Features

SEC to Continue to Punish Wrongdoers and Deter Misconduct
The Division of Enforcement will likely continue to use "every tool in its toolkit" and expect that public companies and other market participants will think rigorously about their business and appropriately tailor compliance practices and internal controls and policies to match.
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Fifth Circuit Adds Color to Abstention Issue
Rules Bankruptcy Court Lacked Jurisdiction to Decide State-Governed Question Jurisdictional boundaries within the federal system as between bankruptcy and district courts as well as various federal agencies can be a maze that is at times nearly impossible to navigate. Further complicating matters are those cases involving state-regulated issues that add abstention to the mix.
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The Impact of Fed Rate Hikes on CRE Financing
When experiencing pain, the natural human response is to ask when it might stop. That is what commercial real estate, among other industries, have been doing. When will inflation end and the Federal Reserve stop hiking rates?
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Circuit Split Reflects Disagreement About the Relationship Between Scheme Liability and SEC Rule 10b-5(b)
Historically, federal courts generally agreed that scheme liability under SEC Rule 10b-5(a) and (c) requires something more than a misstatement or omission — with misstatements and omissions typically being litigated under Rule 10b-5(b) instead. However, the SCOTUS in Lorenzo v. SEC held that an individual who disseminates a misstatement, without other fraudulent conduct, is potentially liable under the scheme liability provisions of Rule 10b-5. Subsequently, a circuit split has emerged over the scope of Lorenzo's holding.
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How the Changing Concept of 'Work' May Jeopardize Employers' IP Ownership
A key step to ensure that employers own their intellectual property is having employees sign agreements which assign to the employer all intellectual property created in the course of employment.
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Second Circuit Narrows Reach of Wire Fraud and Insider Trading Prohibitions
The Second Circuit's long-anticipated decision in United States v. Blaszczak limits the government's ability to bring fraud or insider trading prosecutions where the information used to achieve an advantage is regulatory information held by the government. It also brings the Second Circuit in greater alignment with the Supreme Court's wire fraud jurisprudence.
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Online Extra: Live Nation Taps Prominent Antitrust Attorney Ahead of Congressional Showdown
Girding itself for scrutiny by Congress and regulators over anti-competitive concerns, Live Nation Entertainment has retained prominent antitrust attorney-turned-lobbyist Seth Bloom.
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Regulators Reaching Deep In Their Toolbox to Prosecute Users of Encrypted Messages
If you use Whatsapp or similar platforms for work-related communications, then you've probably heard that regulators are putting an end to that practice. Ephemeral and encrypted messaging, they have noted, evades monitoring and prevents retention. A seldom used doctrine allows prosecutors to charge executives with misdemeanor offenses just for being in the position of power when others commit the misconduct. Rather than take a wait-and-see approach, companies and their leaders would do well to prepare for prosecutors to reach deep into their toolbox.
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SEC Tightens Rules on Scheduling Trades In Advance
General counsel may find themselves pulled into difficult conversations with top executives as the Securities and Exchange Commission tightens its rules on company insiders looking to dump their stock.
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Copyright Claims Board: Now Entering the "Active Phase"
2023 is shaping up to be a big year for small claims. Since making its debut in June of 2022, the Copyright Claims Board (CCB) has received over 250 claims, and at least 11 have made it to the "active phase," with more on the way. Active phase means a respondent was served, failed to "opt out," and now the esteemed three-member tribunal of copyright experts may finally get a chance to make some rulings.
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