Alerts

Sovereign Assets Ltd. (SAL), a real estate firm based in Israel, was unable to service its debt obligations and was placed into liquidation proceedings in Israel. Two administrators, who had been appointed to liquidate the company in Israel, commenced Chapter 15 proceeding.

On April 16, 2015, the Virginia Supreme Court threw out a contempt citation against social media company Yelp, Inc. (Yelp) in a closely watched case involving anonymous free speech rights on the internet.

Earlier this week, the owners of the egg distribution firm, Quality Egg, LLC (Quality Egg), were sentenced to three months in prison, given one year of supervised probation, and required to each pay a $100,000 fine after pleading guilty to selling eggs in 2010 that were contaminated with salmonella.

Last week, 14 state attorneys general sent a letter to Congress requesting that it investigate the herbal supplements industry, as well as consider giving the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stronger oversight authority over the marketing of such products in the US.

Federal contractors are subject to a variety of employment-related laws and regulations as part of the price of doing business with the government.

In a recent non-precedential decision, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled that the fast food chain Del Taco, Inc. (Del Taco) no longer enjoys trademark rights in the NAUGLES brand associated with Naugles, Inc., a California-based fast food chain that Del Taco acquired in the late-1980s.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has informed a US district court that it may not be proposing regulations requiring energy and mining companies to disclose payments to governments for the extraction of natural resources until spring 2016.

In its ruling, the Appellate Court partially reversed the lower court’s limited approval of the Settlement by finding that the lower court improperly seconded-guessed the judgment of the Trustee and did not accord that judgment proper deference when considering approval of the Settlement.

The US Food and Drug Administration recently sent a Warning Letter to Skin Authority, LLC, due to marketing claims used by the company to promote its personal care products.

The bankruptcy case of Energy Future Holdings (EFH) and its affiliates has already provided the Delaware bankruptcy court occasion to tackle a number of important bankruptcy questions, including the propriety of using tender offers to settle noteholder claims during the pendency of the case.

There are significant issues for a lender whose loans are secured by life insurance to consider. Principally, these issues relate to ensuring that the lender has properly established a first priority security interest in the collateral.

In a precedential ruling, TTAB held that SMART BALANCE for frozen foods was not likely to be confused with SMART ONES for frozen foods in light of the weakness of the common term “SMART,” the differences in the marks, the 17-year peaceful co-existence of the parties’ marks, and more.

Iran and the United States, along with Russia, China, France, the UK, and Germany announced that they have reached an agreement on the key parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding the Iran nuclear program in exchange for the termination of certain sanctions.

On March 24, 2015, the Washington, DC office of Arent Fox LLP, in cooperation with the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy, hosted the latest edition of their Public Policy Forum Series.

On March 24, 2015, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) signed into law S.B. 426, the Fair and Open Competition in Governmental Construction Act.

On March 24, 2015, the Supreme Court issued its much anticipated second trademark decision of the term, holding that US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) decisions concerning likelihood of confusion generally have preclusive effects in federal court.

In the non-precedential ruling, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB or Board) found that the marks “MASQUERADE” and “MASCARADE” are likely to be confused for different alcoholic beverages. In re 8 Vini, Inc., Serial No. 85857391 (January 16, 2015) [not precedential].

A recent Delaware District Court decision concerning an appeal of a bankruptcy settlement clearly provides support for the use of tender offers or other exchange, or settlement mechanics permitted under applicable federal securities laws prior to and outside a plan of reorganization.

The New York Court of Appeals recently held in Ellington v. EMI Music, Inc. that the term “affiliates” in a copyright renewal agreement referred only to affiliates existing at the time of contract execution.

The second installment from Birgit Matthiesen for a planned series of cross-border trade updates.

The Second Circuit in Krys v. Farnum Place denied a petition for rehearing or rehearing en banc by Appellee Farnum Place, LLC , a hedge fund that sought to protect its purchase of a $230 million claim against the bankruptcy estate of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC.

A recent ruling in California US District Court will severely curtail the ability of plaintiffs to bring tort actions based on exposure to chemicals listed under California’s Proposition 65 (Prop 65) as chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects.

The alleged descendants of Aunt Jemima (a.k.a. Anna Short Harrington) do not have a valid claim to the great syrup fortune of Pepsi and Quaker Oats, according to a recent ruling by the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

In a recent decision, the Federal Circuit clarified the “use in commerce” requirement for trademark applications filed in connection with the provision of a service.

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas (Bankruptcy Court) declined to grant comity to a decision of the Mexican labor board thereby refusing to recognize a foreclosure sale of assets belonging to Elcoteq, Inc., a US corporation in US bankruptcy proceedings.