Alerts

This alert brings you recent developments affecting importers at US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The developments affect how importer information is filed with CBP.

The federal government has focused on compounding pharmacies and pharmacists for fraud and abuse investigations in recent years, and now the great state of Texas has joined in.

International trade events continue to occur at break neck speed. The Toronto International Auto Show takes place later this week, on the heels of the signing of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) in New Zealand.

On January 15, 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and 18 automakers pledged to work together to enhance safety and improve recalls. In addition, the automakers agreed to voluntarily work with the government to identify cybersecurity threats to cars and light trucks.

CMS has finalized surveyor worksheets for assessing a hospital’s compliance Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI).

More details are still to come regarding the potential replacement to the invalidated Safe Harbor data transfer mechanism, the EU-US Privacy Shield.

The court’s description of the facts of this case are of interest, as they reveal some of the complexity in the delivery of, and payment for, health care services. In this situation, testing by a commercial laboratory of specimens drawn at a physician’s office.

On January 16, 2016, the US Department of State and US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took two actions that impact the auto industry.

The year 2015 provided another bumper crop of decisions in trusts and estates disputes. While the courts generally experienced a nationwide decrease in the filing of civil lawsuits, trust and estate disputes continued to fill court dockets and a few noteworthy trends emerged.

This morning, the European Commission and US Department of Commerce agreed on a Safe Harbor replacement deal, rebranded as the EU-US Privacy Shield.

As 2016 gets underway, companies should be mindful that regulators are paying close attention to automatic recurring debit transactions.

On January 21, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the long-awaited Final Rule implementing changes to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP) under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The Federal and Trade Commission recently released a report outlining the benefits and risks involved in using big data.

Macy’s, Inc. and subsidiary Bloomingdale’s, Inc. were recently served with a class action complaint alleging that the retail chains misled consumers with a “phantom pricing scheme” that inflated the savings available on items marked for sale.

On January 16, 2016, the US Department of State and the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the lifting of certain US sanctions against Iran pursuant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Saturday marked “Implementation Day” when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has fulfilled its nuclear-related obligations under the JCPOA. Implementation Day also means the first of the domino impact to US sanctions.

The Federal Trade Commission recently issued its long-anticipated guidance on native advertising.

Costco is defending a trademark infringement lawsuit over its sale of Anne Cole swimwear, an iconic line of women’s swimwear that has been sold in the US for over 30 years.

Detroit business leaders understand the value of product innovation and market expansion. For many of these executives, the official release of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement in November signaled a new opportunity of export growth in a region quickly becoming a consumer powerhouse.

The Federal Trade Commission amended its Telemarketing Sales Rule at the end of 2015 to ban certain forms of abusive payment methods.

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the federal government’s 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines.

Twentieth Century Fox Television recently filed a motion for summary judgment in a dispute with record label Empire Distribution, Inc. over the name of Fox’s popular television series Empire.

The TPP will undoubtedly increase the volume of food choices within the twelve nation pact. Congress is well aware of this anticipated increase in competition and will work to ensure that US border agencies have the resources to enforce regulations to guard against unsafe and counterfeit products.

The EU Commission, Parliament, and Council of Ministers recently reached an agreement on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).