Inflation Reduction Act
UAE Economic Substance Regulations – Self Assessment Notifications
Co-authored by Brian Conn (Partner, BDO) and Verona Hoh (Associate Director, BDO) On 30 April 2019, the UAE Cabinet, in response to the European Union’s review of the UAE’s tax framework and the UAE’s commitment to the Organisation for Economic...
Willfulness Not a Prerequisite for Trademark Infringer’s Profits
U.S. Supreme Court settles circuit split over whether plaintiffs must prove willful infringement in order to recover a defendant’s profits The Supreme Court’s decision Thursday in Romag Fasteners, Inc. v. Fossil, Inc. significantly expanded the monetary relief available for trademark...
USPTO Extends Trademark And Patent Deadlines Due to Coronavirus Pandemic
As IP Offices around the world work to mitigate the impact of the global health threat, the U.S. CARES Act gives USPTO authority to extend statutory deadlines to help ease burden of IP owners affected by COVID-19 The Coronavirus Aid...
UAE Foreign Direct Investment Law
Contributing Author Dr. Raed Safadi, Chief Economic Advisor, Dubai Investment Development Agency On 23 September 2018, one of the most anticipated legal developments in the UAE was brought to life. The UAE issued Federal Decree-Law No. 19/2018 on Foreign Direct...
New UAE Economic Substance Regulations Issued
On 30 April 2019, the UAE Cabinet issued the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 31 of 2019 concerning Economic Substance Regulations in the UAE (“Regulations”). Why has the UAE issued the Regulations? The implementation of the Regulations is a result...
Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban on Scandalous, Immoral Trademarks
Brace yourselves – scandalous trademarks are coming! Today, in Iancu v. Brunetti , No. 18-302 (June 24, 2019), the Supreme Court struck down a provision of trademark law that bans the registration of immoral or scandalous words or symbols. In...
Supreme Court: Trademark Licenses Survive Bankruptcy Rejection
In an 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court settled a long-standing circuit split regarding the impact of bankruptcy filings on trademark licenses. Until May 20th, brand owners in some jurisdictions could use bankruptcy protections to terminate the rights of third parties...
Somebody's Watching EU: Washington State Senate Passes Privacy Legislation Similar to European Union's Data Privacy Regulations
Washington could be the next U.S. state to enact consumer privacy legislation similar to the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). On Wednesday, the Washington state senate overwhelmingly approved the Washington Privacy Act , SB 5376 (the "WPA") which takes...
The 411 on Section 411(a) of the Copyright Act: Supreme Court Holds That Copyright Owners Cannot File Infringement Lawsuits Until After Receiving Official Grant of Registration
Copyright owners cannot file infringement lawsuits until after the subject work has been granted registration by the U.S. Copyright Office. This unanimous decision from the Supreme Court today in Fourth Estate Pub. Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com , 17-571 (U.S. Mar...
Singing the Same Claim Construction Tune: USPTO Adopts Federal Court Claim Construction Standard for AIA Proceedings
On October 11, 2018, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published notice of a final rule change adopting the claim construction standard applied by federal courts for use by the Patent Trial and Board (PTAB) in AIA proceedings...
Music Modernization Act Heads to Oval Office
The Music Modernization Act (MMA) is headed to the President's desk for signature following unanimous approval from the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill, now called the "Orrin G. Hatch Music Modernization Act" ( H.R. 1551 ), provides...
How Can You Protect Your Brand Online?
Bracewell's Annie Allison shares the crucial steps that companies must take to protect their brand on cyberspace.
Are URS and UDRP Complaints Valuable Post-GDPR?
In a post-GDPR world, it’s really important not to underestimate the value of UDRP (Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy) and URS (Uniform Rapid Suspension System) complaints. They are still going to be valuable and useful when you are pursuing domain name...
What Will GDPR Mean for Domain Name Enforcement?
Bracewell's Annie Allison shares how the post-GDPR era impacts domain name enforcement.
House Unanimously Passes Music Modernization Act – Paves the Way for Major Updates to Digital Music Royalty Ecosystem
A major upgrade for music copyright and licensing laws is one step closer to reality with the U.S. House of Representative's unanimous passage of HR 5447 , dubbed the Music Modernization Act ("MMA"), which is aimed at revolutionizing the way...