Recent technology has ignited an explosion of access to information, and the impact on the art world has been profound. This development has been accompanied by an enormous rise in the market value of paintings, prints and other fine art, which has resulted in striking changes in how the art market addresses disputes as to authenticity, provenance and entitlement to once lost works. Authenticity – Is It Genuine? The upward spiral of fine art values has created new incentives and potential rewards for forgery. Thus, it is of great financial importance to the buyer or seller of an artwork claimed… Read more

Smith, Gambrell & Russell has one of the largest libraries by square footage of any law firm library in the Atlanta area. Most of that space, plus satellite libraries outside of attorney offices and in case rooms and smaller library spaces in our offices in Jacksonville, New York and Georgetown, is filled with books and looks very much like what most people think a library should. However, a law library is worlds away from your local public or college library. One major difference is that there is no “shushing” in the SGR library. The space is alive with people checking… Read more

The volume of products  liability lawsuits alleging no physical injury and seeking solely economic damages has grown significantly in recent years. Often brought as proposed class actions, these suits are also known as “no-injury” or “economic loss” cases. While extraordinary attention has been given to the recent General Motors (GM) ignition switch recall and litigation, the focus on such high-profile litigation makes it easy to forget that numerous other products liability lawsuits – usually involving smaller manufacturers and far less expensive consumer  goods – are filed each year. In 2012 and 2013,  94,960 products  liability cases were filed in U.S…. Read more

Trust the Leaders: Why has the Southeast become such a strong manufacturing hub?  Tom Hong: Building on its historic roots as one of the country’s strongest manufacturing centers, businesses that relocated to the region before the recession or during the recovery are beginning  to see a notable return on their investment – and the word is getting out. Recently, domestic and international companies have either moved or established  significant manufacturing centers in the Southeast. For example, Kia Motors opened a major Georgia production facility on 2,200 acres of land in 2010, while BMW’s largest production plant in the world is… Read more

At around the turn of this century, the music industry panicked. The sudden rise of peer-to-peer file-sharing Internet services was threatening the heart of the multi-billion dollar record industry. Listeners no longer had to purchase CDs from record stores, but instead could download songs for free. This new disruptive technology triggered various lawsuits that led to injunctions and ultimately the shutdown of numerous peer-to-peer outfits, most notably Napster, which shuttered in mid-2001. But the damage had been done. By 2008, U.S. music industry revenues had fallen from $14.6 billion in 1999 to a mere $8.5 billion – a decline of… Read more

Today, more than ever, is a great time to be a “green” manufacturer. As the effects of climate change become more evident and a more frequently discussed topic in the media, consumers are modifying their buying behavior in favor of products they perceive to be environmentally friendly. Consumers are motivated by multiple factors to purchase green products. Although they recognize that green products may be better for the environment, there is also a perception that such products are better or healthier for their families and their communities. In response to this trend, more manufacturers are trying to capitalize on green… Read more

As a child growing up in Memphis in the 1970s, the term “food truck” meant just one thing to me: a Pronto Pup trailer at the Mid-South Fairgrounds. Today, food trucks have become a way for culinary artists to bring their unique offerings out of traditional restaurants and onto the streets of major cities. Interest in food trucks began to surge in 2008. While the food industry sector as a whole struggled during the recession, the food truck industry continued to grow, in part due to the economic downturn. Consumers saw food trucks as a way to splurge on gourmet… Read more

Any successful manufacturing company is always looking for new markets and new growth opportunities. In today’s global economy, that can mean scouring the world for locations for a new manufacturing or R&D facility. The process of site selection begins when a company decides that an existing office or manufacturing location should be moved or a new location should be added to the portfolio. Selecting a location for a manufacturing plant is a complex and lengthy process, often taking many months or even years. For that reason, many companies choose to engage outside consultants to advise them in selecting manufacturing sites…. Read more

Preceding the 2007 credit market crash, we experienced a real estate bubble marked by a period of exorbitant real estate values. Commercial, industrial and residential real estate then saw unprecedented declines. Following the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, new construction and development screeched to a halt. Seven years later, the commercial and residential real estate markets have improved. For example, New York City and the surrounding areas started seeing a surge in sales in the final quarter of 2013 – a trend that is expected to continue. In the summer of 2013, an SGR client received an unsolicited offer of $20 million… Read more

Passenger airlines in the United States are benefitting from an improved economy. Despite crippling winter weather in the northeastern and midwestern United States during the first quarter of the year, 2014 is expected to be a strong year for passenger carriers. And commercial cargo, which has been very weak, is showing some modest improvement. However, certain other sectors are experiencing significant challenges. Airlines that specialize in flying for the U.S. Department of Defense and, in particular, transporting cargo for the U.S. military, are struggling. Regional airlines that fly smaller jets and turboprops are facing a severe pilot shortage, which in… Read more