The European Commission (“Commission”) recently fined Denon & Marantz, Asus, Pioneer and Philips (the “Individual Parties”) a total of EUR 111 million for restricting the ability of online retailers to set retail prices for their products – a hard-core restriction under EU competition law known as “resale price maintenance” or “RPM” (the “Infringement
September 2018
AI Update: NDAA Renewal Addresses Uses and Implications of AI in National Security Context
Last month, President Trump signed into law the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (“NDAA” or the “Act”), which, among other things, includes provisions addressing the development and use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in the context of national security and defense.…
CBCA Issues Rare Decision Addressing Government Claim Accrual
The Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (“CBCA” or “Board”) recently published a decision on accrual of government claims for overpayment under the Contract Disputes Act (“CDA”). In the case, United Liquid Gas Co. d/b/a United Pacific Energy v. Gen. Servs. Admin., CBCA 5846, United Pacific Energy (“UPE”) appeals a General Services Administration (“GSA”) final decision…
U.S. Releases Final List of Tariffs on $200 Billion in Chinese Imports
On September 17, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released its final list of approximately $200 billion in Chinese imports subject to an additional ad valorem tariff. The final list, which covers 5,745 product categories, will take effect on September 24, 2018. The tariff rate will initially be set at 10 percent and…
12th Annual Georgetown Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium – Debating the Latest Issues with Covington’s Johan Ysewyn and Jim O’Connell
On 25 September 2018, Covington’s Johan Ysewyn and Jim O’Connell will speak on cartels and merger enforcement, respectively, at the 12th Annual Georgetown Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium in Washington DC.
This Symposium serves as a leading forum for in-house and outside counsel, policymakers, corporate executives, economists and academics to discuss the most recent issues in…
Donor Disclosure Requirements Expand After Supreme Court Order
In a startling turn of events that will alter election spending decisions in the run-up to the general election, and after, the Supreme Court reversed a temporary stay issued by Justice Roberts on Friday, and left in place a district court decision that dramatically increased the disclosure obligations for entities spending on public communications that…
Congressional Forecast: September
The House and Senate are entering their respective final runs before the November midterm elections, following a two-day break for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year — even though the possibility of Hurricane Florence entering the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area cut short an already shortened week. The pressing items of business are funding the government…
ICO consults on privacy “regulatory sandbox”
By Joshua Gray
Designing data-driven products and services in compliance with privacy requirements can be a challenging process. Technological innovation enables novel uses of personal data, and companies designing new data-driven products must navigate new, untested, and sometimes unclear requirements of privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These challenges are often particularly acute for companies…
The UK Government Issues ‘No-deal’ Competition and Merger Guidance
By Kevin Coates
The UK Government published its highly-anticipated technical guidance on merger review and anti-competitive activity on 13 September 2018 which will apply in the case of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit (the ‘Guidance’). Although brief, it provides market players with some form of practical advice and insights on what to expect, how cases are likely to be divided…
UK “No-Deal Brexit” Technical Notice Sets Out Plans on EU – UK Data Flows
On September 13, 2018, the UK government published a series of technical notices on how to prepare for a scenario in which the UK leaves the EU without agreement on March 29, 2019 (“no-deal Brexit”). The government stressed that a no-deal Brexit “remains unlikely given the mutual interests of the UK and the EU in…