Although electric vehicle (“EV”) sales do not account for a large portion of global automobile sales, recent developments in some of the major global automotive markets promise to expand the EV market rapidly in the coming years. In September, China became the largest market—following a handful of mostly European countries—to declare its intention to…
Month: January 2018
The Trump Administration’s Stance on Antitrust Laws.
With Makan Delrahim’s recent confirmation by the Senate to head the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Antitrust division, the focus has now shifted to the Trump administration’s approach to corporate transaction deals and the potential appurtenant policy changes.1 Under the Obama administration, the Antitrust division continued recent trends exemplified by an increasing inclination to challenge proposed…
Matal v. Tam: The Future of Disparaging and Scandalous Trademarks
Trademarks are ubiquitous in the everyday lives of countless consumers. Indeed, some consumers have little difficulty drawing big brand logos from memory, down to the precise colors and details.1 That aptitude did not arise by happenstance: brands are designed to create a bond between the consumer and the product by provoking the consumer’s emotions.2 Still,…
Microsoft is Moving Away from Billable Hours. Will Others Follow their Lead?
Microsoft announced this summer that it wants 90% of its outside counsel work to be paid for through alternative fee arrangements.1 Microsoft intends to utilize large retainer fees to encourage more collaboration between the company and its outside counsel.2 One could be forgiven for assuming that Microsoft believes shifting away from billable hours will cut…
Self-Driving Cars in China – The Need for Regulatory Development
On July 5, Yanhong Li, the CEO of Baidu, a company known as “China’s Google,” spoke to attendees of the Artificial Intelligence Development Conference in Beijing via live video from inside a self-driving car as it drove around the city.1. However, Li was later warned and investigated by the police for an alleged violation of…
The Legislative and Regulatory Landscape of Autonomous Vehicles
As car manufacturers and technology companies forge ahead with their plans to implement autonomous driving technology, it is important they consider the legislative and regulatory landscape. These entities are in uncertain territory because the current regulatory structure does not closely align with autonomous driving.1 On the federal level, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)…
No Benefit: How Benefit Corporations Accidentally Undermined Corporate Social Responsibility
I. The Basic Difference Between a Traditional Corporation and a Benefit Corporation The corporate form is a legal entity with a well-established primary purpose: to generate profit for the corporation’s shareholders.1 Although the advisability and impact of the so-called “shareholder primacy norm” has often been debated,2 the norm has endured and still commands the respect…