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Bah Humbug: Appropriations Bill Contains Lump of Coal for DoL on "Fair Pay" Funding

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 12.21.15

The FY 2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill, passed on December 18, 2015, did not appropriate funds to establish an Office of Labor Compliance within DoL to implement the "Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces" Executive Order, as requested by the Obama Administration. By declining to appropriate the requested funds, Congress pumped the brakes on the implementation of the EO, which, as described here, would impose burdensome compliance and reporting obligations on federal contractors and subcontractors.

Insights

Client Alert | 8 min read | 12.10.25

Creativity You Can Use: CJEU Clarifies Copyright for Applied Art

On 4 December 2025, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) issued a landmark judgment in the joined cases C-580/23 (Mio v. Asplund) and C-795/23 (USM v. Konektra) concerning copyright protection for “works of applied art” (i.e., utilitarian objects such as tables, furniture, lighting fixtures, sofas, chairs, kitchen appliances, vases, and fashion items)....