Entering the US market can often be a big step towards executing on the global growth strategy of a non-US company. US expansion often comes with great benefits.  A highly developed infrastructure and distribution channels, a large consumer base, the US is relatively stable with a well-defined legal framework to operate within and a highly skilled labor force to draw upon, to name a few.   However, expanding into the US for the first time is not without some risk.  Identifying...

The iconic Michael Jordan ‘Jumpman’ logo has slam-dunked its way into a copyright infringement claim between Nike and New York photographer, Jacobus Rentmeester. In an interesting twist on the usual copyright claim of ‘you are stealing my photo for commercial use without my permission’, Rentmeester is arguing that Nike unlawfully recreated his 1984 photo of Jordan and used the recreation as inspiration to design the Jumpman logo. You can see the two images side-by-side here. This dispute is a reminder...

This year’s edition of Emerging Trends in Real Estate, an annual report which evaluates the interest of real estate developers and professionals in a list of 28 European cities has placed Lisbon in the top most attractive cities for investment purposes, above the likes of London and Milan.  Compiled by the Urban Land Institute and Price Waterhouse Coopers, researchers placed Lisbon in ninth on the rankings, up 17 places from the position it held only 12 months ago. This substantial rise...

Even if you’ve never thought about it, here’s your chance to find out why Portugal is the place to be if you have a startup. Sure, Portugal’s sunny and it has a really good quality of life – but that’s just stating the obvious, and we’re not here to do that. We’re here to let you know what the future holds and why you shouldn’t miss the big bang of the Portuguese startup scene. Truth is, we couldn’t be writing...

In 2014, companies around the world continued to grapple with persistent low- to no-growth environments, increased regulatory scrutiny, and ongoing legislative changes. From financial services to healthcare to life sciences, we saw companies across all industries find new ways to improve operations and create value – whether by reexamining policies and procedures around reporting and disclosure, by harnessing the power of technology to improve the speed and quality of decision making, or by managing the risks involved with operating across...

On February 24, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will start accepting applications for work authorization from certain spouses of H-1B visa holders beginning May 26, 2015. This regulatory change has gone through the normal rulemaking process and is not affected by the federal district court injunction issued last week blocking other administrative actions on immigration. Who Can Apply for a Work Permit? Any spouse applying for work authorization must be in H-4 status as the dependent of...

In the midst of ongoing, escalating and increasingly troublesome reports of large-scale corporate cyber breaches, the federal government is trying to fight back more forcefully with a dual strategy to shore up agency capability and exchange information with industry in a “shared mission.” Recently, it added five newly enacted cybersecurity laws to its arsenal – or mitigation squad. Their purported goal: to improve the government’s capability to thwart and limit future attacks. The laws generally seek to: •  streamline internal...