Expert Analysis

• AGs' Paramount Settlement Reflects States' Growing Influence

  

  The recent California federal court approval of the California v. Paramount Skydance settlement illustrates how state attorneys general are gaining new independence and influence, and companies must account for state enforcement when assessing merger risks ahead of a deal's closing, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

• Protecting Trade Secrets When AI Agents Go Rogue

  

  In light of a recent incident in which artificial intelligence agents compromised parts of Hugging Face's production systems, and the uncertain court guidance surrounding liability in such situations, companies looking to update their trade secret protections should carefully examine agents' permissions and technical limitations, says Matt Nealon at Marshall Gerstein.

• Reckoning With The IP Risks Of Building Vibe-Coded Products

  

  While artificial intelligence can now be prompted into generating potentially valuable software, developers who sell vibe-coded products must account for questions about authorship, copyrightability and their ability to control the resulting code, say attorneys at Lawgorithm Advisors.

• Parsing The Latest Signals On FTC Section 5 Enforcement

  

  Federal Trade Commission cases brought over the last several years and Commissioner Mark Meador’s recent call for stand-alone Section 5 enforcement suggest businesses should prepare for continued scrutiny of conduct beyond traditional antitrust violations, particularly in essential goods, technology and labor markets, say attorneys at Axinn.

• Athletes Must Consider PR Risks Surrounding IP Enforcement

  

  NFL player Jayden Daniels' demand for Louisiana State University to cease using his name, image and likeness, and the flurry of social media memes that ensued from this incident, highlight the challenges of navigating the balance between intellectual property legal strategy and public relations, say attorneys at McAndrews Held.

• What Lawyers Should Know Before Accepting Crypto Payment

  

  As clients increasingly request to pay legal fees, retainers and escrow funds using cryptocurrency, lawyers should consider how only a handful of state bar authorities have addressed the issue with varying ethics opinions, as well as the related questions that no authority has yet answered, says attorney Felix Shipkevich.

• Fighting Class Cert. In Wash. False Email Promo Cases

  

  Retailers facing a recent wave of class actions alleging their email promotions violated the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act may be able to demonstrate that sending individualized, customer-specific messages produced experiences too diverse to be adjudicated on a classwide basis, say attorneys at Benesch.

• Cos. Face Growing Exposure To Unfair Trade Practice Suits

  

  Claims against companies that were traditionally governed by tort, products liability, nuisance or environmental law are increasingly being brought under state unfair and deceptive practices statutes — and defense practitioners and in-house counsel should note these laws often provide expanded remedies and procedural advantages to plaintiffs, say attorneys at Kean Miller.

• Zillow-Redfin Settlement Spotlights Nontraditional-Deal Risk

  

  The Federal Trade Commission's recent settlement with Zillow and Redfin serves as a reminder that authorities are increasingly interested in challenging nontraditional transaction structures that effectively eliminate a market participant, which includes some exclusivity arrangements, say attorneys at Freshfields.

• Series

  Mentalism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Convincing strangers I can read their minds may seem like an unusual second career for a legal practitioner, but both disciplines share several important requirements, including trust and preparation, says Warren Biro at Manatt.

• Why And How To Build A Neurodiversity-Informed Practice

  

  By better understanding neurodiversity and implementing simple accommodations for clients with autism, ADHD or learning differences, attorneys can build stronger relationships with those who may otherwise struggle to obtain and benefit from legal services, while developing good habits that will benefit everyone they represent, says Ting Cheung at Sanford Heisler.

• LIV Golf Ch. 11 Tests Limits Of Reorganizing Around Talent

  

  In LIV Golf's recent Chapter 11 filing, players are the core enterprise value of the business and the intended majority common owners of the reorganized league, making the case a restructuring reference point for any enterprise whose core value rests on individuals rather than assets, say attorneys at Jones Walker.

• FCC Covered List Is Pushing Limits Of Supply Chain Scrutiny

  

  Companies outside the traditional telecommunications sector may now need to factor the Federal Communications Commission's equipment authorization requirements into supply chain compliance as the FCC covered list continues to expand as a national security tool, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

• AG Watch: Texas Takes A Lone State Stand Against Tech Cos.

  

  A look at Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent actions against Meta Platforms and Amazon.com illustrates how Texas is distancing itself from multistate coordination, offering practitioners a crucial perspective on navigating individual state actions amid coordinated attorney general litigation, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

• Meta Smart Glasses Suit Will Test Privacy Law For Bystanders

  

  In a consolidated suit over how Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses handle personal video footage, a recently proposed class of unwittingly recorded bystanders highlights questions over whether privacy laws and product disclosures adequately address the risks wearable recording devices pose to nonusers, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.