October 2025 | Covington Blogs
October 2025| Covington Blogs
The SEC has long had a policy that effectively prohibited public companies from requiring arbitration of shareholder claims under the Securities Act[1] and Securities Exchange Act.[2] Last month, the SEC announced a change to that policy. In its September 17, 2025 Policy Statement, the SEC stated that, effective September 19, 2025, “the presence of an... Continue Reading| Covington Blogs
There is broad consensus among Western policymakers that China’s near monopoly on critical minerals represents an urgent strategic vulnerability for the United States and its allies. China processes over 90 percent of the world’s rare earth elements (REE), a subset of critical minerals, raising concerns that it will use its dominance to advance geopolitical goals.... Continue Reading| Covington Blogs
Quantum computing is beginning to move from labs into commercial deployment, and one of the main ways companies will be able to access this technology is through Quantum-as-a-Service (QaaS) offerings. Instead of companies investing in costly quantum hardware on-site, the QaaS model would allow them to tap into quantum capabilities via remote access services, much... Continue Reading| Covington Blogs
Two cornerstone authorities for federal contracting quietly expired on September 30, 2025, creating ripple effects that contractors—small and large—cannot afford to overlook. The Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (“SBIR/STTR”) programs, commonly known as “America’s Seed Fund” for their role in fueling early-stage innovation, and the Defense Production Act (“DPA”), the backbone of the... Continue Reading| Covington Blogs
Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) continues to command attention as today’s prominent technological asset, revolutionizing key markets and sectors. Simultaneously, discussions of another advanced technology known as quantum computing have gained traction. Because both technologies expand the universe of problems that can be tackled by computers, one might wonder, if we have AI, do we also need... Continue Reading| Covington Blogs
In a recent decision by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Judge Georgia N. Alexakis narrowed and struck class claims alleging that the University of Chicago Medical Center’s use of pixel technology violated the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). The plaintiff, Sophia Hartley, asserted on behalf of a putative class... Continue Reading| Covington Blogs
Chairman Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently declared October 2025 as ‘Space Month’ at the FCC. As part of the FCC’s Build America Agenda, the FCC is scheduled to vote on two proposals aimed at modernizing the agency’s regulatory framework for space innovation in the country. These proposals represent another step in... Continue Reading| Covington Blogs
On September 30, 2025, the California Privacy Protection Agency (“Agency”) announced a decision and $1.35 million fine to resolve allegations that Tractor Supply Co. (“Tractor Supply”) violated the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). The settlement comes after the Agency filed a petition to enforce an investigative subpoena against Tractor Supply. In addition to imposing the... Continue Reading| Covington Blogs
In 2018, the Ninth Circuit held in Lusnak v. Bank of America, N.A. that California’s interest-on-escrow law was not preempted by the National Bank Act because the California law did not prevent or significantly interfere with the bank’s exercise of its powers. 883 F.3d 1185 (9th Cir. 2018). Six years after Lusnak, the Supreme Court... Continue Reading| Covington Blogs
On 29 September 2025, United Nations (“UN”) nuclear-related sanctions against Iran, which were suspended in 2015, were reimposed following| Covington Blogs
On September 9, President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, chaired by HHS Secretary Kennedy, released its “Make| Covington Blogs
The Spanish Ministry for Ecologic Transition and Demographic Challenge (“MITECO”) has launched a public consultation on a Draft Royal Decree| Covington Blogs
Recently, a California federal judge dismissed a suit challenging the use of third-party email marketing pixels by clothing retailer Gap, Inc., concluding| Covington Blogs
On August 7, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a $45 million settlement with online lead generator MediaAlpha, Inc. and its| Covington Blogs
The Sixth Circuit in In Re FirstEnergy Corp. Sec. Litig., No. 23-3940, 2025 WL 2331754 (6th Cir. Aug. 13, 2025) recently reversed and remanded the| Covington Blogs
On February 8, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a declaratory ruling stating that Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)| Covington Blogs
