On October 17, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) issued Order No. 904, finding on a generic basis that allowing transmission providers to charge customers for a generating facility’s provision of...more
Five days remain to submit comments to the ITC's Proposed Amendments to the Rules of Practice and Procedure for Section 337 investigations: https://www.regulations.gov/, Docket No. MISC-049. The proposed rule changes include:...more
On April 19, 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) issued proposed modifications to the rules of practice for inter partes review (IPR) and postgrant review (PGR) proceedings before the Patent...more
The US International Trade Commission issued a Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking related to 19 C.F.R. Parts 201, 205, 207 and 210, which govern the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure. The Commission...more
The Communications Authority of Hong Kong has recently amended the Television and Radio Codes of Practice on Programme and Advertising Standards (“Codes of Practice”). Among other amendments, there are new provisions in...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is more active in privacy and data security enforcement actions now than at any time in recent memory. It announces new enforcement actions almost daily, together with press releases, public...more
On February 24, the CFPB finalized updates to the agency’s Rules of Practice for Adjudication Procedures (Rules of Practice). Under Section 1053(e) of the Consumer Financial Protection Act, the Bureau is required to establish...more
U.S. brand owners were heartened to learn of the Show Cause Order issued late last week by the USPTO’s Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks, which takes aim at potentially thousands of trademark applications thought to...more
Thank you for reading the August 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss a Show Cause Order recently issued by the USPTO to combat thousands of fraudulent trademark applications. We...more
A Federal Trade Commission Civil Investigative Demand is an administrative subpoena utilized by the Federal Trade Commission (and other regulatory agencies, such as a state Attorney General) to obtain documentary materials...more
The Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure unanimously approved several amendments on June 7, 2022, to clarify Federal Rule of Evidence 702—the federal standard for admissibility of expert testimony. See Daubert v....more
Consumer finance industry groups are sounding an alarm about what they see as a power grab at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”) that risks exacerbating the agency's advantage in its in-house enforcement...more
On March 23, 2022, the US Tax Court announced new proposed rules for practicing before it. The Court proposed three new rules, amendments to existing rules and changes to conform the existing rules to various forms. The...more
On March 22, the Federal Reserve Board issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPR”) that will be joined by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, National Credit Union Administration and the Office of the Comptroller of...more
One of the post-AMG predictions about Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) law enforcement is that we will see more administrative litigation. And that appears to be coming true, but not at an exceptional pace. For...more
Privacy In Focus®- On December 10, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published its Annual Regulatory Plan for 2022 – the first under FTC Chair Lina Khan – noting that it “will consider developing both...more
As part of its initiative to “protect the integrity of the U.S. trademark register,” the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) issued a Federal Register notice outlining a new administrative process to address fraudulent or...more
Update: On September 16, 2021, the Final Rule on Borrower Appeals of Final SBA Loan Review Decisions was posted and became effective on September 14, 2021 (the “Final Rule”). The Final Rule applies to all appealable final SBA...more
On May 26, 2021, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) finalized the amendments to the Rules of Practice in Patent Cases as well as the rules regarding Representation of Others before the United States...more
In October of 2020, House Bill 679 made significant changes to Rule 5 ("Service and Filing of Pleadings and Other Papers") of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure. The amended Rule 5 creates two important changes....more
On July 9, 2021, the Biden administration issued an “Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy” (“EO”) that seeks to “promote the interests of American workers, businesses, and consumers.”1 That same...more
In recent weeks, the Supreme Court of North Carolina has published notices regarding the upcoming rollout of a statewide electronic filing system called Odyssey Integrated Case Management System, or Odyssey ICMS. For...more
Freeman Law’s “The Tax Court in Brief” covers every substantive Tax Court opinion, providing a weekly brief of its decisions in clear, concise prose. The Week of February 15 – February 19, 2021 - Kramer v. Comm’r, T.C....more
With recent updates to the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) due to the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act (the “Economic Aid Act” or “PPP2 Act”), new forgiveness application forms, and...more
The Fourth Circuit has extended its suspension of the Local Rule 36(a) requirement that published opinions have oral argument. Effective immediately, Chief Judge Gregory has extended Standing Order 20-01, originally adopted...more