Last month, I gave a presentation to manufacturers and distributors throughout the United States on Conflict Minerals Laws. The program was sponsored by the United States Department of Commerce. These laws attempt to curb...more
I had the pleasure of moderating a panel at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA)’s Annual Manufacturing Summit. The title of the Panel was “The Future of Manufacturing in Connecticut” and included three...more
Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section Annual Meeting in Boston. The title of my presentation was: “Key Considerations for Foreign Manufacturers That Wish to Sell...more
One of the key aspects of any supply chain contract is the section regarding pricing. Nothing is more important in a business deal than determining how much one manufacturer might pay another in a B2B transaction....more
Last year, we provided an overview regarding the requirement that U.S. publicly traded companies disclose their use of “conflict minerals.” As of 2014, the Government Accounting Office reported that 1,321 companies filed the...more
Suppliers and vendors sometimes find themselves unpleasantly surprised by the bankruptcy of a customer, leaving a trail of unpaid invoices and little hope of recovery. To make matters worse, after licking their wounds and...more
Last month, we posted about the United States Senate’s passage of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016. Breaking news: It passed.
On May 11, 2016, President Barack Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016...more
5/12/2016
/ Asset Seizure ,
Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) ,
Economic Espionage Act ,
Ex Parte ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Manufacturers ,
Misappropriation ,
New Legislation ,
Private Right of Action ,
Trade Secrets ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
This week, the United States Senate passed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, which, if passed by the House and signed into law by President Obama, would give trade secret owners, including manufacturers, a federal private...more
Negotiating contracts in the supply chain are certainly challenging. As a lawyer, there is a temptation to want to change every term that is not to your liking. And, for that reason, a lot of lawyers will receive a contract...more
Manufacturers continue to look for ways to increase sales revenue without a massive infusion of capital. Many companies have been successful in adapting current products for new uses and markets. For instance, a company...more
This is the first in a series of posts that provide industry and legal outlooks for manufacturers as we head into 2016. I will start with corporate compliance and litigation. Matt will follow with labor/employment. And,...more
Our firm has substantial experience in representing nutritional supplement manufacturers. For that reason, the news that the Justice Department and federal agencies (such as the FTC) is engaged in a nationwide sweep of such...more
Over the last few years, our team has worked with several manufacturers and distributors on their terms and conditions of sale and/or purchase. We have even developed a questionaire that we typically use when we speak to a...more
An”anti-assignment” clause can be the death knell of any deal involving the sale or purchase of a manufacturing company. You might ask: what is an anti-assignment clause?...more
For those in the manufacturing community, one of the significant events of the summer was when Congress allowed the authority of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im) to lapse. The main goal of the bank is to...more
8/27/2015
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Boeing ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Congressional Budget Office ,
Distributors ,
Export-Import Bank of the US ,
Exports ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financing ,
Manufacturers ,
NAM ,
National Association of Manufacturers ,
Wall Street Journal
As reported by Industry Week, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce recently announced that 12 additional communities will receive designations under the Obama Administration’s Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership...more
7/21/2015
/ Aerospace ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Economic Development ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Federal Funding ,
Federal Grants ,
Government-Guaranteed Loans ,
HUD ,
Manufacturers ,
National Science Foundation ,
Obama Administration ,
SBA ,
U.S. Commerce Department
In 2010, the U.S. Congress passed a law called the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Action of 2010 (the Dodd-Frank Act).” The Dodd-Frank Act is generally known as the legislative response to the...more
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a series of proposals for the use and regulation of drones (i.e., Unmanned Aircrafy Systems (UAS)) for commercial purposes. In conjuction with these proposals, the White...more
It is our annual tradition at the beginning of each year to report on significant issues that face manufacturers/distributors in the year ahead. Two weeks ago, Matt reported on significant issues in the labor/employment...more
1/22/2015
/ Chief Compliance Officers ,
Class Action ,
Cyber Insurance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Distributors ,
Incentive Awards ,
Manufacturers ,
Popular ,
Temporary Employees ,
Terms and Conditions ,
Workplace Safety
One of the issues that manufacturers/distributors are paying more attention to is their document retention policies. Things get complicated, however, when a corporation has operations outside of the United States. It is not...more
Earlier this year, I wrote about efforts to reform the patent system to curtail abuses by “patent trolls.” Patent trolls do not manufacture anything. Rather, they often buy up patents and then bring lawsuits against...more
One of the most important things for a manufacturer/distributor is ensuring that its products are shipped in a reliable fashion so they arrive on time and in good condition. Similarly, manufacturers rely heavily on shipping...more
As readers of this blog know, Pam looks at OSHA’s website often to stay up to date on news that impacts manufacturers. I tend to look at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s website to see if there are any recent orders or...more