Expert Analysis

• Blockchain May Offer The Investor Protection SEC Seeks

  

  As the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission moves to control the ballooning costs of the consolidated audit trail and attempts to finally give regulators a unified, real-time picture of trading, blockchain demonstrates what it looks like when that kind of transparency is a baseline feature, not an aspirational overlay, says Tuongvy Le at Veda Tech Labs.

• 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.

• 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.

• Workday Case Shows Auditing AI Hiring Tools Is Crucial

  

  Following a California federal court's recent decisions in Mobley v. Workday signaling that both employers and vendors could be held liable for discriminatory outcomes from artificial intelligence hiring tools, companies should consider two rigorous auditing methods to detect and mitigate bias, says Hossein Borhani at Charles River Associates.

• Prepping For Website Automatic Opt-Out Signal Mandates

  

  Maryland's Online Data Privacy Act, which, along with a growing number of U.S. states, requires businesses to offer mechanisms in their privacy policies or online interfaces to allow individuals to opt out of data collection, marks a new frontier in consumer privacy, raising both technical and legal risks, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

• 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.

• 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.

• Series

  Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

• New Mass. 'Junk Fee' Regs Will Be Felt Across Industries

  

  The reach of a newly effective regulation prohibiting so-called junk fees and deceptive pricing in Massachusetts will be widespread across industries, which should prompt businesses to take note of new advertising, pricing information and negative option requirements, say attorneys at Hinshaw.

• SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

  

  The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

• Addressing Legal Risks Of AI In The Homebuilding Industry

  

  Artificial intelligence is transforming the homebuilding industry, but the legal challenges posed by its adoption spread across many areas, including contractual liability and intellectual property issues, so builders should adopt strategies to mitigate the risks and position themselves for success, says Philip Stein at Bilzin Sumberg.

• Compliance Steps To Take As FCRA Enforcement Widens

  

  As the Fair Credit Reporting Act receives renewed focus from both federal and state enforcers, regulatory and litigation risk is most acute in several core areas, which companies can address by implementing purpose processes and quick remediation of consumer complaints, among other steps, say attorneys at Wiley.

• Trends In Post-Grant Practice Since USPTO Denial Guidance

  

  Six months after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office updated its guidance on discretionary denial of inter partes review and post-grant review, noteworthy trends in denial statistics have emerged, warranting a reassessment of strategies for parallel proceedings, says Andrew Ramos at Bayes.

• Reviewing EU Competition Policy 1 Year After Draghi's Report

  

  Implementation of the Mario Draghi report’s proposals to revamp European Union competition policy is currently case-specific, making it less visible, and more needs to be done in the way of merger review and antitrust enforcement, say lawyers at Linklaters.