Space
The commercialization of products and services in the space industry is growing rapidly, leading to a greater need for legal counsel with specialized experience in space law, regulation, and policy. We have a globally-ranked team of lawyers who have significant experience handling aerospace finance, space regulation and policy, intellectual property, and transactional matters for the commercial space industry.
Our space business group works with financial institutions, satellite operators, launch providers, manufacturers, and other industry participants in virtually every aspect of satellite finance, telecommunications, and international and local space law.
Our intellectual property lawyers have personal experience with the specialized technologies, patent processes, and issues that surround space system design and development. This includes hands-on design experience with the robotics, propulsion systems, avionics, semiconductors, cybersecurity systems, cloud computing, and engineering resource planning platforms that are essential to the aerospace industry. We also feature regulatory compliance knowledge of software and systems associated with aerospace platforms, including the protection and management of sensitive data.
We represent our clients on diverse local, state, domestic, and international space matters; handle space matters throughout the United States, Latin America, Asia, Australia, and Europe; and litigate on behalf of space clients in courts throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. Our client base includes established aerospace companies, as well as innovative new space startups around the world.
We have been involved in creating the emerging new legal, regulatory, and policy framework for the commercial space industry on a global basis and our space law practitioners have been at the forefront of thought leadership surrounding new legislation, regulations, and financing methods. Our international footprint allows us to keep abreast of trends impacting the commercial business of space and participate in the regulatory process on a global scale.
Our experience includes:
- Satellite finance
- Secured finance under U.S. and UK law
- Export credit supported finance
- Space project finance
- Private placements of equity, convertible debt
- Public-private partnerships
- Leveraged leasing
- Export/import and regulatory compliance
- ITAR specialization
- Launch licensing
- Space policy development and advocacy
- Space legislation
- Engagement with national space agencies
- National security space policy and procurement
- Liability and indemnification
- Informed consent agreements
- Space property rights
- Manufacturing and resource utilization in space
- Air and space traffic management
- Debris mitigation
- Insurance consultation for launch and orbit insurance
- Data monetization
- Launch vehicle acquisition and integration agreements
- Intellectual property
- Data privacy and protection
- IP procurement and portfolio management
- Licensing agreements and IP protection
- IP litigation
- Restructuring of satellite operators, launch vehicles, and satellite manufacturers
- Transactional tax
- Telemedicine
- International law
- Government contracts
On 1 March 2024, the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama issued an opinion holding, on summary judgment, the Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional.
On Wednesday, 6 March 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved its highly anticipated final rules on “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors” by a vote of 3-2, with Republican Commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda dissenting.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released its compliance and enforcement priorities for 2024-25, with ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb expanding on the Commission's key areas of focus in her address to the Committee for Economic Development.
On 30 January 2024, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule (Final Rule) increasing the premium processing fee from US$2,500 to US$2,805, increasing filing fees for I-129 and I-140 employment-based petitions, and imposing a new Asylum Program Fee for each Form I-129 and I-140 filed by employers.