Protections added to the Bankruptcy Code in 1988 that give some intellectual property (“IP”) licensees the right to continued use of licensed property notwithstanding rejection of the underlying license agreement do not expressly apply to trademark licenses. As a consequence, a trademark licensee faces a great deal of uncertainty concerning its ability to continue using a licensed trademark if the licensor files for bankruptcy.
Compared to much of the rest of the world, the United States had the most positive economic, business, and financial news in 2014.
The meaning of "unreasonably small capital" in the context of constructively fraudulent transfer avoidance litigation is not spelled out in the Bankruptcy Code. As a result, bankruptcy courts have been called upon to fashion their own definitions of the term. Nonetheless, the courts that have considered the issue have mostly settled on some general concepts in fashioning such a definition. In Whyte ex rel. SemGroup Litig. Trust v. Ritchie SG Holdings, LLC (In re SemCrude, LP), 2014 BL 272343 (D. Del. Sept.
After a creditor or equity security holder casts its vote to accept or reject a chapter 11 plan, the vote can be changed or withdrawn "for cause shown" in accordance with Rule 3018(a) of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure ("Rule 3018(a)"). However, "cause" is not defined in Rule 3018(a), and relatively few courts have addressed the meaning of the term in this context in reported decisions.
A new insolvency law was approved by the Chilean Congress at the end of 2013 and became effective in October 2014. The legislation substantially overhauls Chile's prior insolvency law, particularly with respect to business insolvency cases. It incorporates a number of provisions that permit the reorganization of financially troubled businesses, with a view toward preserving enterprise value and jobs, as well as expediting and enhancing creditor recoveries. The new law represents a marked departure from the previous regime, which was focused on the liquidation of debtors' assets.
Europe has struggled mightily during the last several years to triage a long series of critical blows to the economies of the 28 countries that comprise the European Union, as well as the collective viability of eurozone economies. Here we provide a snapshot of some recent developments regarding insolvency, restructuring, and related issues in the EU.
On September 26, 2014, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution (A/HRC/27/L.26) condemning "vulture funds" like Argentina's holdout bondholders "for the direct negative effect that the debt repayment to those funds, under predatory conditions, has on the capacity of Governments to fulfill their human rights obligations, particularly economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development." Among other things, the resolution expresses concern regarding "the voluntary nature of international debt relief schemes which has created opportunities
The Bankruptcy Code provides certain protections to buyers of bankruptcy estate assets and to entities that extend credit or financing to a trustee or chapter 11 debtor-in-possession ("DIP"). However, these safe harbors are available only if a buyer or lender is deemed to have acted in "good faith," a concept that is not defined in the Bankruptcy Code.
Supreme Court to Resolve Circuit Split on Constitutionality of U.S. Trustee Fee Hike
U.S. courts have a long-standing tradition of recognizing or enforcing the laws and court rulings of other nations as an exercise of international "comity." It has been generally understood that recognition of a foreign bankruptcy proceeding under chapter 15 is a prerequisite to a U.S. court enforcing, under the doctrine of comity, an order or judgment entered in a foreign bankruptcy proceeding or a provision in foreign bankruptcy law applicable to a debtor in such a proceeding.