President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House is set to bring significant changes to the auto industry. The Biden era’s focus on rapid electrification, global trade, and an active FTC will be replaced by an...more
Once upon a time in the Eastern District of New York, a cryptocurrency foundation, new owners of the sole copy of Wu-Tang Clan’s “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” filed suit against the album’s former purchaser, Martin Shkreli,...more
On October 9, 2024, the Fifth Circuit heard oral argument on the administrative challenge lodged by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), a national trade association representing the interests of U.S. car...more
The administrative challenge brought by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and another trade association against the Combating Auto Retail Scams (“CARS”) Trade Regulation Rule, issued last year by the Federal...more
8/22/2024
/ Automotive Industry ,
Automotive Loans ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FTC Act ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Rulemaking Process ,
State Attorneys General ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The ongoing battle between DraftKings Inc. and its former executive, Michael Hermalyn, remains contentious, with the District of Massachusetts’ decision to enforce Hermalyn’s non-compete now appealed and argued to the First...more
8/13/2024
/ Choice-of-Law ,
Confidential Information ,
DraftKings ,
Employment Contract ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Code ,
Misappropriation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Online Gaming ,
Popular ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws
All bets are off in a Boston-based dispute between DraftKings Inc. and one of its former vice presidents. On April 30, 2024, the District of Massachusetts granted DraftKings a twelve-month preliminary injunction preventing...more
By any measure, the world has changed vastly since we issued our first Commercial Litigation Outlook in 2020. We are now on our fourth installment of providing insights and flagging trends for what to expect in the coming...more
2/16/2024
/ Arbitration ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banks ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Commercial Court ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Copyright ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Machine Learning ,
Merger Agreements ,
Patents ,
Trademarks
Aegis Spine Inc. has agreed to pay $8,000,000 to fellow spinal implant manufacturer Life Spine Inc., following Life Spine’s suit in the Northern District of Illinois alleging Aegis had misappropriated Life Spine’s trade...more
On January 18, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it was staying the effective date of its Combating Auto Retail Scams Trade Regulation Rule (the “CARS Rule”) pending resolution of an administrative challenge...more
In 2023, Seyfarth’s Trade Secrets, Computer Fraud & Non-Compete practice group presented a series of dynamic and insightful CLE webinars, addressing pivotal challenges confronting businesses head-on. The breadth of our...more
After more than a year of review, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on December 12, 2023 launched its much-anticipated final rule targeting misleading advertising and sales tactics by new car dealers. First proposed in the...more
12/14/2023
/ Advertising ,
Auto Lease ,
Automotive Industry ,
Car Dealerships ,
Consumer Contracts ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fees ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Hidden Fees ,
Material Misrepresentation ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retail Sales
In the fall of 2022, Ford introduced an aggressive “Model e Program,” requiring its dealers to invest roughly $500,000-$1 million to install publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, invest in employee...more
Boston Beer Corporation (“Boston Beer”) recently filed suit seeking monetary and injunctive relief in Massachusetts state court, alleging a former employee and his new employer, the competing alcoholic beverage company...more
The D.C. Circuit recently held that a “Mutual Non-Disparagement” clause requiring an employer to “direct” its employees not to disparage a former employee could reasonably be interpreted as prohibiting the employer itself...more
The California legislature is considering new legislation that proposes, among other things, penalties for an employer’s use of restrictive covenants as well as for attorneys who assist with their enforcement....more
Cognizant of the online success new entrants have enjoyed with web-based, direct sale models, traditional auto manufacturers have expanded the digital presence of their brands through enhanced website functionality that...more
The Ninth Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of a putative consumer class action challenging a manufacturer’s “destination charge” as an undisclosed and deceptive “vessel for profit” in violation of California and New...more
The District of Maryland recently awarded a software developer a mere $1.00 in nominal damages for contract and trade secret claims against a former employee, citing the immateriality of defendant’s breach and plaintiff’s...more