Mask wearing indoors has become a ubiquitous part of the COVID-19 experience. The B.C. government mandated mask wearing in November of 2020 for most indoor public settings. Those orders are premised on face coverings helping to prevent, respond to or alleviate the spread of COVID‐19, when used with other protective measures. Some members of our society have physical, cognitive, or psychological disabilities that make mask wearing unduly difficult or unsafe ...
The INPI (Brazilian PTO) published Ordinance/INPI/PR No. 21, of March 26, 2021, which extends the Backlog Combat Project aiming at reducing the number of invention patent applications pending decision. The ordinance came into force on April 1st, 2021, and targets patent applications filed between Jan. 1st, 2017 and Dec. 31st, 2017 ...
On March 31, 2021 Law no. 14,132/2021 was passed to include the crime of obsessive persecution ("stalking") in the Brazilian Penal Code, in the chapter of Crimes Against Personal Freedom, article 147-A. The new law abrogates the misdemeanor of harassment or disturbance of tranquility, until now invoked to punish stalking behavior ...
Due to the Covid-19 government measures, most employees work mainly from their home offices from March 2020 onwards. For internationally active employees, the taxation of salaries is linked to the location where the work is carried out. The sudden switch to the home office may therefore have a major impact on the tax position and the net salary of the employees concerned and on the payroll administration of the employer ...
Employers who suspect that employees are guilty of misconduct often appoint forensic investigators or legal practitioners to investigate whether such misconduct exists. They then prepare a report with recommendations on how to proceed, including whether disciplinary actions can be taken against the employees concerned ...
The National Government issued Decree 360 of 2021 that modifies the customs regime contained in Decree 265 of 2019, in order to provide legal security to foreign trade users by specifying the substantial and formal obligations that must be met in the customs procedures and regimes. In addition, it temporarily modified the obligation regarding the minimum amount of liquid assets required of customs agencies ...
Banking & Finance ESAs issue joint supervisory statement on the application of the Regulation on Sustainability-related disclosures in the Financial Services Sector (SFDR) ESAs issue recommendations on the application of the SFDR ...
Covid-19 has left employers who want their employees back in the office in a difficult position. With the pandemic still raging, many employees are fearful of returning to the office with unvaccinated peers. In order to ease their employees’ concerns and provide a safe work environment, some employers are offering incentives to get vaccinated ...
The statutory framework for copyright in India encompasses the Copyright Act, 1957 (“CA”) and the Copyright Rules, 2013 (“CR”). This now stands amended in the form of Copyright (Amendment) Rules, 2021 (“CAR”) by the Central Government by virtue of powers conferred under section 78 of the CA. The Ministry of Commerce & Industry (Govt. of India) has duly notified this amendment[1] under Gazette notification bearing number G.S.R ...
From 1 October 2021, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) will have new criminal powers to bolster its anti-avoidance arsenal, but what does it really mean for those involved with the running of pension schemes? The new powers allow TPR to investigate and prosecute any person who avoids an employer debt, anyone who does (or doesn’t do) something which would prevent pension scheme members from receiving their benefits in full, and anyone who does not comply with a contribution notice issued
The Government Emergency Ordinance no. 26/07.04.2021 for the amendment and completion of the GEO no. 111/2010 on the parental leave and monthly allowance was published within the Official Gazette no. 363 dated April 7th, 2021. The main legal amendments introduced by the new legal provisions are centered on an increase in the amounts and diversification of cases for granting insertion incentives. More exactly: An amount of RON 1,500 (approx ...
It is only seven months until the eyes of the world fall on Glasgow as it hosts COP 26. The conference comes with some terminology which might be unfamiliar. This article is designed to bring you quickly up to speed with the words and phrases you’ll be hearing a lot about in the coming months. The very basics... COP – ‘Conference of the Parties’, the parties being the 197 signatories to the UNFCCC treaty ...
In our previous article, we reported on the Supplemental Arrangement Concerning Mutual Enforcement of Arbitral Awards between Mainland China and the HKSAR (Supplemental Arrangement) made on 27 November 2020, which made certain revisions to the Arrangement Concerning Mutual Enforcement of Arbitral Awards between Mainland China and the HKSAR, as follows: Recognition of arbitral awards -The Supplemental Arrangement clarified that the procedures set out in the Arrangement shall be in
The advent of blank cheque company IPOs. Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) have taken the corporate world by storm. These “blank cheque” shell companies, which raise funds in their initial public offerings (IPO) to invest in potential but as yet unidentified target businesses, have fuelled a listing frenzy in the US. SPAC IPOs have garnered US$87.9 billion in fundraising in the first three months of 2021, already exceeding last year’s total ...
The National Security and Investment Bill will allow government intervention in transactions raising national security concerns. It will require investors in UK real estate to consider whether the regime applies and factor in any timetabling implications. The Bill is currently being examined in the House of Lords. It will introduce an independent screening regime in the UK where a transaction gives rise to national security concerns ...
Led by Legal Director of Immigration, Rachel Harvey, and Employment Partner Emma Morgan, this webinar focussed on the considerations many Employers are faced with concerning immigration. This complex and ever-changing area means Employers need to keep a keen eye on any changes or alterations that are made to the current guidelines and rules. The key themes from the webinar and what they mean for employers are detailed below ...
In its highly anticipated judgment, the majority of the Supreme Court of Canada found the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act constitutional in a split 6-3 decision. The key issue before the court was whether the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (“GGPPA”) was constitutional. The majority decided that it was, because Parliament has jurisdiction to enact this law as a matter of national concern ...
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) announced on March 29, 2021 that qualifying employers should file 2019 and 2020 workplace diversity data, known as the EEO-1 Component 1 data, by July 19, 2021. The data collection will open on April 26, 2021. Employers with 100 or more employees and federal contractors with 50 or more employees should begin preparing to submit the data in anticipation of this opening ...
Those in the CBD sector should be mindful of their marketing tactics, as the FDA continues to police the industry. Manufacturers of CBD products must also evaluate their quality-control procedures to ensure safe products are hitting the marketplace. As we forecasted this past December in a previous legal alert, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to referee the emerging cannabidiol (CBD) product market ...
As of today, March 31, 2021, no longer may public bodies take advantage of the “any reason” remote meeting provisions of the Open Meetings Act. When the Legislature extended the circumstances under which public bodies could meet remotely, it provided for limited circumstances after the “any reason” provision sunsets ...
No one can escape the basic rules of contracting, even the federal government. If the contract is clear and unambiguous, then the four corners of the agreement set the rules for the project and the parties – and there’s not much room for interpretation. The government was recently reminded of this cold, hard truth after it refused to grant a contractor an equitable adjustment of the contract price for purchasing wetland mitigation credits. In Kiewit Infrastructure W. Co. v ...
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in BGT Holdings LLC v. United States, recently held that the government does not have the discretion to deny a contractor’s request for equitable adjustment (REA) under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.245-1 (Government Property) where the conditions specified in that clause are present and the contractor is able to show financial loss ...
In a December 2020 opinion, the United States Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (the “Board”) reviewed and reversed a Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”) Contracting Officer’s (“CO”) decision to terminate for default Eagle Peak Rock & Paving, Inc.’s thirty-six million dollar contract (the “Contract”) for work on a project in Yellowstone National Park (the “Project”) ...
