Tariff Refund System Testing Underway, US Customs Says

By Dylan Moroses

The program for U.S. importers to claim refunds for tariffs paid under the global regime struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court is undergoing testing, according to a declaration by a Customs and Border Protection official filed Thursday.

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EU Trade Committee Approves US Trade Deal With Conditions

By Kevin Pinner

The European Parliament's trade committee approved major tariff cuts Thursday to implement the bloc's U.S. trade deal, but made the cuts contingent on President Donald Trump respecting a 15% cap on rates, lowering steel and aluminum tariffs and not imposing tariffs over foreign policy concerns.

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Apple Watch Redesign Gets Early OK As Patent Loss Upheld

By Ryan Davis

The Federal Circuit on Thursday affirmed a U.S. International Trade Commission decision that found a previous version of the Apple Watch infringes two Masimo blood oxygen monitor patents, but the ruling came one day after an ITC judge said Apple's redesigned version does not infringe those patents.

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Analysis

Still No Shenanigans: Fed. Circ. Keeps Review Bar High

By Dani Kass

The Federal Circuit's rejection of all mandamus petitions asking it to rein in the way U.S. Patent and Trademark Office leadership is ​evaluating patent challenges cements the appeals court's near-impossible standard for reviewing institution decisions, attorneys say.

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Q&A

Arbitrators Can Help Fortify Int'l Law Under Stress, Prof Says

By Caroline Simson

International arbitrators operate across borders without being overseen by any sort of licensing authority, but that doesn't mean their work is any less of a profession than a doctor or accountant, a law professor has argued in a recent academic article.

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FERC Chair Aims To Ease Energy Squeeze From War On Iran

By Keith Goldberg

The U.S.-Israel war on Iran that is roiling global energy markets underscores the need for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve gas infrastructure projects more quickly so that energy prices can be kept in check, FERC Chair Laura Swett said Thursday.

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Sens. Urge SEC To Tackle China Exploit Of 'Opaque' Entities

By Rae Ann Varona

A bipartisan group of Senate Banking Committee members said in a Thursday letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that Chinese-owned companies' exploitation of a corporate structure controlled through contractual agreements exposes U.S. investors in such "opaque" entities to serious risks, including a lack of meaningful legal protections.

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Brief

US Probes Chinese Truck Bed Covers For Possible Duties

By Jack McLoone

The U.S. Department of Commerce said Thursday it will investigate claims Chinese truck bed covers imported into the U.S. are benefiting from foreign subsidies and being sold at unfair prices.

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Brief

Commerce Investigating Chinese, Indian Graphite Electrodes

By Jack McLoone

The U.S. Department of Commerce on Thursday said it will open probes into imported Chinese and Indian electrodes used for smelting to determine whether those goods have been subsidized or sold at less than fair value, joining an ongoing U.S. International Trade Commission investigation.

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Ex-Bank CEO Cops To $13.6M Fraud, Evading Sanctions

By Carolina Bolado

The former CEO of the Puerto Rico-based Nodus International Bank pled guilty Thursday to running a scheme that stole more than $13.6 million from the now-collapsed bank and evading sanctions on Venezuela.

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5th Circ. Weighs Release Of Apple IP Agreements To Xiaomi

By Spencer Brewer

A Fifth Circuit panel on Thursday asked why patent licensing agreements between Apple Inc. and Blackberry Corp. should be circulated beyond outside counsel of a Chinese rival to Apple involved in overseas litigation, questioning the parties on why they "can't live" with an exclusion preventing in-house counsel from seeing the records.

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Nokia, Warner Bros. Seek To End Video-Coding Patent Suit

By Adam Lidgett

Nokia and Warner Bros. on Thursday agreed to end a legal fight in Delaware federal court after the Hollywood studio earlier this month lost its bid to toss claims that it infringed a set of the Finnish company's video-coding patents.

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Judges Scrutinize DOD's Claim Of Hesai's China Military Ties

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. Circuit panel on Thursday raised serious questions about the U.S. Department of Defense's broad interpretation of a law used to designate companies as "contributors" to the Chinese military-industrial base, pressing a government attorney on the basis for finding links between Shanghai LiDAR-maker Hesai and the Chinese military.

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Ericsson Paid Terrorists At Americans' Expense, Families Say

By Lauren Berg

Families of U.S. civilians and service members killed or wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan allege in a lawsuit filed in D.C. federal court that telecommunications giant Ericsson made protection payments to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, helping to fund the terrorist groups' efforts to kill and kidnap Americans.

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Texas Court Erases $7.8M In Taxes On Stored Export Oil

By Michael Nunes

A Texas company storing presold crude oil to be exported to foreign countries was wrongly taxed $7.8 million by a county assessor, a state appeals court ruled Thursday, reversing a trial court decision.

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Zimbabwe Urges Justices To Pass On $50M Award Suit

By Jack McLoone

Zimbabwe urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday not to review a D.C. Circuit decision from last summer ending litigation seeking to enforce an 11-year-old, $50 million arbitral award against that African country, arguing that the question presented is "narrow and unimportant."

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How Bankrupt Cos. Can Seek Refunds For Illegal Tariffs

In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision striking down President Donald Trump's International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs as illegal, some companies may have strong prospects for recovering refunds from the government, and trustees in bankruptcy may have a significant role to play in seeking such recovery, say attorneys at Stinson.

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Duke Energy Settlement Raises Key Antitrust Questions

The recent federal court settlement in Duke Energy v. NTE Carolinas II comes in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's failure to address a Fourth Circuit decision in the matter, calling into question the core purpose and effect of antitrust laws, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

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Legal And Industry Impacts Of America's Maritime Action Plan

America's Maritime Action Plan, unveiled by the White House last month, introduces changes to trade investigations, a new maritime trust fund and more — adding regulatory and compliance obligations for companies and counsel, but also new avenues for client engagement in project finance, contract negotiation and dispute resolution, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

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Series

Coaching Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Coaching youth soccer for my 7-year-old son's team has sharpened how I communicate with clients, prepare witnesses, work within teams and think about leadership, making me a more thoughtful and effective lawyer in many ways, says Joshua Holt at Smith Currie.

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HSF Kramer Hires Axinn Antitrust Lawyer In DC

By Jack Rodgers

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP has hired a former Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP partner, who represented Google in an antitrust investigation into its advertising technology, and who has represented other global companies in competition and related matters.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen an ex-professional footballer revive a dispute with Charles Russell Speechlys, Virgin Media face a group data protection claim after hundreds of thousands of customers' personal details were exposed online for months, and Mishcon de Reya sued by a real estate private equity firm founded by a former Morgan Stanley executive.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

Major shareholder groups sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, claiming the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act. In the meantime, some attorneys think the sanctions that judges are issuing to lawyers over AI-generated errors won't be enough to stop the problem. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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DOJ Rebuked Over Lack Of Candor For 'Imperious Client'

By Jack Karp

A Florida federal judge has rebuked government attorneys for failing to be up-front about legal authority that contradicts their position in a habeas case, warning them not to let their "imperious client" get between them and their ethical obligations.

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Beasley Allen Can't Halt DQ Ruling In J&J Talc Litigation

By George Woolston

A New Jersey state appeals court has refused to pause its decision disqualifying the Beasley Allen Law Firm from representing plaintiffs in multicounty litigation over Johnson & Johnson's talc-based baby powder, according to a court order.

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Where Calif. State Courts Landed On Generative AI Use Rules

By Emily Sawicki

The majority of California's 58 superior courts — together making up the country's largest trial court system — have decided to greenlight the use of generative artificial intelligence in their work this year, a Law360 investigation found.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Baron & Budd PC, Walden Macht Haran & Williams LLP and Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Ninth Circuit revived a major hospital chain's False Claims Act suit accusing large pharmaceutical companies of massive overcharges in a prominent drug discount program.

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Top SEC Enforcer Signals Continuity After Ryan Departure

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's acting enforcement chief said Friday that the agency will continue to "focus on quality over quantity" when it comes to the cases it brings, projecting continuity with his predecessor's approach after her abrupt departure from the agency earlier this week.

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Roundup

Balancing The Scales: $3M Jury Verdict, GEO Appeal Denial

By Orlando Lorenzo

A Philadelphia federal judge rejected bids to disturb a $3 million jury award and impose sanctions on plaintiff's counsel arising from proceedings he described as "near-daily Festivus celebrations, where everyone got to air their grievances 'for the sake of the record'" and a Detroit man saw his murder conviction vacated after 27 years due to the case's reliance on a coerced confession and a lack of physical evidence, among other access to justice stories you may have missed.

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Bondi Keeps Ousted Wisconsin US Atty With New Title

By Lauren Berg

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi swapped Brad D. Schimel's title from interim U.S. attorney to first assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in order to keep him in charge of the office after his tenure expired earlier this week.

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