Category: MSK Blog

Intellectual Property, MSK Blog

New Regulations Issued By The Copyright Office Affecting Thousands of Websites

By Eric Schwartz and Matthew Williams

The Copyright Office officially released an announcement Monday, October 31st, about new regulations affecting all online service providers who seek liability limitations under 17 U.S.C. § 512 (i.e., the DMCA). The regulations, which are effective as of December 1, 2016, require that all service providers (even those who have previously designated agents) file new forms prior to December 31, 2017 to (re)name their copyright designated agents, who are to receive takedown notices from copyright owners related to allegedly infringing content. This (re)designation process must be completed through the Copyright Office’s new online registration system. Paper forms will no longer be accepted. Moreover, companies must renew their agent designations every three years.

Continue reading “New Regulations Issued By The Copyright Office Affecting Thousands of Websites”

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International Trade, MSK Blog

Make Your Hanjin Bankruptcy Claims Now!

By Susan Kohn Ross

There is a lot of press coverage about the Hanjin bankruptcy, but very little of it provides tangible facts for traders to rely on.  One thing we know for sure is Hanjin filed a Chapter 15 bankruptcy in the U.S. What that means is the U.S. bankruptcy court will defer to the Korean bankruptcy court regarding how the case will proceed. The U.S. court will limit its orders to cargo in the U.S. or touching the U.S. Most importantly right now, if you think you have a claim against Hanjin, you need to file that claim in the Korean bankruptcy proceeding, and you must do that between October 11 and 25, 2016. If you miss that claim deadline, you will be out of luck.  There are a handful of Korean lawyers representing the interests of cargo owners and other potential claimants in Korea and they should be contacted immediately. Referrals are available.

Beside this one fact, there are a lot of pending questions. The Federal Maritime Commission is accepting consumer claims, but can only facilitate a discussion, as it has little jurisdiction in this context. It does have the bully pulpit, but seems reluctant to use it. Continue reading “Make Your Hanjin Bankruptcy Claims Now!”

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Legislation, MSK Blog, Tax, Trusts, Trusts & Estates

Proposed IRS Regulations Could End Most Valuation Discounts for Family Entities

By Allan Cutrow and Jeffrey Eisen

On August 2, 2016, the Treasury Department issued proposed regulations under Section 2704 of the Internal Revenue Code. The proposed regulations, if adopted in their current form, essentially will eliminate all minority discounts or lack of control discounts and lack of marketability discounts for transfers between family members of interests in family-controlled businesses.

The proposed regulations accomplish this result in complex ways. But here are some points to consider as you decide whether to act quickly.

  1. The regulations are “proposed.” This means that they are not currently in effect. The Internal Revenue Service has scheduled a public hearing on the regulations in Washington, DC on December 1, 2016. They take effect when the IRS announces that they are “final.” Thus, these regulations could take effect shortly after the hearing, sometime in 2017, years from now, or never (in theory). The IRS may change the regulations in meaningful ways before adopting them as final. Continue reading “Proposed IRS Regulations Could End Most Valuation Discounts for Family Entities”
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Estate Planning, MSK Blog, Trusts, Trusts & Estates

Important New Guidance on Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts

 

By David Wheeler Newman

The Internal Revenue Service has issued important new guidance that can allow a charitable remainder annuity trust (CRAT) to qualify under Internal Revenue Code section 664 in a low-interest environment.

Background

Section 664 confers substantial tax benefits on charitable remainder trusts that meet its requirements. These are irrevocable trusts that during their term distribute a formula amount to one or more non-charitable beneficiaries, with the remainder distributed to charity upon termination of the trusts. There are two allowable formulas. A charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) distributes a fixed percentage of the value of trust assets determined every year. There are some allowable variations for CRUT distributions, but in general this means that distributions from a CRUT can go up or down from year to year, depending on increases or decreases in the value of trust assets. While CRUTs are by far the more popular of the two main varieties, some clients and donors prefer the CRAT, which distributes the same amount every year during its term, which is fixed at the time the trust is created and which must be at least 5% of the value of assets contributed to the trust. Continue reading “Important New Guidance on Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts”

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Intellectual Property, MSK Blog, Start 'n Knupp

Intellectual Property Tips

By Emily F. Evitt

Here are 10 ways to build a rock-solid foundation for your new company and avoid constructing a masterpiece on top of quicksand:

  1. Make sure your company’s name isn’t already taken. As a starting point, search the name on Google and other Internet search engines. Then search the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website (uspto.gov). Important: repeat this process each time you pick the name of a new product or service.
  2. Check if the domain name you want is available – if so, get it. Create Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts for your company, and start using them. Continue reading “Intellectual Property Tips”
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Estate Planning, MSK Blog, Trusts & Estates

Higher Learning: A Potentially Expensive Lesson About 529 Plans

By Karl de Costa

A “529 qualified tuition plan” is an education savings plan designed to encourage and help families set aside funds for future college costs.  It’s named after Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, which created this type of plan in 1996.

Americans have an estimated $248 billion currently invested in 529 plans.  And it’s easy to understand why.  Generally speaking, 529 plans offer an impressive array of income tax and estate tax breaks, plus other benefits.

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