Commercial Law

On July 17, 2008, UBS A.G., the giant Swiss bank, announced its cooperation with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the IRS and its identification to the authorities of U.S. clients who use undeclared foreign accounts and thus may have committed tax fraud by concealing income. Herein is a discussion of voluntary disclosure.

As Russia, China, India and a host of other countries open their doors to U.S. investors, the number of companies and individuals who need to think about the risk of prosecution under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1997 (FCPA) has increased tremendously. This article explains.

The present economic climate is predictive of increased bankruptcy filings, liquidations, and other insolvencies. Under the appropriate circumstances, a company's directors' and officers' liability policies are potential corporate assets that should not be forgotten or ignored.

It will come as no surprise that there is a long-standing split of authorities among the courts concerning whether or not subsequent new value must remain unpaid for the purposes of ' 547(c)(4). This article discusses where the courts stand today.

Practitioners before the International Trade Commission have noted a substantial increase in the number of filings and Section 337 investigations over the last several years. In addition to providing possible reasons for that substantial increase, this article provides an overview of IP-related investigations at the ITC, and explores the success rate of the complainants over the respondents in the ITC. Finally, this article considers whether the ITC will be "a victim of its own success," following the pattern of the Eastern District of Texas and the Eastern District of Virginia.

Part One of this article discussed some of the major landlord "fixes" often required when working from a tenant's form of lease, i.e., remeasurement, rent, taxes, tenant self-help, default, mitigation, assignment, subordination, and estoppels. This conclusion continues the discussion with additional "fixes."

Strict product liability emerged in the 1960s and 1970s as a potent force shaping the way product manufacturers do business in America. Although the relevant common law of each state has been modified from time to time since its inception, the basic parameters of the theory have been settled for some time. Now, however, market conditions are changing dramatically, and the law is likely to change with it.

This article provides a review of the basic principles of federal tax liens and secured transactions under Article 9 of the UCC ("Article 9") and discusses certain issues that arise with respect to the priority of federal tax liens against certain interest holders under the "45-day rule" of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code").