northern ireland doing business in the united states

It’s About the Process…

Mike Burke Distribution Agreements, Jurisdiction, Litigation, Terms and Conditions , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When Irish and Northern Irish companies ask if there is *one* thing they can or should do to minimize the risk of operating in the US, I channel my inner Mr. McGuire (from the movie The Graduate) and say ‘process.’ It’s not quite as pithy as ‘plastics,’ but it works. What I mean by that remark is this: adopting and consistently using a process for developing and executing US contracts will go a long way in terms of risk mitigation. Comprehensive, American-style contracts, and the process by which they are built, are the most powerful defenses in an Irish or Northern Irish company’s risk-avoidance arsenal. Continue reading →

Can You Keep a (Trade) Secret?

Mike Burke Intellectual Property , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve previously written in this blog about the importance of trade secrets. See: Protecting Your Trade Secrets in the US. Some recent changes in US Federal trade secrets legislation will help Irish and Northern Irish companies better protect their trade secrets in the US.

“Trade secrets” are defined in the US as (i) information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, or process; (ii) that derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to or readily ascertainable through appropriate means by other persons who might obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and (iii) is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy. Continue reading →

LLCs May Be Right Unless They’re Wrong

Mike Burke Choice of Entity, Formation Issues , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As I’ve posted before, I usually advise non-US companies to form a corporation when expanding to the United States. Every now and then, I get some pushback because the non-US company has heard about ‘limited liability companies’ (LLCs) in the US and wants to take advantage of the pass-through tax advantages of the LLC form. Before diving too deeply on this, let me get some definitional items out of the way. Corporate law in the US is predominately a creation of, and within the control of, the states. That’s why you hear about a ‘Delaware corporation’ or a ‘New York corporation’ and not a ‘United States corporation.’ That’s our Federal system at work (when it works). The corporation form in the US is similar to the limited company forms in Ireland and Northern Ireland, in that the shareholders/investors in each are only liable for the entity’s debts to the extent of their investment. Continue reading →