Mergers, Acquisitions, Assignments

Best Practices for Diligencing Chain-of-Title for Post-AIA Patent Applications with Assignee-Applicants

Ropes & Gray LLP on 8/15/2025

Patent diligence in the context of M&A and other types of commercial transactions typically involves confirmation of a patent’s chain-of-title ownership, from initial inventors through to the current assignee-owner. The...more

Transferring Federal Government “Other Transaction” Agreements

Smith Anderson on 9/10/2024

As we discussed in a prior Alert, parties buying or selling a business must consider how to properly transfer the seller’s contracts to the buyer. Part 42 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) addresses the contract...more

Federal Small Business Set-Aside Contracts When Selling or Buying a Business

Smith Anderson on 9/1/2015

In a prior Alert, we provided a high-level overview of the Anti-Assignment Act, which requires federal pre-approval for the sale of federal government contracts, often through a “novation agreement” signed by the seller,...more

In Reversal, California Supreme Court Allows Assignment of Coverage for Liability Claims

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP on 8/31/2015

California’s Supreme Court has reversed its own heavily criticized decision from 2003 in Henkel Corp. v. Hartford Accident & Indem. Co. (2003) 29 Cal. 4th 934. In Fluor Corp. v. Superior Court, the Court announced that its...more

New California Law Impacting Change in Control of Grocery Stores

McGuireWoods LLP on 8/21/2015

The new law, Assembly Bill 359, will require that, upon a “change in control” of a “grocery establishment,” the seller must prepare a list of “specified eligible grocery workers” for a successor grocery employer, which would...more

Intent to Lose? Be Wary of Pitfalls Involving Intent-to-Use Trademark Applications.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP on 5/23/2014

Merger and Acquisitions often involve the acquisition and/or assignment of trademarks. Companies acquiring trademarks must beware of potential problems lurking with intent-to-use (ITU) trademark applications (or applications...more