02 Nov
Member News

Stout | Plastics M&A Activity Approaching Record High in 2021

There were 348 plastics industry M&A transactions through the first nine months of 2021, a 31% year-over-year (YOY) increase. Plastics M&A has rebounded significantly since the Q2 2020 trough, with Q3 2021 achieving the highest level of quarterly deal activity since early 2019. M&A activity by private equity firms (both selling and buying) has increased significantly in 2021, accounting for most of the incremental volume for the year. Positive momentum is expected to continue for the rest of the...

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02 Nov
Member News

Panitch Law | USPTO Announces DOCX Requirement for Certain Patent Applications

Starting January 1, 2022, the United States Patent & Trademark Office (“USPTO”) will begin requiring that certain patent applications be filed electronically in “DOCX” format to increase efficiency and accuracy during the examination process. At the same time, the USPTO will begin assessing a surcharge of up to $400 for electronically filing these patent applications in PDF format.  This surcharge is designed to encourage applicants to file using the DOCX format supported by Microsoft Word 2007 and higher, Google...

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02 Nov
Chapter News, Trade & TTIP Related

EU and US agree to start discussions on a Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminium and suspend steel and aluminium trade disputes

European Commission President von der Leyen and United States President Biden agreed today to start discussions on a Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminium. This marks a new milestone in the transatlantic relationship, and in EU-US efforts to achieve the decarbonisation of the global steel and aluminium industries in the fight against climate change. The two Presidents also agreed to pause the bilateral World Trade Organization disputes on steel and aluminium. This builds on our recent successes in...

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02 Nov
Chapter News

OECD & IEA | Energy price surge underlines need to accelerate clean energy transitions rather than subsidise fossil fuels

Countries should resist raising government support for fossil fuels in response to the global surge in energy prices and the economic impacts of the pandemic, according to the OECD and IEA. Instead, given the existential threat of climate change and the need for a green recovery, they should accelerate investment in sustainable energy infrastructure and the creation of green jobs, as well as meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 7, to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable...

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01 Nov
Member News, Trade & TTIP Related

GDLSK | Section 232 tariff relief announced on imports of steel and aluminum from the EU and EU retaliatory tariffs to be lifted

On October 31, 2021, the U.S. and the EU announced steps to, among other things, reestablish historical transatlantic trade flows in steel and aluminum and address shared challenges in the steel and aluminum sector. Among the concrete steps to be taken are the following: 1. Replacement of Section 232 tariffs with tariff-rate quotas (TRQ). Effective January 1, 2022, the United States will replace the existing tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products under Section 232 with TRQs.  Under the TRQ arrangement, historically-based...

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01 Nov
Chapter News, Trade & TTIP Related

Questions and Answers: EU-US negotiations on trade on steel and aluminium

What is the Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminium? The arrangement is intended to facilitate the decarbonising of the steel and aluminium industries, as well as addressing the issue of overcapacity in these industries caused by non-market practices in some economies. The EU and US have agreed to start discussions on this Arrangement as soon as possible, and conclude them within two years. We want to make this Arrangement open to all like-minded economies. How will the Arrangement help achieve decarbonisation? Each...

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01 Nov
Chapter News, Trade & TTIP Related

Joint EU-US Statement on a Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminium

The United States and the EU have today taken joint steps to re-establish historical transatlantic trade flows in steel and aluminium and to strengthen their partnership and address shared challenges in the steel and aluminium sector. As a part of that partnership, they intend to negotiate for the first time, a global arrangement to address carbon intensity and global overcapacity. The European Union and the United States have a shared commitment to joint action and deepened cooperation in these sectors...

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01 Nov
Chapter News

EU Commission strengthens cybersecurity of wireless devices and products

Today, the Commission has taken action to improve the cybersecurity of wireless devices available on the European market. As mobile phones, smart watches, fitness trackers and wireless toys are more and more present in our everyday life, cyber threats pose a growing risk for every consumer. The delegated act to the Radio Equipment Directive adopted today aims to make sure that all wireless devices are safe before being sold on the EU market. This act lays down new legal requirements for...

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01 Nov
Member News

ACG Resources | The Hidden Costs of an Empty Desk

It isn’t overly difficult to calculate the costs of sourcing, hiring, and training a new employee. These are all tangible, recordable costs that can be easily tracked. But what happens if you fail to fill that position in a timely manner? The losses to the company may appear in a variety of ways, but it can be far more difficult to ascribe a dollar value to them. These “empty desk” costs can add up to cost your organization significant...

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01 Nov
Member News

Cozen O’Connor | President Biden Lifts COVID-19 Travel Ban

President Biden has announced that the current COVID-19 travel bans impacting visitors to the United States will end on Monday, November 8, 2021. This current presidential proclamation will eliminate the travel restrictions set forth in the previous presidential proclamations from 2020 and 2021 as they relate to the suspension of entry into the United States of persons physically present in Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In place of these restrictions,...

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