The year 2025 left the media and entertainment industry with a series of significant, unresolved legal questions. As we move into 2026, several high-profile cases are poised to redefine the boundaries of fair use, the legality of AI training, and the application of the Rogers Test in trademark law.
Whistleblowing in Focus: Recent Developments, Emerging Issues, and Considerations for Companies (Part Two)
Introduction[1]
In this three-part series, we discuss the outlook for whistleblower programs in the United States under the new administration. Second, we review initiatives relating to whistleblower reports in other jurisdictions over the past year. Third, we address emerging issues and considerations for companies in relation to whistleblower reports.
New Guidance Issued and Changes Underway for U.S. Outbound Investment Regime as 2026 NDAA Defense Bill Introduces Outbound Investment, Sanctions, and Biotech Updates
On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”), a sweeping defense spending bill that brings a number of changes to the U.S. outbound investment security program, U.S. economic sanctions, and biotechnology restrictions relating to federal procurement. First, the NDAA includes the Comprehensive Outbound Investment National Security (“COINS”) Act, which provides a statutory basis for the U.S. Outbound Investment Security Program (“OISP”) and directs the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) to issue new regulations that expand the relevant “countries of concern” and covered sectors, as well as certain exceptions. On December 23, 2025, Treasury also issued new FAQs clarifying the scope of the publicly traded securities exception and confirming that the current OISP rules will remain in effect until Treasury issues regulations to implement the COINS Act.
How Zaller Law Group Uses AI and Technology to Gain a Real Litigation Advantage for Employers
At Zaller Law Group, we do not talk about AI and technology in the abstract. We use it—every day—as a litigation tool to give our clients a measurable advantage.
California wage-and-hour and PAGA cases are data cases. Outcomes often turn on what the time records actually show, how quickly they can be analyzed, and whether
President Trump Announces Section 232 Tariffs on Semiconductors and their Derivative Products
On January 14, 2025, President Trump signed a proclamation entitled “Adjusting Imports of Semiconductors, Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment, and Their Derivative Products into the United States.” The proclamation imposes a 25% tariff under Section 232 on certain advanced computing chips that meet the technical specifications detailed in Annex I of the proclamation. The measure
When AI Becomes Accomplice: Shanghai Court Holds Developers Criminally Liable for Chatbot Content
Editor’s Note: Criminal accountability for AI developers is no longer theoretical. A landmark ruling from the Xuhui District People’s Court in Shanghai makes clear that those who configure AI systems to bypass ethical safeguards and produce harmful content can be held legally responsible. In sentencing the developers of the Alien Chat application, the court shifted
The Briefing: The 2026 Forecast: Resolving Some of the Entertainment Industry’s Open Legal Issues
As 2025 fades into the rearview mirror, many of the entertainment and media industry’s biggest legal questions remain unresolved. In this episode of The Briefing, Weintraub Tobin partners Scott Hervey and Tara Sattler take a forward-looking approach to the cases and doctrines that could shape 2026.
In this episode, they cover:
The Convergence: Where Immutable Ledgers Meet Intelligent Engines
I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I will be putting boots on the snowy ground in Switzerland next week for Davos Innovation Week. It is a privilege to join global leaders and forward-thinkers in such an inspiring setting to tackle the biggest technological challenges of our era.
On January 19, 2026, I will be
What to Expect in AI Regulation in 2026
The past year set up a clear clash between federal deregulatory efforts and state-level AI rulemaking, and 2026 is poised to be the year that conflict materializes in earnest. The Trump Administration signaled a strong preference for scaling back AI-specific rules while exploring avenues to preempt state and local measures, even as a growing number
What’s On the Radar for Financial Institutions in 2026?
Our 2026 Looking Ahead Report explores the trends, developments, and emerging risks shaping financial services in the year ahead, covering topics like agentic AI in fintech, corporate fraud prevention, cybersecurity, workforce strategies, a regional spotlight on the Middle East and much more. Here is an excerpt:
Global workforce strategies for the financial sector
As financial institutions recalibrate their workforce strategies for 2026 and beyond, they face a rapidly shifting regulatory terrain shaped by geopolitical tensions, technological disruption and evolving societal expectations. 2025 has seen a marked acceleration in legal reforms and policy shifts across jurisdictions, with four key themes emerging at the forefront of employment and compliance planning. These trends are not isolated – they are interconnected, and they demand a proactive, globally attuned approach to workforce governance.
The Shifting DEI Landscape
While institutional diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and practices have been subject to more legal scrutiny in the US this year, other regions—particularly EMEA and parts of Asia—are deepening commitments and expanding regulatory requirements. Major US-based financial institutions have scaled back public commitments to DEI, rebranding or removing references to diversity figures and programs in corporate filings, amid heightened political scrutiny under the current US administration. In contrast, many financial institutions across EMEA remain committed to robust DEI frameworks. For example, the UK’s financial regulators have proposed regulatory standards to embed diversity and inclusion into governance structures. And in South Africa, financial and insurance activities is a sector specifically identified under new affirmative action targets now in force. This divergence underscores the need for multinational financial institutions to carefully navigate DEI policy and goals with regional nuance, balancing local regulatory pressures with global values and workforce expectations.
Employers, including those in the financial sector, are under pressure (from both employees and government authorities) to increase transparency, particularly on workforce composition and compensation. In Brazil, for example, equal pay enforcement has intensified, with hundreds of companies inspected in the last year. Some of the significant changes include the US, where certain states, including California, require gender pay reporting, and shareholder activism is driving pay equity disclosures. In the EU, the Pay Transparency Directive requires member states to implement legislation by June 2026, with gender pay gap reporting starting in June 2027. Key requirements include: mandatory pay range disclosure; banning salary history questions; and employee rights to pay information with an increased role overall for worker representatives.