Over the past several weeks, legislatures in Arizona, California, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee have introduced bills that mirror the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”). There has been a trend in the states to enact so-called “baby FARA” laws that apply to foreign influenced political activity in the states, although until
April 2024
FCC’s “Supplemental Coverage from Space” Rules Take Effect May 30; New Licensing Framework Expands Satellite-to-Smartphone Coverage
Updated April 30, 2024. Originally posted March 18, 2024.
In March, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a licensing framework that authorizes satellite operators to partner with terrestrial wireless providers to develop hybrid satellite-terrestrial networks intended to provide ubiquitous network connectivity, including in “dead zones” and other hard-to-reach areas. Today’s Federal Register publication confirms…
A Week of Climate Action: Spotlight on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Earth Week Regulatory and Grant-Funding Actions
First observed on April 22, 1970, Earth Day has long been recognized as a watershed moment for the modern environmental movement. On that day, over 20 million demonstrators nationwide marched to raise awareness of the need to protect and preserve the environment. The energy generated from that day galvanized the country to action, leading to…
Nebraska Enacts Nebraska Data Privacy Act
On April 17, the Nebraska governor signed the Nebraska Data Privacy Act (the “NDPA”) into law. Nebraska is the latest state to enact comprehensive privacy legislation, joining California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Montana, Oregon, Texas, Florida, Delaware, New Jersey, New Hampshire…
ICO sets outs 2024-2025 priorities to protect children online
By Stacy Young
On April 3, 2024, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) published its 2024-2025 Children’s code strategy (the “Strategy”), which sets out its priorities for protecting children’s personal information online. This builds on the Children’s code of practice (“Children’s Code”) which the ICO introduced in 2021 to ensure that all online services which process children’s data…
Overview of AI Regulatory Landscape in APAC
With the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the regulatory frameworks for AI in the Asia–Pacific (APAC) region continue to develop quickly. Policymakers and regulators have been prompted to consider either reviewing existing regulatory frameworks to ensure their effectiveness in addressing emerging risks brought by AI, or proposing new, AI-specific rules or regulations. Overall,…
Changes to WA’s Non-Compete Law Require Employers to Take Action
Since 2020, with the adoption of Washington state’s non-compete statute (Chapter 49.62 of the Revised Code of Washington (“RCW 49.62”)), Washington has imposed significant restrictions on employer use of non-compete agreements with employees and independent contractors, permitting such agreements only subject to certain statutory and common-law requirements, including without limitation, a minimum annual earnings threshold…
In Internet Privacy Case, Predominance Rejected for Persons Who Did Not Choose Their Own Privacy Settings
A Northern District of California court excluded two groups from certified classes alleging privacy violations against Google, finding that individuals who did not set their own privacy settings did not satisfy the predominance requirement of Rule 23(b)(3).
In Rodriguez, et al., v. Google LLC, 2024 WL 1486139 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 5, 2024), plaintiffs had filed…
EHDS Series – 5: European Health Data Space Governance, Enforcement and Timelines
On March 5, 2025, the final text of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) was published in the EU Official Journal. In April 2024,we wrote several blog posts on EHDS based on a provisional compromise text. We have now updated those to reflect the final version and included references to the correct provisions.
This article…
New Federal Rule of Civil Procedure for MDLs Approved by Advisory Committee
By Amy Heath & Andrew Soukup
Earlier this month, the Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Civil Rules unanimously approved a proposed new rule to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to address case management of multidistrict litigation (“MDL”). The rule is the first addition to the Federal Rules focused on MDLs, and it reflects an attempt to suggest a nationwide approach…