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Supply Chain Webinar: “Drafting Standard Forms for the Purchase of Goods From Suppliers: RFQs, Quotes, Purchase Orders, Long-Term Agreements”

  SPB’s Alexis Chandler will be participating in a CLE webinar on June 6, 2023 at 1pm EDT to discuss Drafting Standard Forms for the Purchase of Goods From Suppliers.  The webinar will discuss requests for quotations, seller’s quotes, purchase orders, and long-term agreements, and how parties can minimize disputes between buyers and suppliers with … Continue Reading

UFLPA Enforcement Remains Work in Progress

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (“CBP”) implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”) remains a work in progress, as importers work to mitigate shipment detentions and respond to UFLPA reviews and enforcement actions. Emerging best practices may guide stakeholders as they navigate these uncertainties. Develop a Due Diligence System Due diligence systems allow … Continue Reading

Postal Code For Chinese Manufacturers To Be Required By U.S. CBP Beginning This Weekend

As part of a continued effort to enforce the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and to provide early warning to importers and their representatives that goods may have been produced in the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will require businesses to provide a valid postal code for Chinese manufacturers … Continue Reading

Aluminum Is Now A Hot Topic In Supply Chain And Trade

Last Friday, February 24, 2023, the Biden Administration issued a Proclamation on Adjusting Imports of Aluminum into the United States.  You can read the full proclamation here. The Proclamation states that, beginning on March 10, 2023, a 200% ad valorem tariff will be imposed on all aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles produced in Russia.  … Continue Reading

The German Supply Chain Act On Corporate Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains Is In Effect

Previously, we have posted on the German Supply Chain Act on Corporate Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains.  That legislation is now in effect, as of January 1, 2023, and requires companies that have their central administration, their principal place of business, or any branch with over 3,000 employees in Germany to implement specific risk management … Continue Reading

The Automotive Recall Landscape in the US: Advancing Innovation Safely in a Time of Regulatory Uncertainty

Colleagues Patricia Doersch, Jennifer Satterfield, and Jennifer Tharp have prepared a legal insight outlining the regulatory challenges litigators face as the technology of the autonomous vehicle (AV) industry quickly evolves.  The legislative uncertainty in the US leaves the safety standards of these self-driving/self-parking vehicles up to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and National Highway … Continue Reading

Cross-Post from Law360: How A Michigan Case Could Upend Auto Part Contracts

This is a cross post from Law360.  Please contact Sarah Rathke or Alexis Chandler with any questions. In the US, the UCC Statute of Frauds’ (2-201) requirement that a contract must contain a written quantity term to be a binding contract, has been the law of the land in all 49 states that have adopted the … Continue Reading

Cross-Post from The Trade Practitioner: Proposed Rule Would Require Government Contractors to Disclose Climate-Related Risks

This is a Cross-Post from The Trade Practitioner.  Please contact Karen Harbaugh or Sarah Vilms with any questions. The Biden Administration recently released the Federal Supplier Climate Risks and Resilience Proposed Rule requiring contractors of the federal government to disclose climate-related risks.  Read more on the proposed requirements here.… Continue Reading

Common Signs of Business Stress and Distress

Our UK colleagues, John Alderton (Leeds), Russ Hill (Birmingham), Monika Lorenzo-Perez (London), Charlotte Møller (London), and Devinder Singh (Birmingham)  have prepared a legal insight outlining how the failure to recognize signs of business stress can cause a company to face a period of distress.  To help identify some of the common signs of business stress … Continue Reading

Supply Chain Webinar: “Why is Everything Broken? Understanding Pandemic Supply Chains”

#TeamSPB’s Litigation Partner Sarah Rathke recently participated in an on demand CLE presentation for Quimbee on Why is Everything Broken? Understanding Pandemic Supply Chains. This presentation discusses the causes of the current supply chain logjams, the ways forward to better deal with supply chain partners, solve problems expeditiously, and be knowledgeable about commercial rights and … Continue Reading

Upcoming Webinar: 2022 Chemicals Workshop Webinar Series: PFAS, REACH and Other Chemical Regulatory Issues

Please join us on Thursday, October 13 at 12PM EDT for 2022 Chemicals Workshop Webinar Series: PFAS, REACH and Other Chemical Regulatory Issues. Join Allen Kacenjar, Lianne Mantione and Anita Lloyd for the second webinar in our two-part 2022 Chemicals Workshop webinar series, in partnership with the Ohio Chemistry Technology Council (OCTC). In this session, … Continue Reading

DHS Released a Notice on the Addition of Entities to the UFLPA Entity List

On August 4, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as the Chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), formally published the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. The Entity list is a consolidated register of the four lists required to be developed and maintained pursuant to Section 2(d)(2)(B) of … Continue Reading

Bipartisan Bill Introduced by Senate relating to Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020

On August 2, 2022, Senators Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) introduced the Sanctioning Supporters of Slave Labor Act, legislation that would expand the categories of persons that could be sanctioned under the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (UHRPA).  Rep. Jim Banks (R-Indiana) filed a companion in the House of Representatives. … Continue Reading

Case Update: Dwyer v Fredbar in the Court of Appeal

In our previous article about post-termination restrictive covenants we discussed the High Court case of Dwyer (UK Franchising) Limited v Fredbar Limited [2021] EWHC 1218 as an example of covenants being found unreasonable and therefore unenforceable. Since then, the Claimant has appealed the judgment and the Court of Appeal has once again found in favor … Continue Reading

Be Reasonable: The Enforceability of Post-termination Restrictive Covenants

The impact on working arrangements caused by the pandemic has led many workers to re-evaluate what they want from a job, with considerations such as flexible and remote working becoming both more desirable and attainable. This is affecting businesses in all sectors, and the impact it can have not only on a business’s workforce but … Continue Reading

FLETF Released Strategy Guidance. Join SPB Webinar To Learn More!

Christmas came early this year.  Ok, not really, but the Department of Homeland Security, which chairs the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF) released its strategy guidance on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act on June 17, 2022—four days ahead of schedule.  Click here to view FLETF’s strategy guidance. SPB will be hosting a webinar … Continue Reading

CBP Issues Operational Importer Guidance Relating to UFLPA

Late Monday, June 13, 2022, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued its long-anticipated Operational Importer Guidance to guide importers before the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) enters into effect on June 21. As a reminder, beginning on that date, CBP will apply a rebuttable presumption that goods coming from the Xinjiang region violate a … Continue Reading

CBP Releases Known Importer Letters and Enforcement Guidance relating to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

Earlier this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a statement on its website that it would be issuing letters to importers identified as having previously imported merchandise from locations or entities potentially subject to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).  Well, CBP stuck to its word and just recently released two sample … Continue Reading

“Is Your Organization Complying With the US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act?” 

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act goes into effect on June 21, 2022.  The Act creates a rebuttable presumption that “any goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China” (or by an entity included on a list required … Continue Reading

Supply Chain Investigations and Legal Privilege

Regulators worldwide are increasing their demands that manufacturers and retailers know and understand all aspects of their supply chains as they relate to Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) goals. Keeping the findings, communications, information, and reports generated in connection with supply chain ESG investigations is imperative to ensure full and candid fact-finding and to manage … Continue Reading

Raw Material Surcharges Again on the Cartel Radar – German Authority Raids Cable Companies

In one of the first dawn raids of the New Year, the German competition authority have raided the premises of several cable manufacturers. The investigation arose in response to alleged coordination of metal surcharge calculations. Metal and other raw material surcharges are used in many industries, in addition to the negotiated price, to allow for short-term … Continue Reading
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