Alerts

Every July, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes two proposed rules that set Medicare reimbursement and shape the administration of the Medicare Part B program for the upcoming calendar year. These rules are the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule and the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) proposed rule.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced that, effective September 1, all PTAB hearings will be conducted in person at USPTO offices, marking a departure from the virtual and hybrid formats adopted in recent years.

On July 18, President Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, marking a significant development in the regulation of digital assets and stablecoins in the United States.

Last month, we provided an overview of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s (PTAB) application of the “settled expectations” doctrine, articulated in recent PTAB director-level decisions. Interim Director Coke Morgan Stewart has favored discretionary denial of inter partes review (IPR) petitions for older patents.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in health care, from diagnostics and clinical decision support to administrative automation, health care providers are increasingly reliant on AI vendors to deliver accurate, safe, and compliant solutions, subject to applicable regulatory requirements and standards of care.

On July 15, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced the initiation of a Section 301 investigation into Brazil’s trade practices to determine whether certain acts, policies, and practices of the Brazilian government are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict US commerce.

A typical tactic employed by retailers is to reduce the price of an item that has remained in a consumer’s shopping cart. This practice may now become illegal if those retailers fail to state, “THIS PRICE WAS SET BY AN ALGORITHM USING YOUR PERSONAL DATA.”

The US Supreme Court’s recent decision in CASA v. Trump, 606 US ___ (June 27, 2025), sharply limited the ability of individual plaintiffs to obtain nationwide injunctions.

On July 1, the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) released Advisory Opinion No. 25-08, issuing an unfavorable determination regarding a proposed arrangement in which a medical device company would pay licensing fees to a third-party vendor for access to an electronic billing portal used by some of the medical device company’s provider customers.

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced the upcoming launch of an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered image-based prior-art search tool for design patents, scheduled to go live on October 1, 2025 (fiscal year 2026). Examiner training for the new tool is set to begin this month, with a public notice anticipated in the near future.

The qualified small business stock (QSBS) rules can be a powerful tax planning tool, and, following the recent enactment of a signature tax law, they have become even more potent.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduces substantial changes to federal tax law, including select provisions affecting tax-exempt organizations and charitable contribution deductions for individual and corporate taxpayers.

On July 4, President Donald Trump signed into law P.L. 119-21, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), enacting significant changes to the US tax system.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

In September 2024, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted rule changes to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) file access and account management system (EDGAR Next), which went into effect on March 24. EDGAR Next is designed to improve the security and manageability of electronic filings.

The Rescissions Act of 2025, recently enacted by Congress, includes significant cuts to federal funding with potential consequences for organizations and residents in the District of Columbia. While the Act primarily targets international and foreign assistance programs, it also rescinds certain domestic appropriations.

On July 1, the Florida Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act took effect, positioning Florida as one of, if not the most, employer-friendly states in noncompete and garden leave agreement enforcement.

Within this term, the US Supreme Court’s major environmental and administrative focus was on statutory text in its environmental and administrative decisions.

On July 9, President Trump told a group of reporters that a 50% tariff on all copper imports was imminent.

Welcome to the first episode of “Tax Stuff You Should Know,” hosted by Robert R. Pluth, Jr. and Evgeny Magidenko. In this episode, Bob and Gene discuss the assignment of income doctrine, its implications in tax law, and the recent Hoensheid case.

The release of Skillhouse, a horror film streaming on the platform GenTV, shares headlines with a high-profile lawsuit brought by rapper 50 Cent based on alleged violations of his intellectual property (IP) rights.

On July 8, the US Supreme Court allowed President Trump’s executive order (EO) permitting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)-related planning efforts for the Trump Administration’s restructuring of the federal workforce to move forward.

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has finalized a rule increasing the annual limit on accepted requests for prioritized patent examination from 15,000 to 20,000, effective with fiscal year 2025 (FY 2025). This adjustment is intended to accommodate sustained growth in demand for expedited examination while maintaining examination efficiency and pendency.

Welcome to the July 2025 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month. We bring you the most recent and significant insights in an accessible format, concluding with our main takeaways — aka “And the Fox Says…” — on what you need to know.