White & Case LLP

In This Issue: *EU CUSTOMS POLICY: - UCC Developments – provisional agreement *TARIFFS: - Update on duty suspensions/tariff quotas - Proposal on autonomous duty suspensions for flat screens - Commission…more

On May 10, 2013, the Federal Circuit issued deeply divided opinions on the standards to be applied to determine patent eligibility of software and business method patents, further opening the door to challenges of such patents…more

Below are brief summaries of the agenda items for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s May 16, 2013 meeting, pursuant to the agenda as issued on May 9, 2013. Agenda items E-3, E-13, E-17 have not been summarized as they…more

Firing an employee in the United States can be a challenge. Group firings—reductions in-force — can be an even bigger challenge. And from the point of view of a multinational headquartered in the United States, overseas…more

On May 9, 2013, Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson introduced the Application Privacy, Protection and Security Act of 2013 (the "Apps Act"), a bill "[t]o provide for greater transparency in and user control over the treatment of…more

A recent advisory opinion from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance concludes that payments received by an individual nonresident of New York in settlement of his benefits under two nonqualified deferred…more

As many as 90% of pension plans and pension plan sponsors may soon have fewer “reportable events” to track and report to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (the “PBGC”), if certain proposed changes to the PBGC regulations…more

Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act ("Dodd-Frank Act") (enacted July 21, 2010) generally became effective on July 16, 2011. Since then, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has…more

In This Issue: *Chemicals: - Commission adds eight substances to REACH authorisation list *Climate Change: - European Parliament opposes “backloading” proposal for ETS allowances - Council…more

Challenge: Overseas, dismissing an individual employee gets complex and is heavily regulated. Dismissal mandates under foreign law tend to fall into three broad categories: dismissal procedures, pre-termination notice and…more

The Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Olympic Airlines SA (in special liquidation) v ACG Acquisition XX LLC [2013] EWCA Civ 369 gives welcome comfort to lessors that properly drafted Certificates of Acceptance will provide an…more

This alert analyzes the legal positions taken by the Presidium of the Russian Federation Supreme Commercial Court (“SCC”) in its recently published review of commercial court practice in cases concerning the application of…more

At long last, Glencore has overcome the final regulatory hurdle and secured the approval of China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) to acquire the 66 percent of Xstrata that it does not already own. But not before agreeing to part…more

A New York state court has ruled that a DMCA safe harbor does not protect internet services from claims they infringe pre-1972 sound recordings. The decision, UMG Recordings v. Escape Media Group, creates new uncertainty and…more

Since the Second Circuit decided Filártiga v. Pena-Irala in 1980, plaintiffs have deployed the Alien Tort Statute (“ATS”) to great effect against multinational corporations. The statute — which had lain dormant since 1789 — has…more