Top Legal Issues Facing Automotive Suppliers in 2014

In a constantly changing and dynamic marketplace, suppliers must stay on top of business trends and challenges. They also need to keep up with the changing legal landscape and its implications for their business. Because of its wide breadth of experience and depth of knowledge of the manufacturing space, Foley & Lardner LLP prepared this overview of the top legal issues facing the industry in the coming year.

This report focuses on what suppliers need to know now, to ensure a successful 2014 and beyond. While not exhaustive, this report covers a comprehensive list of legal areas, including: Antitrust; Commercial Litigation; Compliance; NHTSA and Automotive Safety; Data Security and Privacy; eDiscovery; Environmental; Labor and Employment; and Patents.

In the various sections, our experts explore recent changes and continuing trends. For instance, our Commercial Litigation section explores the implications for suppliers of new terms and conditions. We provide an update on antitrust activities, and our Compliance section covers international as well as domestic issues, while delivering insight into recent aggressive enforcement trends and ways to mitigate risk. We included a special focus on NHTSA and Automotive Safety, which explains the various areas in which the agency is poised to push forward with rulemaking and enforcement. The Data Security and Privacy section highlights closed computing and big data initiatives, while the Patents section addresses, among other things, recent developments concerning the award of fees in baseless suits. Discovery challenges facing litigants in the world of big data are addressed in the eDiscovery section. The remaining sections of Environmental and Labor and Employment highlight recent developments impacting those substantive topics.

Armed with the knowledge of the 2014 legal landscape, suppliers will be better positioned to make informed business decisions to ensure a successful year ahead. For more information concerning any of the topics, contact your Foley representative.