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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its Effect on Franchising
The dominant issue in the U.S. political and media landscape heading into 2014 continues to be the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its potential impact on the U.S. economy. Many consider the ACA to be a milestone in moving the American health care system toward greater efficiency, increased coverage and improved quality of care. Many others, however, remain concerned that the law will have detrimental consequences for individuals, employers and the health care industry. The ACA's reforms were designed to improve individuals' access to health insurance coverage and bolster the quality of products available ' particularly because, beginning in 2014, most individuals will be required to either purchase health insurance or pay a tax penalty. However, critics continue to voice concerns that individuals will not be able to keep their current health plans if they like them and argue that some provisions will have a detrimental impact on hiring practices, the prevalence of full-time employment and administrative costs, particularly among small businesses.
As the ACA continues to be implemented, franchisors and franchisees must be vigilant in understanding whether they are subject to the ACA's mandates, penalties and tax credits. The franchising industry must be sufficiently informed and prepared to manage the uncertainty surrounding both compliance requirements and costs. Navigating the ACA amidst myriad news reports, political talking points, commercials and editorials can be challenging at best. However, there are some clear knowns ' and unknowns ' that franchisors and franchisees must be aware of today in order to be prepared for tomorrow.
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTs
A federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It
Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?
Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners
Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.
Coverage Issues Stemming from Dry Cleaner Contamination Suits
In recent years, there has been a growing number of dry cleaners claiming to be "organic," "green," or "eco-friendly." While that may be true with respect to some, many dry cleaners continue to use a cleaning method involving the use of a solvent called perchloroethylene, commonly known as perc. And, there seems to be an increasing number of lawsuits stemming from environmental problems associated with historic dry cleaning operations utilizing this chemical.