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DOD Revises IP Commercial Item Rules

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 09.21.11

On September 20, 2011, DOD issued a final rule amending DFARS Part 227 and the associated clauses to eliminate the presumption of development at private expense for commercial items (other than commercially available off-the-shelf items) for major systems or subsystems. However, the implementation of this rule introduces great uncertainty as to the government’s rights to commercial item technical data and commercial computer software when there has been even a minimal government investment, particularly as it relates to the applicability of commercial licenses and marking requirements.


Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 12.04.25

District Court Grants Preliminary Injunction Against Seller of Gray Market Snack Food Products

On November 12, 2025, Judge King in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington granted in part Haldiram India Ltd.’s (“Plaintiff” or “Haldiram”) motion for a preliminary injunction against Punjab Trading, Inc. (“Defendant” or “Punjab Trading”), a seller alleged to be importing and distributing gray market snack food products not authorized for sale in the United States. The court found that Haldiram was likely to succeed on the merits of its trademark infringement claim because the products at issue, which were intended for sale in India, were materially different from the versions intended for sale in the U.S., and for this reason were not genuine products when sold in the U.S. Although the court narrowed certain overbroad provisions in the requested order, it ultimately enjoined Punjab Trading from importing, selling, or assisting others in selling the non-genuine Haldiram products in the U.S. market....