The advent of streaming video on demand platforms (SVOD) has made access to virtual content relatively easy. As a matter of fact, it is one of the many benefits that comes with the internet and technological evolution. However, when sharing or transmitting virtual contents to consumers or subscribers, these platforms must ensure that the appropriate licences are obtained from holders of intellectual property rights to avoid claims of infringement ...
Key Points Employers that claimed a tax credit for qualified COVID-related leave paid to employees in 2021 must report the amount of leave paid in Box 14 of the employee's 2021 Form W-2 or on a separate statement. The reporting requirement is new for 2021 for governmental employers, because those employers were not eligible for a tax credit for COVID-related leave paid in 2020 ...
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act assigned the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Inspector General (OIG) responsibility for compliance monitoring and oversight of the receipt, disbursement, and use of payments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF Payments). OIG has also been given the authority to recoup CRF Payments in the event OIG determines that a recipient did not comply with Treasury regulations governing the use of CRF Payments ...
After the growth and successes of the tech industry in 2021, James Klein, head of the technology sector at Shoosmiths shares his thoughts on emerging trends and a few areas where we may see developments in 2022. Data Data continues to be a key strategic asset, whether it is in connection with data storage, transfer, protection, processing, security, or capacity issues. Predictive analysis of data is likely to be more pertinent than ever this year ...
Due to emergence of the Omicrom variant, the new year brought with it some now familiar guidance: the government asked workers to avoid the office and to work from home where possible. In anticipation of returning to the office in early 2022, the Health and Safety Executive (the HSE) and the Scottish Government have issued guidance emphasising the importance of good ventilation and the role that plays,alongside other measures, in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 ...
From 6 April 2022, the way right to work checks are conducted is changing. Virtual or “adjusted” right to work checks will no longer be acceptable Virtual checks were only ever intended as a temporary concession because of the pandemic. While they have been repeatedly extended throughout the pandemic, the Home Office is adamant that they will end once and for all, with 5 April 2022 being the final date on which they can be validly conducted ...
COVID-19 guidance continues to change regularly throughout the UK and the Omicron variant has seen soaring levels of absence across all businesses. So what do employers need to know and how can this be managed? Current isolation and testing rules At this time and throughout the UK generally, non-exempt individuals are required to self-isolate if they are in close contact with someone who has tested positive ...
A recent High Court decision raised some interesting questions surrounding the property status of cryptocurrencies and whether they can be held on trust. We consider how certain comments in the judgment may have implications for the property status of NFTs. The recent English High Court decision in Wang v Darby [2021] EWHC 3054 (Comm) raised some interesting issues regarding whether cryptocurrencies can be held on trust ...
At the end of 2021, the Intellectual Property Rights Court published the new Practice Review on the issues regarding the application of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, on the legal protection of software and databases (in Russian only). The Review presents the well-established positions of the Court on the disputes practice regarding databases and software ...
Key Points New IRS rules extend annual deadline for providing Forms 1095-C to employees to March 2 Penalty relief no longer applies for employers that make good faith efforts to comply with reporting requirements California employers with self-insured plans must file Forms 1095-C with the Franchise Tax Board by March 31 Under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), large employers (generally those with 50 or more full-time employees or full-time equivalents) must report annually t
The importance of being truthful on immigration forms has been thrust into the international spotlight this week, thanks to tennis star Novak Djokovic who has been deported from Australia. Whilst the ins and out of the refusal are up for discussion, one thing is clear is that the information on his application about where he has been during the fourteen days prior to his arrival in Australia was not correct ...
‘The right to disconnect’ was a popular topic during 2021 and provides for an interesting discussion - should there be a legal right in the UK for employees to disconnect from their workplace? The phrase which may bring joy to an employee’s ears but potentially not so much to those of an employer is the ‘right to disconnect’ ...
Without doubt, the traditional employment relationship has changed. Whilst the Coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact, the changing nature of the employment relationship has been taking place for several years. But what does this mean for employers? CIPD in a recent report has suggested that atypical workers could be anywhere from 18.6% to 42.4% of the workforce (depending on how narrowly atypical working is defined) ...
On Thursday, January 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay pausing implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), finding that the challengers to the ETS are likely to prevail. Justices John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh issued the decision to stay the OSHA ETS. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas concurred with their own separate opinion ...
The persisting spectre of the pandemic continues to create uncertainty in the market. Over the last 18 months, insolvency figures remained consistently low due to the government support which has been in place. With the prospect of that support coming to an end there is likely to be a reckoning, but when that will begin is unclear. Overall, this next year is likely to be one of resolving loose ends and tidying up before the economy can take off afresh ...
Following on from the Migration Advisory Committee's annual report, the government have announced welcome changes to the Health and Care visa route. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) published their annual report in December. The report considered a variety of subjects and took a detailed look at the health and care sector ...
Pensions analysis: The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has issued its levy rules and associated guidance and appendices for the 2022–23 levy year. Partner Suzanne Burrell examines the latest rules and guidance, the changes made since last year, the implications for pension schemes and what happens next ...
On Thursday, January 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay pausing implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Emergency Temporary Standard, finding that the challengers to the ETS are likely to prevail. Justices John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh issued the decision to stay the OSHA ETS. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas concurred with their own separate opinion ...
While the U.S. Supreme Court continues to deliberate over whether the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) is a valid exercise of OSHA’s regulatory authority, OSHA has continued to update their ETS FAQs to provide more guidance to employers. In particular, OSHA has clarified the requirements that apply to the use of over-the-counter COVID-19 tests (OTC Tests) for compliance with the testing requirements of the ETS ...
On Jan. 13, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States lifted the injunction on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) vaccine mandate (Mandate).[1] Previously, injunctions were imposed by district courts in Missouri and Louisiana, and affirmed on appeal by the Eighth and Fifth Circuits, respectively, thereby prohibiting enforcement of the Mandate in 24 states ...
On Jan. 13, 2022, the United States Supreme Court issued an order blocking enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring (among other things) employers of 100 or more employees to require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or ensure unvaccinated employees are tested for COVID-19 weekly ...
