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Hartz: What’s intellectual property got to do with war in Ukraine?

| Blake R. Hartz

Do you or your clients have operations or sales in Russia? It is not a popular place to be doing business right now. The physical conflict in Ukraine has spread to economic and political countermeasures, including various private companies voluntarily withdrawing from the Russian market. But the Russian government is striking back at U.S. and other companies who are pulling out of the market by modifying the Russian intellectual property systems.

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Spurgeon: Prioritizing connection in a hybrid world

| J. Todd Spurgeon and From DTCI

As the dust settles on COVID-19, it seems it is now easier to become isolated from others in the legal community, and even from those in your own firm. With many courts and law offices going hybrid, there are fewer organic opportunities to connect, whether through in-person court conferences or birthday cake in the break room at the office. Some of these new efficiencies are great, but many come with a trade-off.

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St. Pierre: Employers grappling with religious exemptions to COVID vaccine

| Alyson St. Pierre

Previous versions of HEA 1001 provided that any worker could be granted a religious exemption to a vaccine mandate without employers inquiring into the validity of the employees’ claims. Had that version of the bill passed through the General Assembly and been signed by Holcomb, Indiana employers would have clear marching orders when it came to religious exemptions from vaccine mandates. But that provision was hotly contested and, ultimately, removed from the version of the bill that is now law in Indiana. So the question remains: What should Indiana employers do when they receive a request for religious exemption from a COVID-19 vaccine mandate?

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Roberson: New law ends forced arbitration in sexual assault, harassment cases

| Elizabeth Roberson

On March 3, President Biden signed into law the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021, which will nullify forced arbitration clauses in sexual assault and sexual harassment cases. Following the #MeToo movement, many states have enacted legislation to limit the scope of claims covered in employment arbitration agreements, but the act is the first federal limitation.

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Guest column: Potential antitrust implications of noncompete agreements

| Kathy L. Osborn and David A Given and Anna M. Behrmann and Susanne A. Johnson

Noncompete agreements generally are treated the same whether analyzed under state law or antitrust principles. However, limited instances exist in which antitrust laws may be more restrictive than state noncompete laws are. Businesses with high market shares in their geographic and product markets should take special caution to ensure their restrictive covenants do not unlawfully restrain competition.

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Hurley and Mappes: Noncompete agreements under attack: What to know and how to protect your trade secrets

| Ryan Hurley and Harmony Mappes

Businesses routinely use noncompete agreements to protect their most valuable assets, including trade secrets. However, noncompete agreements are increasingly under attack at both the state and federal level. This two-part series will first explain recent developments restricting the use of noncompetes, then Part II will focus on how that increased scrutiny on noncompete agreements may impact trade secret protection.

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