By Katherine Gasztonyi
Last week, Judge Robinson of the District of Delaware dismissed a multi-district lawsuit claiming that Google, Vibrant Media, Media Innovation Group, and WPP violated federal privacy and computer security laws by allegedly circumventing browser privacy settings in order to track users online.
This lawsuit stems from a February 17, 2012, Wall Street…
By Dan Cooper and Colin Warriner
On 10 October 2013, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that finding the owners of an online news portal liable for offensive comments posted by its users did not violate their right to freedom of expression. Reactions to the ruling (which may still be appealed to the…
These days, it is not enough for companies with dealings with government officials to adopt election and political law compliance policies. They need to adopt the right policies.
A $200,000 settlement the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority recently obtained against L.J. Hart & Co. (“Hart”), a Missouri municipal-bond underwriter, is a case in point. The case…
Last week, I spoke on a panel at the IAPP Privacy Academy about upcoming changes to FCC regulations governing the “prior express consent” requirement for, among other things, autodialed promotional text message and prerecorded call programs under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). These changes will take effect next week, on October 16, 2013. Some…
Hannah Edmonds, a trainee associate in Covington’s London office, contributed to this post.
Currently, legal regimes governing protection of trade secrets and confidential information across the EU are fairly disparate. A study published by the European Commission in July (http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/iprenforcement/docs/20130711/final-study_en.pdf) has identified a ‘widespread appetite for a harmonized approach’ across the region. Harmonisation…
In the ever-changing world of corporate political law regulation, one of the new kids on the block is the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 (“STOCK Act”). This new law was intended to apply criminal insider trading laws to trading on material, non-public information obtained from Congress, the executive branch, or the judiciary. …
On 8 October, 2013, a group of Social and Democrat MEPs called for the suspension of the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework (the “Safe Harbor”). Their comments, which were triggered by the unauthorized disclosure of document describing a U.S. National Security Agency surveillance program known as “PRISM”, argued that the Safe Harbor is, variously, “misleading,” “vulnerable,”…
On 12 September, 2013, the European Commission formally adopted a proposal for a new Telecommunications Regulation (the “Regulation”). The Regulation would, if enacted, reform the European Union’s telecommunication rules, including in areas such as net neutrality, spectrum allocation, roaming charges, and consumer rights in mobile and telecoms contracts. The proposal is now being considered by…
If the Supreme Court strikes down the biennial limit on the amount an individual can contribute to all federal candidates, political parties and PACs, the most immediate effect may be to expand the role of Joint Fundraising Committees (JFCs) in campaign finance.
JFC’s allow candidates, party committees and PACs to join together for fundraising events…
The Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General recently issued a report detailing concerns with the valuation of alternative investments (such as private equity funds, hedge funds, and real estate) held by ERISA plans. ERISA requires plan sponsors and fiduciaries to value investments for several purposes, including to determine funding obligations, select investments, monitor investment…
