Regulations & Compliance

New EPA Rules On Cadmium Exposure Raise Liability Risk

February 15, 2013 9:17 am | by Michael Gruver, Lawyer, Kaye Scholer and Glenn Pogust, Partner, Kaye Scholer | Articles | Comments

Cadmium is a chemical element with many possible industrial applications and one huge challenge: cadmium is highly toxic. Recently, the health risks associated with cadmium exposure has led to increased public attention.

Brazil: Local Company Has Patent On iPhone Brand

February 13, 2013 12:40 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Brazil's patent authority has bitten Apple. The agency says the iPhone name in Brazil belongs to a local company called Gradiente SA, not to the global computer giant. A patent office spokesman says the decision published Wednesday doesn't forbid Apple from using the name in Brazil. It only makes it clear the rights belong to the Brazilian company.

EU, U.S. To Push For Trans-Atlantic Trade Deal

February 13, 2013 10:10 am | by Don Melvin, Associated Press | News | Comments

The European Union and the United States announced Wednesday that they have agreed to pursue talks aimed at achieving an overarching trans-Atlantic free trade deal. The 27-country EU said such an agreement, first announced in Tuesday's State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, would be the biggest bilateral trade deal ever negotiated.

Unions Sue Again To Block MI Right-To-Work Law

February 12, 2013 2:34 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Labor unions are asking a federal judge in Detroit to block part of Michigan's right-to-work law from taking effect in late March. The lawsuit filed Monday is the second to challenge the law in recent weeks. It prohibits requiring workers to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment.

U.N. Agency Moves To Kill Aircraft Battery Exemption

February 12, 2013 10:24 am | by Joan Lowy, Associated Press | News | Comments

A U.N. agency that sets global aviation safety standards is moving to prevent aircraft batteries like the one that caught fire on a Boeing 787 last month from being shipped as cargo on passenger planes, people familiar with the effort said.

China Denounces U.S. Sanctions Against Companies

February 12, 2013 10:23 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

China on Tuesday denounced U.S. sanctions against a leading state arms maker and other companies over alleged illicit dealings with North Korea, Syria and Iran. The U.S. State Department on Monday said that Poly Technologies Inc. is among companies barred from dealing with the U.S. government or purchasing U.S. military hardware for two years.

AL Plant Cited For Safety Violations

February 12, 2013 10:20 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Federal labor officials have cited a south Alabama manufacturing plant for 15 safety violations. Department of labor spokesman Michael D'Aquino says Tenax Manufacturing Alabama LLC has been cited for safety violations after an August 2012 inspection of its plant in Evergreen. The company manufactures construction netting and fencing products.

Exec. To Be Sentenced In Tomato Price-Fixing Scam

February 12, 2013 10:17 am | by Tracie Cone, Associated Press | News | Comments

The meteoric rise of tomato processing company SK Foods in the industry was nothing short of amazing, but it turns out the market share gains were the result of hefty bribes paid to some of the largest manufacturers in the nation. Frederick Scott Salyer will be sentenced in U.S. District Court in Sacramento after pleading guilty last year to charges he bribed purchasing managers at food giants including Kraft and Frito-Lay.

How To Collaborate With Europeans

February 12, 2013 8:00 am | by Mike Rainone, Contributing Editor, PD&D | Blogs | Comments

I am not sure how to define it, but what the Italians seem to be stumbling over is a lack of global reach. Outside market understanding entails extensive effort and often requires a presence in that market, in order to identify that market’s unique needs. This does not come cheap.

HP Sets Labor Guidelines For Chinese Suppliers

February 11, 2013 2:30 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's largest personal computer maker, is vowing to crack down on its Chinese suppliers in an effort to reduce the use of low-paid student interns and other temporary workers. The guidelines unveiled Friday are the latest attempt by a major U.S. technology company to weed out labor abuses at Chinese factories that manufacture the gadgets for an Internet-connected world.

UK Watchdog Launches Investigation Into Autonomy

February 11, 2013 2:23 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Britain's accounting watchdog announced Monday that it is investigating the books of British business software maker Autonomy Corporation in the period before it was bought by Hewlett-Packard Co. in 2011. In a brief statement, the Financial Reporting Council said it had launched an investigation "into the published financial reporting of Autonomy for the period between 1 January 2009 and 30 June 2011."

OSHA Proposes $123K Fine For NY Manufacturer

February 11, 2013 10:10 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $123,000 in fines for operators of an upstate New York plant that makes roof insulation panels. OSHA alleged Friday that Hunter Panels LLC committed 23 serious safety violations at its Kingston plant.

House Approves Bills Backing Kemper Settlement

February 11, 2013 10:09 am | by Jeff Amy, Associated Press | News | Comments

Mississippi House members have blessed a settlement between the Public Service Commission and Mississippi Power Co. over the company's Kemper County plant. The House voted 90-26 Friday for House Bill 1134, which allows Mississippi Power to sell up to $1 billion in bonds to pay for Kemper construction and financing costs over $2.4 billion.

Woman Gets 2 Years For Stealing From OR Company

February 8, 2013 3:16 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Federal prosecutors say a woman who was on the management team of a Lebanon company has been sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling $848,000 from it. The U.S. attorney's office said Thursday that 42-year-old Rhonda Milligan was also ordered to pay back the money she took from Entek Manufacturing from 2005 through 2011.

Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Against AVX

February 8, 2013 9:55 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

A federal appeals court has agreed with a lower court that electronics manufacturer AVX Corp. is responsible for pollution at its old plant in Myrtle Beach. The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., upheld the decision by U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten in 2011.

Boeing Asks Permission To Conduct 787 Test Flights

February 5, 2013 10:18 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Federal regulators say they are evaluating a Boeing request to conduct test flights of its 787 Dreamliners, which were grounded nearly three weeks ago after a battery fire in one plane and smoke in another. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the request, but officials declined to elaborate.

Foxconn To Widen Scope Of Union Elections

February 4, 2013 1:46 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Taiwan-owned Foxconn Technology Group, a leading maker of Apple's iPhones and gadgets for other global brands, is widening the scope of union elections at its sprawling facilities in China. The move, confirmed by the company Monday, follows a series of recommendations from an international panel hired by Apple to audit conditions for the 1.2 million workers in Foxconn's mainland factories.

Air India Still Flying Troubled 787s

February 4, 2013 1:01 pm | by CBS News | Videos | Comments

Air India continued to fly some of its 787 Dreamliner jets after the United States and other countries grounded the fleet as the probe into the aircraft's battery problems continues. Travel editor Peter Greenberg speaks to the "CBS This Morning" co-hosts about why some 787s are still allowed to fly.

Owners Of Bangladesh Factory Where 7 Died Arrested

February 1, 2013 10:29 am | by Julhas Alam, Associated Press | News | Comments

Two owners of a Bangladesh garment factory where seven workers were killed in a weekend fire were arrested Thursday as police investigated allegations of murder and negligence. Police were questioning Smart Export Garment Ltd. Chairman Sharif Ahmed and Managing Director Zakir Ahmed after a court placed them on a two-day remand.

Feds Sue RG Steel Owner For $97M In Pension Funds

January 31, 2013 1:59 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

An agency tasked with protecting retirees' pensions is suing the owner of bankrupt RG Steel. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. is seeking $97 million in a federal court in New York to cover unfunded liabilities and plan contributions. Renco Group allegedly dumped 24.5 percent of its ownership before the May 2012 bankruptcy, selling out to Cerberus Capital Management solely to avoid its pension obligations to more 1,350 retirees.

Judge Rejects Apple's Patent Damages Demands

January 30, 2013 1:40 pm | by Paul Elias, Associated Press | News | Comments

A judge rejected Apple Inc.'s demand to increase the $1.05 billion in damages a jury ordered Samsung Electronics Inc. to pay its fiercest rival in the smartphone market. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh also rejected demands from both companies to conduct another trial on different issues over claims that the South Korean company unfairly used technology controlled by Apple to build its iPads and iPhones to market knockoff products.

Next In BP Spill Saga: Civil Trial Worth Billions

January 30, 2013 10:19 am | by Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press | News | Comments

Now that a $4 billion plea deal has resolved BP's criminal liability for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill nearly three years ago, the company will turn its focus to a trial that could potentially cost it billions of dollars more in civil penalties.

MI Gov. Asks For Ruling On Right-To-Work Law

January 29, 2013 2:05 pm | by David Eggert, Associated Press | News | Comments

Gov. Rick Snyder asked the Michigan Supreme Court on Monday to rule quickly on the constitutionality of the new right-to-work law that takes effect in late March, saying questions on how it would impact 35,000 unionized state employees must be resolved before new contract talks begin this summer.

DuPont, Easton-Bell Feud Over Kevlar Trademark

January 29, 2013 1:57 pm | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | News | Comments

The DuPont Co. is feuding with sports equipment maker Easton-Bell Sports over the use of the Kevlar trademark in packaging for bicycle tires and locks. DuPont filed a federal lawsuit in Delaware this week claiming that Easton-Bell's prominent use of the Kevlar trademark on tire and lock packages infringes on DuPont's trademark.

Report: Gov't Allowed High Pay At Bailed-Out Firms

January 29, 2013 10:20 am | by Marcy Gordon, AP Business Writer | News | Comments

A government report criticized the U.S. Treasury Department for approving "excessive" salaries and raises at firms that received taxpayer-funded bailouts during the financial crisis. The Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program said Treasury approved all 18 requests it received last year to raise pay for executives at American International Group, General Motors and Ally Financial.