The Week at Ropes & Gray: Siemens Completes $4.5 Billion Mentor Graphics Acquisition; UK Moves Ahead with Brexit; Impact of the Cheerleader Uniform Case; New Teleconference Series on Value-Based Health Care; Protecting Immigrant Rights in New York State

Weekly highlights of what’s happening at Ropes & Gray:

• In a $4.5 billion deal that creates that world’s leading supplier of industrial software, Ropes & Gray advised Mentor Graphics as it completed its acquisition by Siemens. The transaction was originally announced in November 2016 and closed March 30. And in more tech-focused deal news from the West Coast, Ropes & Gray represented San Francisco-based middle-market private equity sponsor Genstar Capital in its acquisition of Bracket, a scientifically driven clinical trial technology and specialty services provider, from Parthenon Capital Partners.
• The UK has filed for divorce from the European Union with a notice that expresses the UK’s intention to negotiate the terms of its future partnership at the same time as negotiating the terms of its withdrawal. In this alert, we examine the withdrawal process, as well as potential transitional arrangements, changes to UK legislation, and the impact of withdrawal on the UK's financial services industry.
• What impact is the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands, the cheerleader uniform case, likely to have on the protectability of the creative elements of clothing and other useful articles?  In this new podcast, Doug Hallward-Driemeier, who leads Ropes & Gray’s appellate & Supreme Court practice, and IP counsel Evan Gourvitz offer their perspectives on the case and what it may mean for the future copyright protection of fashion and industrial design.
• NPR’s Marketplace program interviewed Ropes & Gray patent litigation attorney Henry Huang on the oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Impression Products v. Lexmark Int’l, a closely watched case involving the legal issue of patent exhaustion, the idea that a manufacturer gives up the right to control what happens to a product after it has been sold. The high court is now left to grapple with a decision that could potentially affect the resale of all types of goods in the market.
• “A View from Washington of President Trump’s First 60 Days” kicked off our teleconference series on the evolution of value-based health care. Visit our recap, which includes a recording, transcript and PowerPoint slides, for insights on the new administration's impact on value-based arrangements. Spoiler alert: the road is going to follow largely the same direction as it has for the past decade, although there may be some more detours and yield signs along the way.
• Finally, in the firm’s latest pro bono effort to protect the rights of immigrants, Ropes & Gray joined with 21 other New York law firms in partnering with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Liberty Defense Project, formed to meet the urgent need for help that is currently overwhelming nonprofits in the state. In total, 230 private sector law firms, legal departments, bar associations and advocacy associations signed on, along with the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ford Foundation, creating the nation’s first public-private immigrant legal defense initiative. The Liberty Defense Project is set to provide free legal help to immigrants, including representation in deportation proceedings; completion and filing of green card applications, temporary status and work permits; and conducting outreach and educational initiatives to support families facing deportation or detention.