When the Supreme Court convenes its “long conference” on Monday to consider pending petitions for certiorari, much of the public focus will be on the various cases about same-sex marriage. Government contractors, however, should pay closer attention to Gosselin World Wide Moving, N.V. v. United States ex rel. Bunk et al., a case
September 2014
Transcorp Hotel’s $48.8M IPO Shows Nigeria Remains Leading Choice for Hotel Industry Investments
By Covington
At the start of this year, Financial Times declared Africa to be “the new battleground for global domination among hotel groups.” The expected launch today of a $48.8 million Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) by Nigeria’s hospitality giant Transcorp Hotels indicates that Nigeria continues to be one of the top choices for investors in…
Article 29 Working Party Emphasizes Importance of Personal Data Protection for Big Data Operations and Development
A recent statement from the Article 29 Working Party, the independent European advisory body on data protection and privacy, comprised of representatives of the national data protection authorities of the EU Member States, the European Data Protection Supervisor and the European Commission, finds that the EU data protection principles, outlined in the EU Data…
Recent Decision Reiterates the Limits on Terminations for Convenience
New government contractors are often surprised to learn that a standard clause in federal contracting gives the government the right to terminate contracts for convenience. In day-to-day discussions, it is not uncommon for government contractors to think of termination for convenience as equivalent to termination without cause, as opposed to “for cause” termination for default. …
Solar Investment Booms in Sub-Saharan Africa
By Covington
According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, two out of three sub-Saharan Africans, approximately 600 million people, do not have access to electricity, instead relying on costly, environmentally unfriendly, and unhealthy forms of energy such as diesel generators and kerosene lamps and stoves. With many sub-Saharan African countries receiving a high number of…
A Renewed Focus on Climate Change This Week in New York
By Gary S. Guzy
Regardless of your perspective on the subject, expect significantly increasing media and public attention around climate change and greenhouse gas emissions this week.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, is convening a Climate Summit on Tuesday in conjunction with the meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York. More than 120…
GAO Report Outlines Healthcare.gov’s Ongoing Privacy Issues
By Randall Friedland
According to a GAO report published September 16th, Healthcare.gov, the health insurance exchange rolled out last October, still has significant privacy weaknesses. Specifically, the report outlined that despite the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) efforts to increase the security and privacy of data that it processes, maintains, and shares…
Article 29 Working Party Meets To Discuss The Right To Be Forgotten
Yesterday, the Article 29 Working Party group of European privacy regulators released a short press release describing the results of its most recent plenary meeting, in which the right to be forgotten was discussed.
The “right to be forgotten” refers to a “new” right that the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) read…
What the FTC’s Latest COPPA Settlements Mean for Mobile Apps
Making good on its warnings that mobile apps will be an enforcement priority under the revised Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) Rule, the FTC has announced two settlements with mobile app developers:
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SBA Increases Size Standards for Manufacturing and Various Other Industries
On September 10, 2014, the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) issued two proposed rules to increase employee-based size standards for manufacturing and various other industries in connection with the agency’s ongoing review of existing size standards. The SBA has the discretion to establish size standards as a threshold under which firms are eligible to participate…