Brown Rudnick LLP

On Tuesday, Dec. 17, associate Morgan Jones, CIPP/US/E, CIPM, PLS will present on state privacy laws at the National Business Institute (NBI, Inc.)’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity: Hot Topics and Trends event. Jones will cover new state consumer privacy laws, their impact, compliance best practices, and more. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ejrRR_B3

On Wednesday, Dec. 11, Partner and Head of our U.K. White Collar Defense, Investigations & Compliance practice, Paul Feldberg, will be a guest speaker at the Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists (ACSS) London Chapter's Annual UK Sanctions Roundup. Alongside Maya Lester KC and Avisha Patel, Paul will summarise the major UK sanctions developments and preview those to come in 2025. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e3_kY97X

In an article published by Thomson Reuters Westlaw Today, partner Daniel Healy and associate Samuel Wolf discuss a New Hampshire federal court decision rejecting an insurer's reliance on exclusions to disclaim coverage to a restaurant franchisor that owes $1 million to three former prospective franchisees. "Franchise insurance is a critical tool designed to protect both franchisors and their principals from numerous risks and liabilities," they wrote. Read the full article, initially published as a Brown Rudnick BRiefing, here: https://lnkd.in/eePXNESq

Partner Michael R. Graif spoke to Bloomberg Law regarding the role of federal courts in implementing recommendations from the U.S. Copyright Office’s forthcoming report on artificial intelligence and fair use. While the office plans to publish a framework for analyzing fair use in the context of AI’s use of copyrighted works by the end of 2024, the federal judges will determine how these recommendations are applied. Graif said he expects the AI fair use question will ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court. But Congress may also be motivated to act—and that decision, he said, would be “highly informed” by the office’s report. Lawmakers are “going to defer to the Copyright Office’s clear expertise in the area in deciding whether to intervene legislatively,” Graif added. Click image to read the full article.

Partner Ian Weinstein is quoted by Law360 regarding recent changes to disclosure rules at the Financial Conduct Authority, which will give defendants more insight into its investigations. The changes mean the regulator will now disclose to defense teams any material relevant to its investigation, and not just those documents that could assist or undermine its case. Weinstein noted that while the wider pool of documents will be welcome news to defendants with deep pockets who can afford lawyers to shift through and piece together the case against them, those less fortunate could be buried under the evidence. "More documents does, however, mean more resources are required to go through and analyze them," Weinstein said. "The changes will be particularly helpful to well-resourced subjects of investigation. Those who are not risk being overwhelmed by excess documents." Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/edzb2eH4

Brown Rudnick, which serves as IP counsel for Kate Therapeutics, advised the San-Diego-based biotech startup on all IP-related aspects of its sale to Novartis in a transaction valued at $1.1 billion. The team was led by partner Adam Schoen and included associate Aditya Dean Ramanathan. Read the full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/eFaH4F-T

We are delighted and honoured to announce that the ILBF law undergraduate essay competition 2025 will be launched on 6th January 2025 at 4pm by The Rt. Hon. the Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales. You will be able to watch the launch of the competition via a link provided on the day. The ILBF is very grateful to international firm Brown Rudnick LLP who are the sponsors of the 2025 essay competition. The prize for the winning entry will be a week’s internship with Brown Rudnick in the summer of 2025. The winning essay will be published on the ILBF website and in the Commonwealth Lawyers Association newsletter. Visit our competition page to find out more about our exciting competition, the fantastic panel of judges and key dates. #ILBFcompetition #lawstudents #ruleoflaw #diversity

Partner Tristan Axelrod is quoted by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly on an amendment to Massachusetts’ homestead statute, which went into effect on Aug. 6. Introduced as part of the Affordable Homes Act, the change doubled the homestead exemption from $500,000 to $1 million, providing protection for homeowners as property values continue to rise. Axelrod said it did not surprise him that the Legislature chose to address the amount of the homestead exemption in the context of a bill intended to address the state’s housing crisis over the next decade or so. “Homestead exemptions are malleable,” he said. “They’ve changed a lot over even 200 years … and they’re intended to address very contemporary needs. As of today, the values of homes in Massachusetts have changed a lot since the last time the homestead exemption was modified.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d8pnwZxM

In an interview with Law360 Insurance Authority, partner Daniel Healy explores the potential ripple effects of the incoming Trump administration’s regulatory agenda on insurance coverage.   Healy highlighted concerns about a potential increase in mergers, noting that robust competition is crucial for consumers, including those in the insurance market. While the insurance market contains a vast number of different insurers, they often back up to a single parent company, he added. "It's just like any other industry,” Healy said. “If there's less government oversight then [companies] could be doing different types of deals that maybe were not going to be passing muster in more recent years." Healy noted that the Federal Trade Commission drives a lot of regulatory investigations of policyholders, which are covered under a number of different types of policies. Click image to read the full article.

Partner Merri Moken has earned recognition as an IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders 2025 honoree. IAM describes this recognition as "the mark of a professional whose approach to intellectual property is regarded by peers as truly strategic in nature...IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders draws from the worlds of private practice, consulting and other service providers, with specialists from the major IP markets in North America, Europe and Asia. Together, these individuals and firms possess a wealth of expertise across disciplines and sectors." Learn more about Merri's practice here: https://lnkd.in/eaN5XFC6.