Expert Analysis

• Reel Justice: 'Eddington' Spotlights Social Media Evidence

  

  In the neo-Western black comedy “Eddington” released last month, social media is a character unto itself, highlighting how the boundaries between digital and real-world conduct can become blurred, thereby posing evidentiary challenges in criminal prosecutions, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

• Rebuttal

  BigLaw Settlements Should Not Spur Ethics Deregulation

  

  A recent Law360 op-ed argued that loosening law firm funding restrictions would make BigLaw firms less inclined to settle with the Trump administration, but deregulating legal financing ethics may well prove to be not merely ineffective, but counterproductive, says Laurel Kilgour at the American Economic Liberties Project.

• Opinion

  8th Circ. Should Reaffirm False Commercial Speech's Nature

  

  The Eighth Circuit in Goldfinch Laboratory v. Iowa Pathology Associates should assert that false commercial speech is not categorically immune from antitrust scrutiny, says Daniel Graulich at the Federal Trade Commission.

• Bid Protest Spotlight: Injunctions, Unequal Treatment

  

  Two recent decisions by the Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Government Accountability Office illustrate how poorly defined criteria can muddle an agency's evaluation and best-value decision, and affirm the fundamental principle that an agency must evenhandedly evaluate vendors' quotations against solicitation requirements, says Victoria Angle at MoFo.

• 9th Circ. Leaves Scope Of CIPA Applicability Unclear

  

  Three recent Ninth Circuit decisions declined to directly address whether all of the California Invasion of Privacy Act's provisions actually apply to internet activity, and given this uncertainty, companies should heed five recommendations when seeking to minimize CIPA litigation risk, say attorneys at Skadden.

• 5 Ways Lawyers Can Earn Back The Public's Trust

  

  Amid salacious headlines about lawyers behaving badly and recent polls showing the public’s increasingly unfavorable view of attorneys, we must make meaningful changes to our culture to rebuild trust in the legal system, says Carl Taylor at Carl Taylor Law.

• USPTO's AI Tool Redefines Design Patent Landscape

  

  The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's newly introduced DesignVision tool for artificial intelligence-powered image searching represents a dramatic shift in how design patent applications are examined, necessitating new strategies for patent practitioners, says Matthew Epstein at Dinsmore.

• Series

  Hiking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  On the trail, I have thought often about the parallels between hiking and high-stakes patent litigation, and why strategizing, preparation, perseverance and joy are important skills for success in both endeavors, says Barbara Fiacco at Foley Hoag.

• 6 Tips On Drafting Machine Learning Patents Post-Recentive

  

  While the Federal Circuit's decision in Recentive v. Fox narrows the scope of patent-eligible machine learning applications, there are several drafting and prosecution strategies that may help practitioners navigate Section 101 challenges, say attorneys at BCLP.

• Regulating Online Activity After Porn Site Age Check Ruling

  

  A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding an age verification requirement for accessing online adult sexual content applied a lenient rational basis standard, raising questions for how state and federal courts will determine what kinds of laws regulating online activity will satisfy this standard going forward, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

• DC Circ. Ruling Augurs More Scrutiny Of Blanket Gag Orders

  

  The D.C. Circuit’s recent ruling in In re: Sealed Case, finding that an omnibus nondisclosure order was too sweeping, should serve as a wake-up call to prosecutors and provide a road map for private parties to push back on overbroad secrecy demands, says Gregory Rosen at Rogers Joseph.

• Series

  Law School's Missed Lessons: Negotiation Skills

  

  I took one negotiation course in law school, but most of the techniques I rely on today I learned in practice, where I've discovered that the process is less about tricks or tactics, and more about clarity, preparation and communication, says Grant Schrantz at Haug Barron.

• What EU GPAI Compliance Code Will Mean For Developers

  

  The European Union recently released a code of practice to guide compliance for general purpose artificial intelligence models, offering early adopters regulatory deference, but posing timing concerns and significant costs burdens that may discourage smaller developers, say lawyers at Perkins Coie.

• Taxpayers Face Tough Choices Under NJ's New Nexus Rules

  

  Though New Jersey’s new rules expanding the commercial nexus that triggers state taxation are likely to be challenged, businesses still need to carefully consider whether it’s best to minimize potential tax by reducing online customer support services or maintain their current instate services and begin paying tax, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

• AG Watch: Texas Embraces The MAHA Movement

  

  Attorneys at Kelley Drye examine Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's actions related to the federal Make America Healthy Again movement, and how these actions hinge on representations or omissions by the target companies as opposed to specific analyses of the potential health risks.