International Trade

  • April 23, 2024

    Williams-Sonoma To Pay $3.2M Over 'Made In America' Claims

    Williams-Sonoma has agreed to a $3.18 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly mislabeling Chinese-produced products as American-made.

  • April 23, 2024

    Jury Finds Ex-Ecuadorian Official Guilty Of Money Laundering

    A Florida federal jury on Tuesday found the former comptroller of Ecuador guilty on all counts charged against him by the government, which accused him of taking millions of dollars in bribes and directing his son, a banker in Miami, to launder the money.

  • April 22, 2024

    Feds Accuse 10 Of Evading Sanctions On PDVSA

    Florida prosecutors have charged 10 people over allegations they attempted to evade sanctions on Venezuela by obtaining aircraft parts destined for a state-owned oil company while concealing the scheme from the U.S. government, according to an indictment unsealed Monday.

  • April 22, 2024

    Ecuadorian Voters Reject Investor-State Arbitration

    Voters in Ecuador on Sunday decisively rejected a government proposal to recognize international arbitration to resolve investment disputes, nearly a year after the country's Constitutional Court found that the dispute resolution mechanism violates Ecuadorian law.

  • April 22, 2024

    Jury Begins Deliberating In Ex-Ecuador Official's Bribery Trial

    Jurors began deliberating Monday afternoon in Florida federal court on the fate of the former comptroller of Ecuador, who prosecutors say took millions of dollars in bribes and directed his son, a banker in Miami, to launder the money.

  • April 22, 2024

    DC Circ. Wary Of Nigeria's Immunity Defense To $65M Award

    The D.C. Circuit seemed skeptical on Monday of Nigeria's sovereign immunity defense against the enforcement of a $65 million arbitration award issued to a Chinese company after it was ousted from the western African nation.

  • April 22, 2024

    Trade Court Faults Feds For Ignored Russian Curbs In Probe

    The U.S. Court of International Trade faulted trade commissioners for failing to properly consider how U.S. sanctions on Russia affected oil and gas tube trade, ordering them to redo their ruling that tube imports harmed U.S. businesses.

  • April 22, 2024

    ITC Backs Partial Win For Voltage In Shoals Solar Patent Case

    The full U.S. International Trade Commission has declined to review an administrative law judge's finding that Shoals Technologies Group did not satisfy the requirement of showing it has a domestic industry for one of the solar technology patents it has accused Voltage LLC of infringing.

  • April 22, 2024

    Ayahuasca Church Settles Religious Freedom Suit With Feds

    A Phoenix-based church that uses the psychedelic ayahuasca as a sacrament announced Monday that it had reached a legal settlement in Arizona federal court with a slew of federal agencies to ensure its religious right to access the federally controlled substance.

  • April 22, 2024

    US Tile Cos. Say India Is Impeding Recovery From China Imports

    Nine U.S. tile makers called on the federal government to impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on ceramic tiles from India, saying a surge of India-origin tiles thwarts their ability to recover from unfairly priced Chinese imports already hit with duties.

  • April 22, 2024

    DC Judge Backs Feds' Power To Sanction Ex-Afghan Officials

    A D.C. federal judge shaved down a lawsuit challenging U.S. financial and immigration sanctions against two former Afghan lawmakers, stressing that the executive branch has sweeping authority to issue sanctions on individuals it finds to be corrupt.

  • April 19, 2024

    Nestlé Strikes Deal Ending Gray-Market Drinks Trademark Row

    Nestlé USA Inc. and two food distributors have asked a Texas federal judge to permanently dismiss their trademark infringement fight accusing the distributors of illegally selling so-called gray-market versions of Nescafe Clasico and Abuelita products, saying parties recently reached a settlement agreement.

  • April 19, 2024

    Investor Suit Over Intel's Chip Production Won't Be Rebooted

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday upheld a federal district court's dismissal of a proposed class action against Intel that alleged the tech giant hid problems with the production of its highly anticipated new computer processors, ruling the suit fails to show the defendants knew the company would miss the projected product release date.

  • April 19, 2024

    Thai Co. Pays $20M For 'Egregious' Iran Sanctions Violations

    Thai-based SCG Plastics will pay $20 million to resolve claims it committed over 460 "egregious" violations of Iranian sanctions by causing U.S. banks to process $291 million in wire transfers in connection with the sales of high-density polyethylene resin made in Iran, as well as obscuring the resin's origin in shipping documents.

  • April 19, 2024

    Steelmaker Asks ITC To Halt EV Imports From Vietnamese Co.

    Luxembourg-based steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal is asking the U.S. International Trade Commission to bar electric vehicle imports from Vinfast, which claims to be the first Vietnamese business to ship electric cars worldwide, with ArcelorMittal saying the company is infringing its patented aluminum-steel coating.

  • April 19, 2024

    Fla. Can't Wage Real Estate War On Foreigners, 11th Circ. Told

    A group of Chinese citizens and a brokerage firm urged the Eleventh Circuit on Friday to block Florida from enforcing a law prohibiting certain foreign nationals from owning land while they challenge the statute's constitutionality, saying it's discriminatory and preempted by federal authority.

  • April 19, 2024

    Commerce Again Ordered To Back Chinese Flooring Duty Data

    The U.S. Court of International Trade on Friday ordered the U.S. Department of Commerce to again justify using Brazilian data when calculating duties for Chinese wood flooring, saying Commerce failed to back its decision with evidence for a second time.

  • April 19, 2024

    China Seeks To Boost Hong Kong's Status As Market Hub

    China's securities regulators unveiled several measures on Friday designed to boost Hong Kong's stature as an international hub and ultimately benefit both jurisdictions amid lean times for capital raising, according to statements from securities officials.

  • April 19, 2024

    Gibbons Atty Won't Testify In Menendez Bribery Trial

    A Gibbons PC lawyer who is counsel for one of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez's co-defendants in his federal bribery trial set to start next month will not be called to the witness stand after defense lawyers and prosecutors agreed Friday to a stipulation about the facts that would have been part of his testimony.

  • April 18, 2024

    Lack Of Process Delays CFIUS Enforcement, Watchdog Says

    The interagency committee tasked with ensuring that foreign investments do not jeopardize national security lacks a formal process for launching enforcement actions against companies that run afoul of their commitments, according to a watchdog report made public Thursday.

  • April 18, 2024

    Lebanese Bank To Face Victims' Hezbollah Terrorism Suit

    New York's highest court ruled Thursday that an entity that acquires another entity's liabilities and assets inherits its status for purposes of personal jurisdiction even if there is no merger, greenlighting litigation targeting a Lebanese bank over its predecessor's alleged assistance to Hezbollah.

  • April 18, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Maintains Newman Can't Invalidate Disability Law

    Suspended U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman has still not proven that the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act has no constitutional uses and should therefore be invalidated, the Federal Circuit's judicial council told a D.C. federal judge Thursday.

  • April 18, 2024

    Cybersecurity Startup Loses 2 Patents At PTAB

    A small cybersecurity startup litigating in Virginia federal court against larger tech companies has failed to persuade the Patent Trial and Appeal Board not to invalidate the entirety of two patents covering ways of combating "evolving" online threats, among other things.

  • April 18, 2024

    Commerce Chided For Not Explaining Itself In Catfish Cases

    The U.S. Court of International Trade has kicked the final decision in a 2019 review of catfish duties back to the U.S. Department of Commerce, saying the agency flubbed basic administrative law by failing to "show its work" amid crisscrossing claims.

  • April 18, 2024

    Sugar Co. Urges 11th Circ. To Revive Helms-Burton Suit

    North American Sugar Industries Inc. asked the Eleventh Circuit Thursday to revive its suit accusing several companies that shipped wind turbines to Cuba of violating the Helms-Burton Act, saying the trial court erred in tossing its claims for lack of jurisdiction.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Competing In Dressage Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My lifelong participation in the sport of dressage — often called ballet on horses — has proven that several skills developed through training and competition are transferable to legal work, especially the ability to harness focus, persistence and versatility when negotiating a deal, says Stephanie Coco at V&E.

  • Considering A Practical FRAND Rate Assessment Procedure

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    As the debate over a fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory rate continues inside and outside courtrooms, a practical method may assess whether the proposed FRAND rate deviates significantly from what is reasonable, and ensure an optimal mix of assets for managers of standard-essential patent portfolios, says consultant Gordon Huang.

  • 2 SEC Orders Illuminate Bribery Risks For US-China Cos.

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s foreign bribery-related resolutions with 3M and Clear Channel offer important takeaways on compliance risks for companies with operations in China, from the role of traditionally low-risk vendors to gaps in internal accounting controls, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Key Maritime Law Issues In 2024: Election-Year Unknowns

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    In the final installment of this three-part article reviewing the top challenges for the maritime industry this year, Sean Pribyl at Holland & Knight examines how the uncertainty surrounding the forthcoming U.S. election may affect the maritime sector — especially companies involved in offshore wind and deep-sea mining.

  • The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift

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    As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.

  • Key Maritime Law Issues In 2024: Environmental Challenges

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    In the second installment of this three-part article examining key concerns for the maritime sector this year, Sean Pribyl at Holland & Knight considers how the industry will be affected by environmental concerns — including the growing push for decarbonization, and regulatory scrutiny around greenwashing and ESG issues.

  • 5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money

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    As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.

  • Key Maritime Law Issues In 2024: Geopolitics And Sanctions

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    Major challenges are on the horizon for the U.S. maritime sector in 2024, including geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea and ever-evolving sanctions targeting Iran and Russia — which may lead to higher shipping costs and greater compliance burdens for stakeholders, says Sean Pribyl at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • A Guide To New Russia Sanctions For Foreign Financial Cos.

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    Attorneys at Foley Hoag take foreign financial companies on a deep dive into the compliance advice the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control issued after President Joe Biden's December executive order widened a Russian import ban and authorized sanctions against businesses that transact with Russia's military-industrial base.

  • How Russia Sanctions Bills Could Reshape Asset Forfeiture

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    Several U.S. legislative proposals to seize billions in frozen Russian assets for post-war reconstruction of Ukraine would bypass traditional asset forfeiture guardrails, making it crucially important that practitioners remain vigilant and understand when to proactively engage with the government, say attorneys at Kasowitz.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

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    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

  • Considerations For Lawyer Witnesses After FTX Trial

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    Sam Bankman-Fried's recent trial testimony about his lawyers' involvement in FTX's business highlights the need for attorney-witnesses to understand privilege issues in order to avoid costly discovery disputes and, potentially, uncover critical evidence an adversary might seek to conceal, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.

  • Opinion

    Stakeholder Amici Should Be Heard In Russian Trade Case

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    Although the U.S. Court of International Trade recently rejected U.S. Steel's amicus brief in NLMK Pennsylvania v. U.S., other industry stakeholders should seek to appear — and the court should allow it because additional perspectives will lead to a more informed ruling, say attorneys Jeffrey Shapiro and Michael Andrews.

  • US Cos. Must Guard Against Russian Diversion Of Goods

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    Amid allegations that Russia is end-running trade sanctions through the diversion of otherwise innocuous, everyday goods, U.S. industry involved in the manufacture or distribution of electric products must step up its customer and partner due diligence to avoid unwittingly facilitating the weapons proliferation cycle, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

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