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For the third time in four years, Nevada has amended its unclaimed property law. Indeed, Assembly Bill 55 was enacted in Nevada on June 2, 2023, and became effective July 1, 2023. The new law impacts the analysis of when certain property types are presumed abandoned. Further, a new certified mailing requirement is added for […]

Congratulations, your winery has grown to a point where shipping under someone else’s license has become too great of a risk, and you’ve decided to search for a direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping compliance partner. There are choices in the marketplace, so how do you know which company to work with? As you conduct your due diligence […]

Effective January 1, 2024, wine and spirits products will be subject to the California Beverage Container Recycling Program (BCRP). This change follows the passage of SB 1013 in September last year and reflects efforts by the state to help manage and reduce waste from beverage containers by extending the BCRP to a class of products […]

By Jeff Carroll, WineDirect   Wineries in the United States can ship to 97% of the U.S. population for direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping, right? Not exactly. Most people think of states as either open to direct shipping or closed, but the reality is more nuanced. Although 47 states, representing 97% of the population, allow some form of […]

All categories saw growth January to June in 2023, compared to that same time in 2022  The first half of 2023 has come and gone, with new product registrations showing positive growth across categories. Spirits new product registrations increased 20% from January to June 2023, followed by wine (+10%) and beer/malt (+1%). Overall, Product Registration […]

The direct-to-consumer (DtC) wine shipping channel has seen a continuation of movement tracked in the January release of our Direct-to-Consumer Wine Shipping Report, with dips once again occurring in overall volume and value. Note: The proprietary data featured in this mid-year report is compiled from an algorithm measuring total DtC shipments based on millions of […]

Small wineries breaking in to the direct-to-consumer (DtC) wine business sometimes choose to partner with third-party services that make big promises about handling compliance and licensing needs. Of course, there are numerous partners that can provide excellent help with managing these needs. But caution is in order when a third-party service makes sweeping claims, for […]

In an interesting development, New York has requested that companies hold off on reporting unclaimed virtual currency this year. This news comes in the wake of a newly enacted law requiring holders to report and remit unclaimed virtual currency owned by New York residents. Virtual currency is the latest property type to become a target of […]

Some promising direct-to-consumer (DtC) happenings have occurred in both Alabama and Delaware in the last few weeks. The DtC application process in Alabama has been made easier, with less information required. And there’s a clear sign that Delaware might open up to allow DtC wine shipping. We share the details below. DtC license application developments […]

It’s that time of year when we all begin focusing on fall unclaimed property (UP) filings. For anyone who has experience with UP filings, you have all had to cope with change during a filing season. The catalyst to change can appear in many forms, such as statutory changes to dormancy or filing dates, a […]

Where can you go to receive best-in-class education on insurance accounting and theory, network with your insurance professional peers, earn CPE credits and stay ahead of industry change? The Sovos 2023 Insurance Regulatory Summit is that opportunity. This is an annual, exclusive event providing the insurance industry with premier educational sessions from regulatory product experts and […]

As part of our ongoing effort to return to the in-person model of providing continuing education, the instructors at Sovos Booke are on the move yet again this year. Your next chance to join us is coming up in September so read on to see how we expect the week to play out. Westward ho! […]

In the world of unclaimed property, there tend to be more questions than answers with certain property types and what should be considered reportable to the states. High on that list are rebates, refunds and incentives. While efforts have been made to help clear the fog, questions still abound as companies seek to improve customer […]

A Q&A with Arun Kurichety, COO & General Counsel, Petalfast  In an effort to better understand potential cannabis concerns in the beverage alcohol industry, I sat down with Petalfast’s Arun Kurichety. Further expanding on Arun’s keynote address at the 2023 Sovos ShipCompliant Wine Summit, we discussed trends in the cannabis industry and what alcohol producers should know. […]

Unclaimed property is ripe for potential fraud due to the nature of the property – after all, it is either lost or abandoned and nobody will know that it is missing. Unclaimed property fraud can occur at both the holder and state levels. It can be perpetrated internally by employees or externally by people posing as […]

Over the last few years, one of the leading issues affecting the direct-to-consumer (DtC) wine shipping market has been the ongoing effort by states to regulate third-party shipping services, specifically fulfillment houses. At various times, it has seemed as though a deluge of new rules and restrictions around using fulfillment houses was about to sweep […]

The Electronic Invoicing Law of the Dominican Republic was published on 17 May 2023, mandating e-invoicing throughout the territory as of 18 May 2023. The law was published in the Official Gazette, whose purpose is to regulate the mandatory use of electronic invoicing in the Dominican Republic, including the establishment of the electronic invoicing tax […]

Preparing your business for direct-to-consumer (DtC) wine shipping is no small feat. Between licensure, compliance concerns, tax accuracy and regulated reporting, overwhelm may seem inevitable. With the right partner by your side, you can focus on the delivery details that matter most to your customers. But there’s one delivery element that no one can control: […]