Straight Talks: New players, new rules - IP disruption in the automobile industry
Editor’s Note - Welcome to the May 2024 edition of Plugged In! This month, we delve into the nuanced developments shaping the future of EVs, from strategic challenges to investment trends....more
The Michigan Supreme Court’s July 2023 decision in MSSC, Inc v AirBoss Flexible Prods Co renewed many suppliers’ ammunitions in customer negotiations. One OEM, however, has been publicly pushing back against those arguments,...more
Key Developments - Full-year 2023 U.S. new light-vehicle sales are expected to reach 15.5 million units, and increase to 15.9 million units in 2024, according to projections from S&P Global Mobility. Global light-vehicle...more
This update helps automotive suppliers inform their legal and operational decisions to help address challenges and opportunities. Key Developments - Labor negotiations between the UAW and Detroit Three automakers...more
The United Auto Workers (UAW) Union’s contracts with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis are set to expire on September 14, 2023. Concerns are growing among the automotive supply base about the impact of a walkout by UAW...more
This update helps automotive suppliers inform their legal and operational decisions to help address challenges and opportunities. Key Developments - U.S. new light-vehicle sales reached 1.3 million units in July,...more
Automotive OEMs, suppliers, startups and other participants in the automotive ecosystem have a great deal to do in 2023 as manufacturers begin to move to diversify historical internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle product...more
In recent years unexpected supply chain disruptions made it difficult for some automotive suppliers to manufacture components needed to fulfill their downstream orders on time and on budget. Although looking to alternate...more
Over the course of the last three years, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers have been rocked by a series of challenges, including shutdowns and restarts due to COVID-19, extreme labor turnover, higher...more
Yesterday, the 5th Circuit issued its decision in the Continental v. Avanci Appeal, reversing the district court’s decision that Continental had standing under Article III of the Constitution. The decision finds Continental...more
Paul Ericksen of Industry Week has been writing about supply chain issues for many years. His most recent article “Supplier Goodwill toward OEMs Has Run Dry” caught my attention. The title is clearly meant to be provocative...more
“A supply chain crunch that was meant to be temporary now looks like it will last well into next year as the surging delta variant upends factory production in Asia and disrupts shipping, posing more shocks to the world...more
Welcome to Manufacturing Updates, Pullman & Comley’s new quarterly publication that summarizes important legal developments for manufacturers. Manufacturing Updates brings together insights from attorneys across our many...more
First we take Sacramento, then we take Berlin: How do US data protection laws affect how you do business. The webinar is aimed at in-house or outside counsel, as well as data protection and compliance officers. In this...more
General Motors (“GM”) recently announced its plan to completely phase out gasoline- and diesel-powered engines – and shift to a 100% electric vehicle (EV) lineup – by 2035. As one of the largest automakers worldwide, GM’s...more
The automotive landscape dictating the relationship between OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and sub-suppliers is changing due to the entrance of new market participants within the automotive supply chain. The new market participants...more
While nearly every facet of the economy has been affected by COVID-19, the automotive industry remains one of the sectors most affected. The industry continues to face the double impact of declining sales and increasing...more
As the automotive industry grapples with the continued fallout from COVID-19 and its impact on the economy, many companies are facing a significant hit to their financial performance due to reduced volumes and higher costs of...more
On 11 August 2020, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (“Ninth Circuit”), in a unanimous opinion by Judge Callahan, reversed the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC’s”) win in the district court...more
The global outbreak of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 is having profound implications for businesses all over the world. A Hogan Lovells team of corporate and commercial lawyers from the United Kingdom, United States, and...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: At the beginning of 2020, industry pundits predicted only a moderate decline in auto sales for the year. Those “moderate decline” predictions took a sharp turn on Wednesday, with Morgan Stanley slashing its...more
We kicked off our seventh year writing the Manufacturing Law Blog with Megan’s predictions for EH&S. Matt will weigh in about labor and employment issues next week....more
While dissenting from the Supreme Court’s 1992 decision in Eastman Kodak Co. v. Image Technical Services, Inc., Justice Scalia warned that the opinion “threatens to release a torrent of litigation and a flood of commercial...more
Not long ago, an automotive “innovation” meant a new way of engineering a powertrain or emissions system, which would then be patented by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or supplier. A “gentlemen’s agreement”...more
Elevated warranty expenses for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are expected to continue in 2018, and automotive suppliers can expect to continue paying a greater per-vehicle share of these expenses. Because OEM...more