Second Time’s No Charm: Delaware Court Rejects Elon Musk’s Tesla Incentive Package Despite Shareholder Ratification
Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) and Elon Musk suffered another setback in their continuing efforts to overcome a legal challenge to a 2018 performance-based stock option grant (the “Grant”) that, at today’s stock price, would be worth over $100 billion to Musk. Brian Cromer takes a look at the case in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.
New Trademark Fees at the PTO Starting January 18, 2025
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (the “PTO”) will update its trademark fee schedule effective January 18, 2025. Alex MacKay takes at look at the changes in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.
Kentucky Tax Incentives for Qualified Data Centers
As Kentucky prepares for the 2025 legislative session, Stites & Harbison will be watching to see whether the General Assembly expands data center tax incentives beyond House Bill 8 (“HB 8”) which was passed by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2024. Among other provisions, HB 8 creates sales and use tax exemptions on data center equipment for eligible entities engaged in providing qualified data center infrastructure.
Future of the Corporate Transparency Act is Uncertain
With the January 1, 2025, deadline for beneficial ownership information filings pursuant to the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) for entities formed prior to 2024 rapidly approaching, Judge Amos L. Mazzant III of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas preliminarily enjoined the enforcement of the CTA and its related regulations nationwide. Alison Zeitlin takes a look at what is happening in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.
IP Rights That Go Bump in the Night: Horror Inc. v. Miller
It’s that time of the year. When the wind begins to chill and the nights grow longer, serving as harbingers for the inevitable truth, spooky season is upon us. As you and your neighbors begin to adorn your homes with your favorite ghouls and goblins in celebration of All Hallows’ Eve, I’d like to remind you of another reason to celebrate. For the second consecutive year, the Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, has proclaimed October as Intellectual Property (IP) month in our commonwealth. In honor of this proclamation, I will share a story of IP rights that go bump in the night—the story surrounding the Second Circuit case, Horror Inc. v. Miller, 15 F.4th 232 (2d Cir. 2021). IP attorney Donovan Gibbs takes a look at the case in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.
October 2024 is Intellectual Property Month in Kentucky
The Governor of Kentucky has officially proclaimed that October 2024 is Intellectual Property Month! This was achieved through efforts of the Kentucky Intellectual Property Association (KYIPA), in partnership with KY Innovation, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC), the Kentucky Bar Association (KBA) Intellectual Property (IP) Law Section, and many other organizations in the Commonwealth. IP attorney Mandy Decker takes a look at what intellectual property is in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.
USPTO Announced Termination of its After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0
Citing millions of dollars in administrative costs and lack of offsetting revenue as driving factors, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced on October 1, 2024, that it is terminating its After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0 (AFCP 2.0) effective December 14, 2024.
Impacts of the Demise of Chevron Deference on Environmental Law
On June 28, 2024, in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, 144 S.Ct. 2244 (2024), the Supreme Court overruled its 1984 Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. NRDC, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984), decision and the legal doctrine of Chevron deference with it. In doing away with Chevron deference, the Court has broken from the accepted regulatory landscape of the last 40 years, which will have dramatic effects on environmental law for decades to come. Environmental attorney Jennifer Cave and summer associate Noah S. Dunaway take a look the Court’s decision and its impacts on regulated entities, beginning with an analysis of what Chevron deference was in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.