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ArticleAmundsen Davis International Trade AlertJune 3, 2026
On June 1, 2026, President Trump issued a new proclamation further amending the Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper that it issued on April 2, 2026. These changes, which potentially lower costs for U.S. importers, will be effective June 8, 2026 and expand eligibility for preferential tariff rates.
For U.S. businesses that import goods or rely on global supply chains—especially in manufacturing, construction, and agriculture—these updates may affect duty rates,

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Continue Reading Section 232 Tariff Cuts: What Lower Steel, Aluminum, and Copper Duties Mean
for U.S. Businesses

Companies operating in the online payments ecosystem should be aware of a limited window to secure branded domain names in the newly launched .pay top-level domain before it opens to broader public registration in 2027.

Strategic Brand Considerations for Businesses
Amazon Registry Services has recently launched a .pay generic top-level domain (“gTLD”) within a Limited Registration Period (“LRP”), which will run from May 13, 2026‒February 1, 2027, by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”).

During this

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Continue Reading Limited Registration Period for .PAY gTLD Now Open

When a business owner sells only part of their company, social media accounts are too often treated as an afterthought. Yet these accounts are an overlooked asset holding enormous value: brand recognition, customer goodwill, and a strong existing audience that both sides of the transaction may expect to use after closing.

In scenarios where one location, division, or product line of a business is being sold while the rest is being retained, a single social media account for the

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Continue Reading Who Owns the Social Media Account? Managing Digital Assets in Partial Business Sales

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 (CMMC 2.0) is a Department of Defense (DoD) initiated standard meant to assess defense contractor compliance with existing information safeguarding requirements for federal contract information (FCI), as defined in section 4.1901 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), and controlled unclassified information (CUI), as outlined in Title 32 CFR 2002.4(h). The Rule requires all entities who store information classified as FCI or CUI to comply with cybersecurity standards set in CMMC 2.0. The Issue…
Continue Reading Beyond Cybersecurity: The Business and Legal Risks of CMMC 2.0

Intellectual property shapes how businesses develop new products, protect their brands, and compete in crowded markets. Every April 26, World Intellectual Property Day celebrates the power of human creativity and this year’s theme—“IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate!”—highlights how intellectual property drives progress across the global sports industry. From patented equipment to iconic team branding and the media that brings games to life, IP strategies that serve as the invisible infrastructure behind world renowned teams offer lessons for businesses

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Continue Reading What Sports Innovation Teaches Every Business About IP Strategy

ArticleAmundsen Davis Transportation AlertMay 14, 2026
U.S. Supreme CourtIn a unanimous decision issued May 14, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States held that negligent hiring/selection claims against freight brokers are not preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA). In Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC, the Court ruled that state law negligent hiring/selection claims fall within the FAAAA’s “safety exception,” which preserves state authority over safety matters “with respect to motor vehicles.” The Court concluded that a

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Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Finds FAAAA Does Not Preempt Negligent Hiring/Selection
Claims Against Freight Brokers

Federal and state prevailing wage mandates are colliding on construction projects in Illinois, exposing owners, developers, and contractors to conflicting compliance obligations and increased project costs. With the enactment of Illinois HB 1189, projects that long fell exclusively under the federal prevailing wage law (Davis-Bacon) may now also be subject to the state’s prevailing wage law mandates.

While the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) has issued guidance for contractors, there is little clarity on how to reconcile fundamental and…
Continue Reading Are Your Federal Construction Projects Now Subject to the IllinoisPrevailing Wage? What Contractors Must Know

The U.S. health care industry continues to experience consolidation, with steady merger and acquisition activity (“M&A”) aimed at improving quality, expanding patient access and reducing costs by leveraging economies of scale. These transactions present a unique opportunity to undergo a strategic analysis of an often overlooked, but vitally important area: the supply chain.

Integrating two previously independent supply chains can be challenging from multiple perspectives, particularly given differing processes, levels of integration, existing vendor relationships and operational philosophies. These…
Continue Reading From Transaction to Transformation: Leveraging M&A to Optimize Health Care Supply Chains

Not all business information is created equal, especially when it comes to legal protection. Companies often use the terms “trade secrets” and “confidential information” interchangeably, but under Wisconsin law, the distinction is meaningful and can significantly impact both risk exposure as well as available remedies. Understanding how these categories of information differ is essential for businesses to protect valuable business assets and navigate any potential disputes.

1. What Is a Trade Secret?

A trade secret is a specific category…
Continue Reading Not All Secrets Are Created Equal: Trade Secrets versus Confidential Business Information

ArticleAmundsen Davis Construction AlertApril 27, 2026
The U.S. Department of Labor has revised OSHA’s National Emphasis Program (NEP) on outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards, signaling that construction employers should expect continued heat inspections rather than the rollout of a new federal heat standard. Construction site in the sunlight
The updated NEP, which takes effect immediately and continues through April 10, 2031, refines how OSHA targets employers, including construction jobsites, for heat-related inspections when the heat index is expected to be 80 degrees or higher.

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Continue Reading OSHA Revises Heat Enforcement Program for Construction Jobsites, Signaling
Continued Enforcement Instead of a Federal Heat Rule

In a major win for businesses facing Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”) claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that the 2024 amendment limiting damages applies retroactively to cases pending at the time of enactment.

This decision significantly reduces potential exposure by limiting plaintiffs who allege multiple, biometric data collections or disclosures to a single recovery, rather than per-scan statutory damages, even for actions that predate the amendment. The ruling also undercuts the

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Continue Reading Seventh Circuit Ruling Curbs BIPA Damages for Illinois Businesses

S corporations (S corps) serve a purpose that is very attractive to clients, especially in Wisconsin where there are so many closely held family businesses. But what many clients fail to realize is just how delicate S corps can be. The rules and requirements for S corps are incredibly rigid, and they are extremely easy to run afoul of them. Oftentimes, I find that the client is so focused on the benefits that they do not internalize the restrictions…
Continue Reading That S Corp Election May Not Be Valid: A Common Oversight in LLC Operating Agreements

When equity interests in a passthrough entity are sold, such transaction documents are often described as “partnership interest purchase agreements,” “membership interest purchase agreements” or “equity purchase agreements.” However, under U.S. federal income tax rules, a transaction that is legally structured as an equity purchase can sometimes be treated (in whole or in part) as an asset purchase—whether by default, election or sometimes as the result of post-closing actions.

Occasionally, this discrepancy is overlooked until just before closing, which…
Continue Reading Equity Transaction or Asset Transaction? Looks May Be Deceiving

Book about Defamation Law and gavel.
Book about Defamation Law and gavel.

A new lawsuit filed by Lebohang “Lebo M” Morake, the Grammy‑winning composer behind the iconic opening chant in Disney’s The Lion King, raises important questions about defamation, comedy, and reputational harm. Morake has sued comedian Learnmore “Jonasi” Mwanyenyeka for $27 million, alleging that a joking “translation” of the chant during a podcast appearance damaged his reputation by misrepresenting the meaning of the lyrics to a global audience.

At the center of the dispute is a viral podcast clip

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Continue Reading Defamation or Comedy? Lion King Composer’s Lawsuit Tests the Limits of Reputation Protection

Federal Court Draws the Line on PIPS After Muldrow: A Win for Employers in Walsh v. HNTB

In the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 Muldrow v. City of St. Louis decision, the Court expanded the legal standard for what qualifies as an “adverse employment action” by pivoting from asking whether a change to an employee’s terms or conditions of employment was “material” to whether  the change left the employee worse off in those terms or conditions. Supreme Court of the United StatesUnsurprisingly, employers saw a

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Continue Reading Federal Court Draws the Line on PIPS After Muldrow: A Win for Employers in
Walsh v. HNTB

Ohio is currently at the center of one of the most significant shifts in name, image, and likeness (“NIL”) rights for high school student-athletes.

After years of focusing on NIL in college athletics, the most consequential developments are now occurring much earlier in the athletic pipeline, with direct implications for students, schools, and policymakers.

Until recently, Ohio stood as one of the last holdouts in the country, prohibiting high school student-athletes from earning compensation tied to their name, image,

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Continue Reading Leveling the Playing Field: How Ohio’s NIL Battle Signals the Future of High School Sports