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DoD Opens Dialogue With Industry on Open-Source Software

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 12.07.11

Pursuant to a December 5 notice, DoD is hosting a public meeting on January 12, 2012, to obtain input from industry on the use of open-source software in its contracts.  DoD seeks to initiate dialogue in three main areas: (1) risks of copyright infringement liability for the Government and contractors who use or deliver open-source software and when that software includes proprietary or copyrighted material, (2) performance and warranty deficiencies faced by contractors when delivered open-source software does not meet contract requirements, and (3) whether the DFARS should be revised to delineate the Government’s rights when a contractor acquires open-source software for the Government.

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Client Alert | 4 min read | 03.05.26

DOL’s Proposed Independent Contractor Rule Reverts to Prioritize Two Core Factors – Likely Limiting Misclassification Claims by Contractors

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed another revision to independent contractor regulations, one that would provide for more leeway in classifying workers as contractors. DOL’s proposed rule, published on February 26, 2026, would rescind the Biden DOL’s March 2024 independent contractor regulation and reinstate a framework substantially tracking the prior Trump rule of January 2021. The proposed rule would also apply the narrower analysis to worker classifications under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA). The comment period closes in late April 2026; until then, the 2024 rule remains in effect for purposes of private litigation....