On January 11, 2021, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed into law the Ban on Noncompete Agreements Amendment Act of 2020, passed by the Council of the District of Columbia in December 2020.

Earlier this week, the federal government reopened the Paycheck Protection Program – and emphasized a renewed focus on preventing fraud and abuse.

The new guidance includes helpful information about additional ‘eligible costs’ for which PPP funds may be used.

Join former Senator Byron Dorgan and former Congressman Philip S. English in a discussion moderated by Government Relations Practice Co-Leader Jon Bouker on how the shift in government will affect nonprofit organizations.

Regulated industries pay close attention to how regulators use scientific data, because the stakes are high.

The recently-passed Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “CAA”) augments the CARES Act by expanding the existing Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and adding additional stimulus programs in an attempt to lay some traction to the most troubled sectors of the US economy.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

It may come as some surprise that embedded within the over 5,500-pages of the recent COVID-19 relief and government funding bill (the Consolidated Appropriations Act) are several (not-insubstantial) changes to copyright and trademark law and procedure.

Join AF Partners Nancy Puleo and Valerie Samuels and Associate Lauren Schaefer in an hour-long discussion on returning to work in the COVID era.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Final Rule in the Federal Register on December 2, 2020, overhauling the regulations governing the federal Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law).

In March 2020, photographer Michael Barret Boesen filed suit against the owner of sports news website, LongIslandTennisMagazine.com claiming that the website infringed on his copyrights by embedding an Instagram post featuring his photograph of tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.

On January 6, the US Department of Labor announced a final rule, aimed at clarifying the distinction, under the FLSA, between employees and independent contractors.

Arent Fox International Trade Group Partner Marwa Hassoun and Government Contracts Group Counsel Travis Mullaney chat about Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act.

On January 6, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) location requirements go into effect for fixed multi-line telephone systems (MLTS) and interconnected VoIP services, which now include outbound-only VoIP services for purposes of emergency calling.

The New York Law Journal reported that an eleventh hour push to block proposed settlements with two defendant banks over their role in the manipulation of LIBOR hit a dead end.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently analyzed whether and to what extent a relator can survive the False Claims Act’s public disclosure bar when the relator alleges continuation of a fraud scheme.

AFC Gamma’s SEC filing illustrates the importance of proper risk assessment and adequate risk factor disclosures to investors in the rapidly-shifting regulatory landscape of cannabis production, sales, and lending.

Arent Fox Automotive Group attorneys Michael McMahan and Christopher Koenig co-wrote an article for New Jersey Auto Retailer.

When imports are suspected of violating US trade law or when they threaten US economic interests, trade litigation (read: trade investigation cases) kicks in. This section focuses on third-country transshipment concerns in the article “Using Third Country Components? Buyer Beware.”

Turning to the business of exports from the United States, the next section is a must-read for any company doing business in the United States or from the United States.

Our final section returns to trade policy with three narrower but equally important articles – the first in regard to US renewal of GSP benefits and the tension between the Biden administration’s promise to protect US workers while achieving climate goals.

Looking towards 2021 and a new Administration, Arent Fox’s International Trade & Investment group has prepared a series of primers on six key areas that can impact your business.

On December 31, 2020, the Administrator of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued an opinion letter addressing whether certain travel time that occurs on a partial telework day is compensable under the FLSA. Opinion Letter FLSA2020-19 (December 31, 2020).

The Final Rule of the Stark Law revises the definitions of Fair Market Value and includes a definition of General Market Value to better align with actual practices without unduly restricting innovative relationships between physicians and entities providing designated health services.

2020 was an unprecedented year for business owners. It brought a pandemic, a deep recession, a civil rights movement, and civil unrest in cities across America.