Legal, Economic & Regulatory Affairs News by GLG Council Members

The article indicates that Europe seeks to placate the outgoing Bush Administration by agreeing to minimal sanctions on Tehran.  However, while welcoming the European action, President Bush made it clear that the US insists on Iran's complete halt to nuclear enrichment, which the sanctions agreed-to by Europe will not accomplish.  Rather than forestalling unilateral US military action...

During the residential real estate bubble, underwriting standards were relaxed so far that unprecedented numbers of unqualified borrowers became new homeowners and many existing homeowners serially refinanced into loans that that they could not afford. Once the air began leaking from the bubble, an unfortunately high percentage of these "at risk" borrowers defaulted, converting many of them into...

In addition to the ethical and educational benefits, the cost savings resulting from straight talk with patients and their families that avoids litigation can be extraordinary.  For health care institutions considering this approach -- as they should -- both the effectiveness and the savings may  best be achieved through implementation of a formal Mediation/ADR program. 

With the '419 patent now back for another few months of patent review, Tessera has a clean shot at two big legal events: resolution of the Amkor arbitration, and an initial decision from the ITC.  The scary part: almost everyone seems to expect that TSRA will win both.

The litigation between Starent and UTStarcom will take an important turn in the next four weeks, as the Court will likely definitively rule on whether UTStarcom's (admittedly vague) allegations suffice to keep the bulk of its trade secret case alive.

While EU sanctions are a negative development from Iran's point of view they do not represent the end of the road.We have to recall that such sanctions have never had its intended effects while their negative consequences,mostly unintended,have been pronounced. Politically it will reduce EU's influence as a bridging between US and Iran. Iran 's oil and gas output will ensure that the sanctions...

The Internet has been abuzz this week with gossip and assertions about the likelihood that Rambus will get an injunction against Hynix.  That analysis misreads the fight.  On the merits of the patent dispute, Rambus will either get its injunction or get significant cash damages; either is a big win for the firm.  The real question is whether that order will stand up on appeal.

The investment community has been quietly waiting to see if the Supreme Court would decide the QUANTA case in a way that could disrupt QCOM's licensing practices.  But the decision turns out to be a complete non-event.  As long as QCOM is careful, it can continue to license its patents using the exact two-part pricing strategy it has employed for years.

It should be clear that Russia holds Europe at ransom, in so far the oil and, particularly, natural gas. Thus,  if Russia chose to help Teheran advance Iranian nukes, both, diplomatically and by the know-how, she must obviously assume similar scenario to this:   (1)  Sanctions would be practically toothless as the money to pay Russia for help with Bushehr nuke plant  will...

Israeli warnings about attacking Iran are not bluffs.  Israel sees Iran as willing to execute its threats to attack Israel or to extend deterrence to terrorists and provide ithem with other material support with which to attack israel.  Moreover, talk that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program is simply fallacious.  Such talk misreads the 2007 national intelligence...