Expert Analysis

• 7 Areas To Watch As FTC Ends Push For A Noncompete Ban

  

  ​​​​​​As the government ends its push for a nationwide noncompete ban, ​employers who do not want to be caught without protections for legitimate business interests should explore supplementing their noncompetes by deploying elements of seven practical, enforceable tools, including nondisclosure agreements and garden leave strategies, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

• Shifting Crypto Landscape Complicates Tornado Cash Verdict

  

  Amid shifts in the decentralized finance regulatory landscape, the mixed verdict in the prosecution of Tornado Cash’s founder may represent the high-water mark in a cryptocurrency enforcement strategy from which the U.S. Department of Justice has begun to retreat, say attorneys at Venable.

• 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

  

  As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

• Anticipating FTC's Shift On Unfair Competition Enforcement

  

  As the Federal Trade Commission signals that it will continue to challenge unfair or deceptive acts and practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act, but with higher evidentiary standards, attorneys counseling healthcare, technology, energy or pharmaceuticals clients should note several practice tips, says Thomas Stratmann at George Mason University.

• Del. Dispatch: Chancery Expands On Caremark Red Flags

  

  The Delaware Court of Chancery’s recent Brewer v. Turner decision, allowing a shareholder derivative suit against the board of Regions Bank to proceed, takes a more expansive view as to what constitutes red flags, bad faith and corporate trauma in Caremark claims, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

• Compliance Tips Amid Rising FTC Scrutiny Of Minors' Privacy

  

  The Federal Trade Commission has recently rolled out multiple enforcement actions related to children's privacy, highlighting a renewed focus on federal regulation of minors' personal information and the evolving challenges of establishing effective, privacy-protective age assurance solutions, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

• Opinion

  It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

  

  After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

• Tips For Cos. Crafting Enforceable Online Arbitration Clauses

  

  Recent rulings from the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California indicate that courts are carefully examining the enforceability of online arbitration clauses, so businesses should review the design of their websites and consider specific language next to the "purchase" button, say attorneys at DTO Law.

• Opinion

  Crypto Bills' Narrow Scope Guarantees Continued Uncertainty

  

  The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act and Responsible Financial Innovation Act aim to make the $4 trillion crypto market more transparent and less susceptible to fraud, but their focus on digital assets sold in investment contract transactions promises continued uncertainty for the industry, says Joe Hall at Davis Polk.

• Rules Of Origin Revamp May Be Next Big Trade Development

  

  The rules of origin for determining what tariff applies to any given import appear to be on the cusp of an important rethink, and it seems likely that the administration will try to align the rule with its overall tariff strategy in one of three ways, says Ted Posner at Baker Botts.

• 7 Lessons From The Tractor Supply CCPA Enforcement Action

  

  The California Privacy Protection Agency's recent enforcement action targeting Tractor Supply for alleged violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act provides critical insights into the compliance areas that remain a priority for the California regulator, including businesses with significant consumer interactions, say attorneys at Troutman.

• Parody Defendants Are Finding Success Post-Jack Daniel's

  

  Recent decisions demonstrate that, although the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products did benefit trademark plaintiffs by significantly limiting the First Amendment expressive use defense, courts also now appear to be less likely to find a parodic work likely to cause confusion, says Andrew Michaels at University of Houston Law Center.

• Considering Judicial Treatment Of The 2023 Merger Guidelines

  

  Courts have so far primarily cited the 2023 merger guidelines for propositions that do not differ significantly from prior versions of the guidelines, leaving it unclear whether the antitrust agencies will test the guidelines’ more aggressive theories, and how those theories will be treated by federal judges, say attorneys at Covington.

• Key Lessons From Youths' Suit Against Trump Energy Orders

  

  A Montana federal court's recent decision in Lighthiser v. Trump, dismissing a challenge by a group of young plaintiffs to President Donald Trump's executive orders promoting fossil fuels, indicates that future climate litigants must anchor their suits in discrete, final agency actions and statutory text, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

• Federal Debanking Scrutiny Prompts Compliance Questions

  

  Recent U.S. Small Business Administration guidance sets forth requirements for preventing so-called politicized debanking and specific additional instructions for small lenders, but falls short on clarity for larger institutions, leaving lenders of all sizes with questions as they navigate this unique compliance challenge, say attorneys at Cooley.