Regulation

Tech giants' privacy counsel and U.S. senators discussed opt-in policies, lengthy, legalese-filled privacy notices and location tracking. The discussion aimed to further shape a potential U.S. federal data privacy law.

A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court, led by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, held that the phrase “full costs” in §505 of the Copyright Act means all of the costs specifically enumerated in the general cost-shifting statutes, such as transcripts and fees for court-appointed experts and interpreters.

The DOJ has signaled its intent to pursue prosecutions for spoofing — which the law defines as "bidding or offering with the intent to cancel the bid or offer before execution" — aggressively. This article begins with a brief discussion of the elements that the government must prove to establish commodities fraud and wire fraud. It then examines recent spoofing prosecutions that raise important questions about the applicability of the traditional fraud statutes to spoofing-related activity. How the federal courts answer these open questions will have significant implications for participants in the commodities markets.

Planning for executive benefits for top hat employees at non-profit organizations has undergone a frenzy of regulatory roadmap changes. Nonprofit NonQualified Benefits are largely directed and controlled by IRC §457.

Recent actions by the DOJ suggest that although the DOJ may continue to prosecute certain relators' FCA cases, other relators may find themselves on the other side of a government motion to dismiss.

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the majority of an $11 million jury verdict brought by a whistleblower who claimed that his company fired him for raising concerns about possible FCPA violations.

Technology Platforms Such As Google, YouTube and Facebook Had Opposed the Changes, Which Will Require Them to Compensate Publishers, Artists and Musicians

EU lawmakers have approved controversial new copyright rules that aim to make it easier for content rights-holders to make money when their content is used on digital platforms but could force large platforms such as Google, Facebook and YouTube to make changes to their operations.

The former CEO of a pharmaceutical company was found guilty by a jury on eight counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution for orchestrating a scheme that led to the collapse of one of Puerto Rico's biggest banks.