Global Mindset. Local Instinct.

Business & Commercial Law

3 Documents Every Employer Must Have

One of the biggest fears employers have is a star employee leaving the job after they learned all of the business’ secrets and taking customers and business away to their next position. While this situation cannot always be prevented, having a few key written...

New Legislation to Promote Foreign Direct Investment Related to Manufacturing and Logistics Makes Panama an E-Commerce Hub

Are you a manufacturer and/or brand owner seeking solutions for near-term revenue growth? We advise our clients that a viable solution for small and mid-sized companies in the ASEAN, China, the EU, and the USA is accessing new customers in Latin America and the Caribbean. Also, we advise our clients not to repeat the same age-old mistake of entering the…

Do you co-pack and/or retail online e-liquid vape juice? You may be a manufacturer of adulterated and misbranded tobacco products

In the recent course of my practice, it has come to my attention that there are small to midsized co-packers and online retailers of e-liquid vaping products in the U.S. that are still unaware that a co-packer/retailer could be treated as a “manufacturer” under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (the “Tobacco Control Act”). Although, to some, the…

US Postal Service Warns Vaping Industry on Impending Mail Ban

On April 19, 2021, the U.S. Postal Service released guidance for the e-cigarette and vaping industry that offers a glimpse of some of the current and future logistical challenges.  The release is titled “Treatment of E-Cigarettes in the Mail.” While the title mentions e-cigarettes these concepts and future rules will apply much more broadly to include: CBD and hemp products…

Client Alert: Proposed Strategic Competition Act of 2021

April 12, 2021 Proposed Bill Seeks to Counter China’s Global Competition Ambitions In directing the U.S. government to adopt a policy of “strategic competition” with China and the protection and promotion of “vital interests and values” of the United States, a new bipartisan bill, the Strategic Competition Act of 2021 was introduced in the US. Senate on April 8, 2021. …

Costly Lessons from TikTok and Facebook Biometric Privacy Class Action Settlements

Companies are facing increased scrutiny of their use of biometric data — such as fingerprint scans, facial recognition, and voice recognition to name a few. In the past two years in particular, the number of biometric privacy class action lawsuits filed in the U.S. has skyrocketed. Many of these lawsuits have been brought under the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)…

Coronavirus Claims an Unexpected Victim: The Independent International Distributor in Latin American and Caribbean Markets

Small and mid-sized manufacturers and brand owners of consumer-packaged goods are seeking to quickly regain the levels of performance they experienced pre-COVID-19. But retail consumer markets across the globe are in the throes of an economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the recovery from which may take years. YK Law’s clients cannot wait for markets to recover fully. They are…