Member News, News

Foley Hoag | Litigating Trade Secret Claims Focused on Generative AI

AI systems pose distinct challenges for pleading and responding to trade secret misappropriation claims. Their models and code are complex, adaptive, and often opaque. Courts, however, increasingly require plaintiffs to identify secrets with specificity to survive motions to dismiss. Industry participants need to clearly understand where the lines are drawn to avoid, assert, and respond to claims related to AI trade secret theft. AI trade secret allegations have begun to play a role in commercial trade secret disputes. In AlphaSense v....

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RPJ | Neurodivergence in the Workplace: A Growing Reality for Employers

Recently, I spoke to a friend of mine who serves as in-house employment counsel for a research facility. As in-house counsel, attorneys have to weigh overall company interests against human resource (HR) considerations, along with potential legal risks.  However, a shift in the understanding and perception of “neurodiversity” has brought another consideration to the forefront. Like my friend’s employer, HR departments across the country are now being called to evaluate their internal functions to determine whether they are equipped...

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Chapter News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Eurostat | Euro Area International Trade in Goods Surplus €7.8 bn

Euro area The first estimates of euro area balance showed a €7.8 bn surplus in trade in goods with the rest of the world in March 2026, compared with +€34.1 bn in March 2025. The euro area exports of goods to the rest of the world in March 2026 were €265.3 billion, a decrease of 5.5% compared with March 2025 (€280.6 bn). Imports from the rest of the world stood at €257.4 bn, a rise of 4.4% compared with March 2025 (€246.5 bn). In March 2026, the euro...

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Member News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Tradewind Finance | Non-Recourse vs Recourse Factoring: What Exporters Need to Know

Exporters selling internationally often face a difficult balance: offering competitive payment terms while protecting their business from non-payment risk. Factoring helps solve the cash flow challenge by advancing funds against unpaid invoices. However, exporters must choose between recourse factoring and non-recourse factoring. Understanding the difference is essential for managing financial risk in global trade. In a recourse factoring arrangement, the exporter remains responsible if the buyer fails to pay the invoice. Here is how it works: The exporter ships goods and issues an invoice. The factor advances...

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Loyens & Loeff | Tax at the Heart of EU Policymaking – Simplification, Digital Taxation and Financing EU Ambitions

While tax may not always sit at the forefront of public EU policymaking debates, developments over the past year point to a clear conclusion: 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for EU tax policy, with implications that extend well beyond technical tax compliance. Ongoing discussions on simplification, the taxation of the digital economy and the financing of EU ambitions place taxation firmly at the intersection of policy design, competitiveness and fiscal stability. For companies operating across the...

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Chapter News, News

IMF | Industrial Policy Is Adapting to Crises, but Remains Hard to Implement Effectively

Blog | As governments intervene more, evidence shows that the benefits are modest and depend on thoughtful design. Industrial policy, the use of government interventions to support or develop specific firms and industries, has grown more popular in recent years—especially in response to crises. The war in the Middle East is the latest example, with high energy prices and geopolitical upheaval prompting action. In addition to economy-wide support measures, such as fuel price caps and reduced excise duties, at least 305...

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European Commission | Spring 2026 Economic Forecast: Slowdown in Growth as Energy Shock Drives Up Inflation

Executive summary Before the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East, the global economy was gaining momentum. A challenging geopolitical environment and US tariff uncertainty continued to weigh on growth, but easing inflation and a robust investment cycle related to the unfolding AI revolution provided important support. The EU economy was likewise strengthening while inflationary pressures were further abating. Weak competitiveness was a source of concern and public finances required attention, but the economy also showed resilience, including a...

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Wilson Sonsini | Draft Guidelines Clarify Which AI Systems Are “High-Risk” Under EU AI Act

The European Commission has published draft guidelines (Draft Guidelines) to clarify the classification of high-risk AI systems under the European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act). This classification is crucial, as it determines whether an AI system will be subject to the EU AI Act’s most burdensome obligations. The Draft Guidelines provide general principles which inform if an AI system is high-risk, as well as a non-exhaustive list of examples of high-risk AI systems across various sectors. Organizations can provide...

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Member News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Jaguar Freight | Conspiracy, Crime and Containers

In this week’s Roar: Trans-Pacific rates hold steady, Europe’s negotiation with Iran, truckload rates jump, US indicts four Chinese container makers, and building an ethical beauty supply chain. Data shows Trans-Pacific ocean freight rates have remained mostly flat lately, even as the industry moves into the traditional peak shipping season. While rates on major Asia–U.S. lanes are still up significantly since late February, much of the increase has been driven by capacity being limited by carriers and geopolitics as opposed to market demand....

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Chapter News, News

ECB | How the War in the Middle East is Reshaping Euro Area Firms’ Expectations

Blog | The economic shock caused by the war between the United States and Iran has quickly fed into euro area firms’ expectations. Daily responses to an ECB survey show an immediate increase in expected input costs, selling prices and short-term inflation. Firms' expectations for costs, prices and the broader macroeconomic environment are central to their decisions on wages, investment and employment. These decisions, in turn, determine how economic shocks are transmitted to the economy. When a major geopolitical event occurs,...

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