Life Sciences

Don't Count On PREP Act To Defend Pandemic IP Infringement

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recent guidance, the rise in pandemic-related intellectual property lawsuits, and constitutional considerations suggest that parties cannot rely with certainty on the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to protect against infringement claims, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

Opinion

Time To Consider Percentage Rental Agreements For Lawyers

It has long been the law that attorneys cannot use percentage rental agreements because doing so would constitute an impermissible sharing of fees with nonlawyers, but such arrangements can help lawyers match expenses with revenues in lean times like now, say Peter Jarvis and Trisha Thompson at Holland & Knight.

Indirect Purchaser Antitrust Standing Heads In New Direction

The applicability of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1983 Associated General Contractors indirect purchaser price-fixing decision to antitrust standing under state law continues to evolve, with some decisions that may portend diminished application, say Chris Micheletti and James Dugan at Zelle.

'Settle And Sue' Malpractice Cases Have New Clarity In Calif.

A California state appellate court's recent decision in Masellis v. Law Office of Leslie F. Jensen provides a road map for proving causation and damages in settle-and-sue legal malpractice cases — an important issue of long-standing confusion, says Steven Berenson at Klinedinst.

What You Say In Online Mediation May Be Discoverable

Mediation conducted online with participants in different states makes it harder to determine where communications were made, increasing the risk that courts will apply laws of a state that does not protect mediation confidentiality, say mediators Jeff Kichaven and Teresa Frisbie and law student Tyler Codina.

Why FDA's Proposed Food Standard Principles Are Important

Food manufacturers should carefully consider the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's proposed general principles for creating, modifying and eliminating food standards, because they may complicate branding and advertising efforts for facsimiles of well-known foods, say attorneys at Wilson Sonsini.

Key Defense Approaches To 'Other Similar Incident' Evidence

A New York state court's recent ruling in Marshall v. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey shows that, while product liability plaintiffs seek to use so-called other similar incident evidence to argue that manufacturers know their products are unsafe, defense counsel can successfully challenge such evidence, says Timothy Freeman at Tanenbaum Keale.

Trade Groups Face Antitrust Questions In Pandemic Response

Three recent business review letters from the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division provide some guidance to trade associations and professional societies in assisting members with coronavirus-related issues without violating antitrust laws, say Steven Fellman and Richard Bar at GKG Law.

IP Risks To Consider When Joining 'Open COVID Pledge'

While the sharing of intellectual property through initiatives like the Open COVID Pledge is essential for the rapid development of a cure for COVID-19, there are certain precautionary measures that IP owners and potential licensees should undertake in order to avoid future controversies and legal battles, say Gunjan Agarwal and Chipo Jolibois at Fox Rothschild.

Mass. Court Deadline Tolling Will Cause Problems For Years

While Massachusetts' 106-day tolling period for all civil statutes of limitations ends Tuesday, the pandemic-related pause will complicate calculation of limitations periods and have ripple effects in many jurisdictions for years to come, says Christian Stephens at Eckert Seamans.

10 Tips For A Successful Remote Arbitration Hearing

As I learned after completing a recent international arbitration remotely, with advance planning a video hearing can replicate the in-person experience surprisingly well, and may actually be superior in certain respects, says Kate Shih at Quinn Emanuel.

High Court's SEC Enforcement Ruling Has Tax Consequences

In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Liu v. Securities and Exchange Commission, taxpayers whose pre-Tax Cuts and Jobs Act disgorgement deductions were rejected should consider contesting the Internal Revenue Service's determination, say attorneys at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.

Opinion

To Achieve Diversity, Law Firms Must Reinvent Hiring Process

If law firms are truly serious about making meaningful change in terms of diversity, they must adopt a demographically neutral, unbiased hiring equation that looks at personality traits with greater import than grades and class rank, says Thomas Latino at Florida State University College of Law.

A New Antitrust Approach After Humira 'Patent Thicket' Ruling

In light of an Illinois federal court's recent holding that AbbVie's Humira "patent thicket" did not violate antitrust laws, parties concerned with the potential anti-competitive conduct of a biologic reference product sponsor should focus on conduct and look beyond patent obtainment, says Kevin Nelson at Schiff Hardin.

Cybersecurity Steps For Law Firms Amid Heightened Risks

With large swaths of the population indoors and primarily online, cybercriminals will be able to exploit law firms more easily now than ever before, but some basic precautions can help, says Joel Wallenstrom at Wickr.