Member News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Barnes & Thornburg | The False Claims Act’s New Frontier: $549.5 Million Customs Fraud Settlement Signals Continued Enforcement Shift

Highlights The $549.5 million Perfectus Aluminum settlement is more than ten times larger than the previous record for a customs-related False Claims Act (FCA) resolution and the latest in a string of major cases involving Chinese imports. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)'s new Corporate Enforcement Policy creates a 120-day clock. Once a whistleblower reports internally, the company has 120 days to self-disclose or lose eligibility for a presumptive declination of prosecution. A single customs fraud scheme can simultaneously...

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Chapter News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Office of the United States Trade Representative | USTR to Host G20 Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

 Ambassador Jamieson Greer will host the G20 Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday, October 1. “President Trump’s tariff program is actively rebalancing global trade, reversing decades of non-market policies and practices to protect American workers and businesses,” said Ambassador Greer. “At the G20 Trade Ministerial this fall, USTR will lead discussions with the G20 Trade Ministers on a wide array of issues, including ending forced labor, updating the Most-Favored Nation (MFN) Principle, denouncing weaponization of trade...

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Chapter News, News

European Parliament | Protecting EU Strategic Sectors from Risky Foreign Investments

Screening of investments to be mandatory for all member states in sensitive sectors such as defence, financial services and semiconductors New regulation is crucial to the EU's economic security Improved cooperation mechanism among Member States and harmonisation of procedures European Commission to set conditions on foreign investments On Tuesday, Parliament approved new EU rules for the screening of foreign investments to prevent security risks. With 508 votes in favour, 64 against and 90 abstentions, MEPs gave their green light to...

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Chapter News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

World Bank | Fertilizer Prices Surge as Strait of Hormuz Disruptions Tighten Supplies

This blog post is part of a special series based on the April 2026 Commodity Markets Outlook, a flagship report published by the World Bank Group. This series features concise summaries of commodity-specific sections extracted from the report. The World Bank Group’s fertilizer price index rose more than 12 percent in 2026Q1 (q/q), marking its sixth increase in seven quarters. By April 2026, the index had reached its highest level since October 2022, driven mainly by export disruptions related to the closure...

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Member News, News

Troutman Pepper Locke | Policymakers Consider Temporary Pause on AI Data Center Construction: What Stakeholders Need to Know

Data center developers and hyperscalers are racing to build artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and data centers across the United States. In response, federal and state policymakers have introduced legislative measures targeting rising electricity costs, grid strain, environmental impacts, and AI-driven job losses. The most aggressive of these is a moratorium on data center construction. On March 25, 2026, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act. The act would impose a nationwide halt on constructing or...

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Chapter News, News

European Commission | Report Shows Schengen Area Continues to be Resilient and Ready for Future Challenges

The Commission published its fifth State of the Schengen report, reviewing developments in the Schengen area over the past year and setting priorities for the year ahead. The Schengen area continues to demonstrate resilience, underpinned by collective efforts at both EU and national level. The Schengen area is one of the European Union's most tangible and valued achievements, enabling a more than 450 million EU citizens to travel, work, study and live freely across borders while supporting trade, tourism and freedom of...

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Member News, News

Offit Kurman | Pre‑Launch Trademark Risk: What In‑House Counsel Should Address Before Product Launch

Most trademark problems do not begin with a refusal from the USPTO or a cease-and-desist letter from a competitor. They begin much earlier during product development and brand naming, often before legal is meaningfully involved. For in-house counsel, pre-launch trademark risk is less about technical doctrine and more about process. Decisions made under time constraints, reliance on incomplete clearance signals, selection of legally weak brands, and launching without a filing strategy all narrow options later and increase the cost of correction. The companies that encounter the most difficult trademark...

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Member News, News

RSM | Cybersecurity Challenges for Financial Services Organizations

Key takeaways Data is increasingly shared across vendors and cloud environments, expanding the attack surface. Organizations should embed cybersecurity resilience into their enterprise risk management framework. Improving third-party risk oversight and building a culture of shared accountability can help.   Financial services organizations continue to be among the industries most targeted for cyberattacks. Banks, lenders, investment firms and payment processors sit at the intersection of sensitive data, global money movement and critical infrastructure, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals, hacktivists and...

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ECB | How Cross-Border Flows via Non-bank Financial Institutions Constrain Financing for Euro Area Firms

Blog | Non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) are on the rise. This blog shows how shifts in their borrowing and investment portfolios constrain financing for euro area firms and affect the transmission of monetary policy. Two trends have diverted financing away from euro area firms in recent years. First, euro area NBFIs have shifted their portfolios towards foreign assets – particularly US equities. Second, banks have channelled more lending to NBFIs outside the euro area. Together, these cross-border flows via NBFIs...

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Member News, News

Anchin | Goals, Glory, and Taxes: Foreign Athletes Face U.S. Tax Implications for World Cup 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, taking place this summer across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will capture global attention with its exciting matches, heated rivalries, and memorable moments. However, the tournament also brings challenges off the field that players have to navigate. While athletes focus on the games at hand, they also work with their advisors to address a complex web of international tax obligations—particularly nonresident players who have the potential to earn income from participation bonuses and other...

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