International Trade

  • October 15, 2025

    Smart Thermostat Makers Keep PTAB, ITC Wins At Fed. Circ.

    Causam Enterprises owns the electrical utilities control patent it has accused ecobee and others of infringing with smart thermostats, but the patent is not valid, the Federal Circuit concluded Wednesday in a pair of precedential opinions.

  • October 15, 2025

    FERC Ignored La. LNG Terminal's Enviro Harms, DC Circ. Told

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission shirked its obligation to evaluate the potential harms of a massive liquefied natural gas export terminal in Louisiana before approving its construction, environmental groups and fishermen have told the D.C. Circuit.

  • October 15, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Affirms ITC Ruling That Brita Filter Patent Is Invalid

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday let stand the U.S. International Trade Commission's decision that a Brita LP water filter patent is invalid, affirming a finding that the patent wasn't adequately described and that it didn't enable someone to make the invention.

  • October 14, 2025

    Skinny Labels, Orange Book Take Center Stage In IP Talks

    Patent litigators focused on pharmaceuticals and biotechnology met Tuesday to work through the biggest issues in their industries, including possible reform to skinny label law, frustration with position-switching in litigation, concerns about when to list patents in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book and data on the relatively low impact of new policies at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • October 14, 2025

    Relief Concerns Grow As Sectoral Tariff Actions Build

    Importers' hopes for relief from industrywide tariffs are lagging alongside the trade deals President Donald Trump is trying to broker for some goods, while the administration's accelerated rollout of sectoral levies is also stoking concerns the government may be hamstringing its onshoring goals.

  • October 14, 2025

    Banks Ignored NFT Scam That 'Screamed Fraud,' Court Told

    A Texas investor urged a California federal court not to toss his lawsuit accusing East West Bank and Cathay Bank of ignoring red flags from scammers and enabling a $17 million romance scam, saying that he provided enough evidence showing that the banks disregarded obvious signs of fraud.

  • October 14, 2025

    Judge Won't Block $4.7B Ex-Im Bank Loan For LNG Project

    A D.C. federal judge refused to temporarily block $4.7 billion in financing that the Export-Import Bank of the United States approved for a TotalEnergies SE liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique, a setback for environmental groups challenging the deal.

  • October 14, 2025

    DOJ Seizes $15B In Bitcoin Linked To Pig Butchering Scams

    Federal law enforcement and the U.S. Department of the Treasury are taking aim at a sprawling Cambodian human trafficking operation and cryptocurrency scam in an indictment and record-setting $15 billion forfeiture action unveiled Tuesday that detailed Prince Holding Group's alleged use of forced labor to steal and launder billions of dollars from victims worldwide.

  • October 14, 2025

    Oil Trader Parent Appeals $40M Poland Award Enforcement

    The parent company of what was once Poland's largest independent petrochemical and oil product trader has lodged a D.C. Circuit appeal that challenges a decision last month refusing to enforce a now-annulled $40 million arbitral award against Poland.

  • October 14, 2025

    High Court Says Blackfeet Members Can't Join Tariff Dispute

    The U.S. Supreme Court denied a bid by members of the Blackfeet Nation to join its review of suits challenging the legality of President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs, who had argued that their inclusion in the dispute is crucial to protect Indigenous rights under federal law.

  • October 14, 2025

    Blood Test Co. Can't Escape Willful Infringement Claims

    A company that makes diagnostic medical tests has been denied a bid to escape from a medical research firm's claims that it willfully infringed patents when a judge held that reading the allegations in combination creates a plausible basis that the company had knowledge of the patents.

  • October 10, 2025

    Some Cases Advance In Latest Stewart Discretionary Rulings

    Deputy U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart rejected 37 Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions Friday night, but allowed 17 challenges to proceed.

  • October 10, 2025

    Delta, Aeromexico Say USDOT Erred In Blocking Partnership

    Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico have asked the Eleventh Circuit to vacate the U.S. Department of Transportation's order terminating approval of their joint venture and ordering them to dismantle it by January, according to a petition for review posted to the case docket Friday.

  • October 10, 2025

    Elf Bar Will No Longer Sell In Calif., Ending Altria Unit Suit

    The Chinese companies behind the popular Elf Bar brand of vape will no longer sell their flavored products in California, according to an agreement they signed to end a lawsuit filed by the e-cigarette unit of tobacco giant Altria Group.

  • October 10, 2025

    Mich. Fights Feds' Support For Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline

    Michigan urged a federal judge to reject the U.S. government's contention that its attempt to block an Enbridge Energy oil and gas pipeline segment is illegal, while the company said the government's arguments have merit.

  • October 10, 2025

    $8B EV Trade Secrets Case Best Left To Israel, 5th Circ. Says

    The Fifth Circuit agreed with a district judge Friday that an $8 billion trade secrets case between two electric vehicle companies was better suited to be litigated in Israel, saying the party that wants to keep the dispute stateside had not adequately explained why that would be better.

  • October 10, 2025

    Pipe Repair Co. Sues Competitor Over Alleged $10M Sabotage

    Several months after an arbitral tribunal awarded $10 million in damages to a trenchless pipe repair technology company, finding its supplier had breached an exclusivity agreement, the company has filed new litigation in New York federal court against a competitor over alleged corporate sabotage that destroyed its business.

  • October 10, 2025

    Dish Streaming Patent Fight Sent To Utah For Witnesses' Ease

    A case brought by Pornhub's owner seeking a declaration that it did not infringe three of Dish Technologies LLC's patents could likely be litigated more conveniently in Utah, a Delaware federal judge has said in transferring the suit.

  • October 09, 2025

    Trade Court Upholds Malaysian Wind Tower Duties

    The U.S. Court of International Trade on Thursday upheld the federal government's antidumping review of a Malaysian wind tower exporter, finding the Commerce Department supported its decision to decline the company's recommendations in reaching a final duty rate.

  • October 09, 2025

    ICSID Panel Puts Smurfit's $473M Award On Hold For Now

    An international arbitration annulment committee has opted to pause enforcement of a $473 million arbitral award issued to Smurfit Holdings BV while Venezuela tries to get the award set aside, according to a filing by the Dutch packaging company in D.C. federal court.

  • October 09, 2025

    Treasury Looks To Cut Suspicious Activity Reporting 'Noise'

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury's enforcement arm Thursday released clarifications about requirements related to suspicious activity reports, specifying among other things that financial institutions do not have to document their decisions not to file the reports.

  • October 09, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Gets Shutdown Extension For Newman Response

    The D.C. Circuit on Thursday gave the judges on the Federal Circuit an extension until after the government shutdown ends to respond to Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's request for the rehearing of a decision upholding the dismissal of her suit against the colleagues who suspended her.

  • October 09, 2025

    China Widens Export Controls On Rare Earth Minerals, Tools

    China will begin requiring licenses next month for the export of dozens of products containing rare earth minerals, tools used to process them and artificial diamonds, the country's Ministry of Commerce said Thursday, including items used to make lasers, semiconductors and fiber optics.

  • October 09, 2025

    GOP Sen. Joins Dems On Bill To Nix Trump's Global Tariffs

    Several Senate Democrats and one Republican introduced legislation Thursday to eliminate the national emergency associated with President Donald Trump's so-called reciprocal tariff regime.

  • October 09, 2025

    FERC Nixes Ban On Pipeline Work During Project Appeals

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has scrapped a rule barring construction activities on gas infrastructure projects when approvals are being challenged, saying it's no longer necessary and bogs down the development of needed infrastructure.

Expert Analysis

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • New Interpol Silver Notice Could Be Tool For Justice Or Abuse

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    Interpol has issued dozens of Silver Notices to trace and recover assets linked to criminal activity since January, and though the tool may disrupt organized crime and terrorist financing, attorneys must protect against the potential for corrupt misuse, say attorneys at Clark Hill and Arktouros.

  • DOJ Crypto Enforcement Is Shifting To Target Willfulness

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    Three pending criminal prosecutions could be an indication of how the U.S. Department of Justice's recent digital assets memo is shaping enforcement of the area, and show a growing focus on executives who knowingly allow their platforms to be used for criminal conduct involving sanctions offenses, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Cos. Face Convergence Of Anti-Terrorism Act, FCPA Risks

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    Recent moves by the U.S. Department of Justice to classify cartels and transnational criminal organizations as terrorist groups, and to use a range of statutes including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to pursue these types of targets, mean that companies operating in certain jurisdictions are now subject to overlapping exposure, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Unpacking Enforcement Challenges Of DOJ's Bulk Data Rule

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    Now fully effective, the U.S. Department of Justice's new data security program represents the U.S.' first data localization requirement ripe for enforcement, but its implementation faces substantial practical challenges that may hinder the DOJ's ability for wide-ranging or swift action, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • What To Expect As UK, US Gov'ts Develop Stablecoin Policies

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    While the U.K. and U.S. governments’ policies both suggest that fiat-backed stablecoins can improve efficiency and safety in payments systems, a perception that crypto-assets remain high risk means consumers are unlikely to use them in significant volume anytime soon, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • 9th Circ. Customs Ruling A Limited Win For FCA Plaintiffs

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    While the decision last month in Island Industries v. Sigma may be welcome news for False Claims Act relators, under binding precedent courts within the Ninth Circuit still do not have jurisdiction to adjudicate customs-based FCA claims pursued by the government, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • New FCPA Guidance May Flip The Whistleblowing Script

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    The U.S. Department of Justice’s updated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines lay out a new incentive structure that may put multinational U.S.-based companies in an unusual offensive whistleblowing position, potentially spurring them to conduct external investigations of their foreign rivals, says Markus Funk at Perkins Coie.

  • New FCPA Guidance Creates 5 Compliance Imperatives

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    In light of new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act guidelines that mark a fundamental shift in enforcement priorities, companies should consider several specific steps to ensure compliance, from enhanced due diligence to robust whistleblower protections, says Andrew Wirmani at Reese Marketos.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

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