By H. Straat Tenney and Emma Bennett, Troutman Pepper Locke Businesses invest an immense amount of time, effort, and financial resources into building their brand identity and overall cultivating a strong foundation of consumer trust. This trust is not only a cornerstone of a brand’s reputation but is also a critical component of its long-term success in the marketplace. However, with the rise of phishing attacks, a brand’s trust can be quickly weaponized against unsuspecting customers when bad actors create...

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By Isabelle Bart, Caliteam Many companies, whether they are startups or already well established, think that market research can be done “offline” and remotely. Customer discovery has been proven by many renowned experts such as Steve Blank as a great methodology to build a strong foundation to launch a product/innovation/technology. Customer discovery consists of understanding customer needs through speaking to customers directly and creating true value as a fundamental principle for success. Customer discovery revolves around interviewing customers about their objective and...

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By Shin-I Lowe, Shareholder, Littler With the enactment of H.R. 1, also known as One Big Beautiful Bill Act, there are some noteworthy changes to USCIS fees applicable to some immigration benefits that have traditionally been free or of lower cost. Applicants must submit the new fees with benefit requests postmarked on or after July 22, 2025. USCIS will reject any form postmarked on or after Aug. 21, 2025, without the proper fees.  Notably, • There is a new fee for applications for asylum –...

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In the current business climate holding on to employees is harder than ever; and holding on to great employees is even harder than that. The mainstay of attracting and keeping employees is (increased) salary of course, but over time companies have found many other benefits and perks. For the purposes of this article, benefits are things like various insurances, retirement plans, and vacation time, whereas perks are other less visible things like discounts to local retailers, on-site gyms, or...

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IPTI’s usual monthly newsletter - the “President’s Message” - contains, inter alia, some summarised news articles from around the world. This IPTI publication - “Property Tax in the News” - contains some of the more interesting news articles concerning property taxes in North America and Europe which is where many of our members have a particular interest. Links to these and more, similarly summarised, articles - from North America, Europe and around the globe - can be found in...

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In this edition of the Neural Network, we look at key AI developments from July and August. In regulatory and government updates, the GPAI Code of Practice is published; a mandatory template is released for GenAI model providers; the government launches an Inquiry into human rights and the regulation of AI; the government publishes an AI Action Plan for Justice; Trump's AI Action Plan is released; and the Law Commission releases an AI discussion paper. In AI enforcement and litigation news,...

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Particularly with a new US administration in place, the first half of 2025 is witnessing a substantial reconfiguring of regulatory and enforcement priorities that promise to have profound impacts on companies as the year progresses.  First, while the federal government de-prioritizes privacy regulation, US states are filling the gap, as evidenced by eight state regulators’ Bipartisan Consortium on privacy regulation and enforcement: “We’re proud to collaborate with states across the country to advance consistent, streamlined enforcement of privacy protections to address real-world...

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Expanding your business into the United States is an exciting opportunity for growth. That being said, it also comes with complex challenges such as managing payroll, benefits, and HR compliance. The U.S. has a highly regulated employment landscape, and failing to meet legal requirements can lead to costly penalties and operational setbacks. To navigate these challenges, companies typically consider two main solutions: a traditional HR management approach or partnering with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO). Both approaches benefit from working...

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