Womble Perspectives

Aldi, the discount supermarket chain, has built a strong and growing fan base. It’s on track to open over 225 new stores this year, positioning itself as a low-cost alternative to traditional brands. You’ve probably heard their former slogan: “Like brands, only cheaper.” That’s the heart of their business model—offering private-label products that resemble national brands, but at a lower price.

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Snack Wars: Mondelez Challenges Aldi’s Packaging Design Strategy in Trademark Infringement Lawsuit

About the authors
Sara M. Bauer
Stephanie Smiertka Riley

In today’s episode, we're diving into a fascinating and, possibly, a somewhat alarming topic: AI-generated deepfakes and their impact on evidence authenticity in court. 

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AI-Generated Deepfakes in Court: An Emerging Threat to Evidence Authenticity?

About the author
Al Windham

Toppan Interamerica, a Georgia-based commercial printer, has sued Whalen Furniture in California for allegedly copying its copyrighted Fitzroy Pine and Bianco Oak wood grain patterns. U.S. copyright law protects original patterns like faux wood grains, granting creators exclusive rights for up to 70 years after death or 95 years after publication.

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About the authors:
Andrew Beverina
Jack B. Hicks

As cyber threats continue to rise, universities involved in federally funded research are under increased scrutiny. It's not just about ticking boxes on compliance forms; it's about protecting sensitive info that, if compromised, could open up major vulnerabilities.

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Recent FCA Investigations at Universities: A Closer Look at Cybersecurity Compliance


About the authors
Sarah Motley Stone
Tara N. Cho, CIPP/US, CIPP/E
Taylor Ey, CIPP/US, CIPP/E
Christopher L. Lockwood

When considering scientific evidence, it's often assumed that the most frequently cited articles appear in the most prestigious journals. However, this isn’t always accurate. Journals are ranked by their impact factor, which measures how often articles are cited in a given year. Surprisingly, junk science can be found in both esteemed peer-reviewed journals and lesser-known ones. This segment, the second in our junk science series, aims to shed light on the increasing issue of flawed scientific articles and point out potential red flags to watch for when evaluating published studies.

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About the author:
Gloria Malpass, Ph.D.*

Construction projects can be as thrilling as they are challenging. For project owners, they represent creativity and progress—but they’re also a significant undertaking filled with uncertainty, tight deadlines, and high expectations. 

There’s often an imbalance of expertise between project owners, who only engage in construction occasionally, and contractors, who live and breathe it daily. This imbalance can lead to stress and, sometimes, trouble navigating risks. That’s where today’s episode comes in handy—we’ll uncover some of the warning signs of troubled projects, how to mitigate risks, and how contracts serve as the foundation for safeguarding success. 

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Identifying The Warning Signs of A Troubled Construction Project

About the authors
Todd M. Conley
Jeremy L. Baker

Welcome to a Womble Bond Dickinson podcast with Womble Data Center Team attorneys Of Counsel Barlow Keener and Partner Damian Georgino. They dissect how data center developers and investors are addressing the increasing significance and high-volume needs for resource-scarce water and waste water management in connection with data centers.  In today's digital economy, water has emerged as a strategic resource on par with power for data center operations. 

Water, once taken for granted by data center developers, is now taking center stage as an initial requirement for developers, investors, and owners/operators.  The emerging trend is for investors to fund in water (and including outsourcing assets and operations and management) for data centers just as they are investing in behind the meter power for data centers (i.e., distributed water).  Water, or the lack of it, is shaping the future of data centers in an increasingly water-conscious world and is now viewed through the lens of strategic sustainability and corporate environmental stewardship. Join Barlow and Damian as they examine innovative water solutions, regulatory hurdles, financing strategies, and sustainability initiatives transforming how data centers approach this essential resource. 

Whether you're a data center developer, infrastructure investor, technology executive, or sustainability professional, Womble’s Data Center Team can help deliver actionable perspectives on one of the most pressing issues facing the digital infrastructure landscape today.

By now, we all know that Generative AI models are trained on massive amounts of data, much of which is collected from the Internet, as well as other sources.

This AI is also generating tons of new content, much of which ends up online. But what happens when this AI-generated content is used again to train the AI models?

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About the author
Dr. Christian E. Mammen

As the summer Olympic Games approach, we can expect to see some athletes being banned due to doping. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees American Olympic and Paralympic athletes, enforces stringent testing standards. Remember the female US track star banned from the Tokyo Games for testing positive for marijuana? Spoiler: she's back and faster than ever. Although marijuana remains banned in the Olympics, the NC double A Division 1 Council recently decided to remove cannabinoids from the banned drug class for NC double A championships and postseason football.

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About the author:
Kim Beane

Parkinson's Disease is a relentless neurological disorder that affects millions globally. Characterized by tremors, stiffness, and coordination difficulties, it severely disrupts daily life. For those living with it - and for their caregivers - finding effective symptom management strategies is paramount. This is where cannabis could come in. A plant often wrapped in controversy, cannabis seems to be emerging as a potential ally in managing symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.

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Exploring the Potential of Cannabis in Managing Parkinson's Disease

About the author
Melissa Ratliff, RN, BSN, Legal Nurse Consultant