similarities, differences, and risks in jurisdictions such as Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and

… Read the rest

Civil Law

APHA involved in 20 E. coli and Cryptosporidium outbreaks

Seven E. coli and 13 Cryptosporidium outbreak investigations in England and Wales required APHA assistance in 2024, according to a recent report.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) was part of seven Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) investigations with two each in the first and second quarters of 2024, and three during the third quarter. There were three STEC O26 and two STEC O157 investigations epidemiologically linked to open farms; and two STEC O145 incidents traced to high-risk foods.… Read the rest