Before going into the details of the proposal it should be mentioned that the actual rules of the proposal were not presented in the revised budget. The government stated that they aim to present the rules in the budget for 2022. The rules will also be subject to a hearing round and since the scheme constitutes state aid in accordance with the rules in the EEA Agreement, they will also require notification to and approval from ESA before implementation ...
The purpose of the amalgamation is to enhance quality and efficiency and is not intended to represent a change in the Norwegian export finance policy. The financing schemes and services currently available will therefore continue also after the amalgamation. Export Finance Norway will be a part of the Norwegian State ...
Amendments to National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations (“NI 31-103”) and the new requirements under Client Focused Reforms (“CFRs”) The Canadian Securities Administrators (“CSA”) have amended NI 31-103 to introduce new registrant conduct requirements, with the stated objective of better aligning the interests of registrants with the interests of their clients, improving outcomes for
Following announcements during the 2021-22 Budget by the Finance Secretary Paul Chan, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued on 10 May 2021 details of the grant scheme available for Hong Kong open-ended fund companies (OFCs) and real estate investment trusts (REITs) ...
Electronic signature in employment documents The first set of amendments provided by the new normative act introduce expressly the possibility of concluding the individual employment agreement or addenda thereof using the qualified electronic signature or the advanced electronic signature, accompanied by the electronic time stamp or the qualified electronic time stamp and the qualified electronic seal of the employer ...
In a move aimed at speeding the processing of certain non-immigrant petitions, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced it will suspend the biometrics requirements for certain I-539 applicants for a two-year period beginning on May 17, 2021. Form I-539 is used to change to or extend the authorized stay of non-immigrants holding (or seeking) A, B, F, G, I, J, M, T, U and V and dependents of those holding E, H, L, O, P, R and TN status ...
Cap Export, LLC v. Zinus, Inc., Appeal No. 2020-2087 (Fed. Cir. May 5, 2021) The Federal Circuit issued a single precedential patent case this week. The district court set aside a judgement and injunction originally in favor of Zinus and against Cap Export, pursuant to Rule 60(b)(3), in light of apparently fraudulent testimony offered by a critical witness. In a rare decision addressing Rule 60, the Federal Circuit affirmed ...
On May 5, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) officially withdrew from the Trump-era rule for classifying workers as independent contractors. This withdrawal has been anticipated since President Joe Biden assumed his role, and was official on May 6. The DOL is expected to publish a Final Rule in the Federal Register within the coming days. Trump-Era Independent Contractor Test Contrary to FLSA Purpose and Intent On Jan ...
On April 30, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it was revoking a policy related to new drug applications (NDAs) and abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs). The FDA stated that the previous policy announced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Jan. 15, 2021, was being rescinded because the new policy would have required the FDA to publish redundant information about new applications of NDAs and ANDAs ...
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy recently announced it will award up to an additional 73 dispensary licenses across Ohio. Dispensary licenses will be awarded through an application and lottery process that is expected to be finalized during the spring or summer of 2021. This expansion will bring the total number of dispensary licenses in Ohio to 130 and is expected to ameliorate patient dissatisfaction with regards to the price of medical marijuana products and lack of equal access ...
Dispute ResolutionThreshold to Commence Winding Up Proceedings RaisedBy the Federal Government Gazette Notification No. 4159 dated 22 March 2021, the amount of indebtedness required to commence winding up proceedings under section 466(1)(a) has been fixed at RM50,000.00 with effect from 1 April 2021.This means that a creditor may only commence winding-up proceedings against a debtor company where the debtor company has failed to satisfy a debt owed to the creditor exceeding RM50,000 ...
The impact of the pandemic can be seen across all sectors of society but those who are disabled have been particularly affected, not least because employees with an underlying disability are likely to have been identified as clinically extremely vulnerable and told to shield for considerable parts of the last year. Being away from the workplace and separated from colleagues has left many feeling insecure ...
To support our IHL community, on 21 April we hosted our latest webinar on “Fraud” where we discussed the recent upsurge in fraud due to home working, general awareness of fraudulent activity and what businesses can do to protect themselves. Here are the key takeaways: What types of fraud are you seeing at the moment? The world is a turbulent place right now, and therefore the perfect time for fraud and illicit activity to thrive ...
Background Disqus is an American company offering online public comment sharing services. These services were previously used by various Norwegian online newspapers. The Data Protection Authority has investigated whether Disqus has been sharing information about the users of the comment sections with marketing companies, without the knowledge of neither the users nor the owners of the online newspapers, and in breach of the GDPR ...
On January 6, 2021, the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) and the Department of Treasury released an Interim Final Rule called “Business Loan Program Temporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Second Draw Loans” (“Second Draw Rules”). These rules announced the implementation of section 311 of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act (the “Economic Aid Act”) ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many novel challenges and questions for employers, from administration of Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) leave to managing performance of remote workers. For healthcare providers, these challenges and questions have been only one of many burdens of operating during a pandemic. As vaccines become more widely available, the pandemic raises new challenges, some unique to employers in the healthcare industry ...
Unpacking the Economic Aid Act and American Rescue Plan Act: Consolidated First Draw PPP Interim Final Rule, New First Draw PPP Loans, and Increases to First Draw PPP Loans On January 6, 2021, the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) and the Department of Treasury released an Interim Final Rule called “Business Loan Program Temporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program as Amended by Economic Aid Act” (sometimes referred to as the “Consolidated First D
On January 6, 2021, the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) and the Department of Treasury released an Interim Final Rule called “Business Loan Program Temporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Second Draw Loans” (“Second Draw Rules”). These rules announced the implementation of section 311 of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act (the “Economic Aid Act”) ...
With the purpose of improving the Industrial Property system in Chile, in July 2018, the Government entered a bill that sought to partially modify Law No. 19,039 on Industrial Property and Law No. 20,524, which creates the National Institute of Industrial Property (the “ Project ”). After overcoming several stages, Congress communicated its definitive approval of the Project on April 20 th , 2021 ...
On 29 April 2021, following the release of the widely commented European Commission Guidance on Art. 22 of the EU Merger Regulation (EUMR), the Luxembourg Competition Council published a statement on the recent policy change ...
On June 26, 2021, the Ministry of Economy and Finance – MEF published in the Official Gazette “El Peruano” the Supreme Decree Nº 162-2021-EF (hereinafter, the “Supreme Decree”), whereby it amends the rules contained in the Regulations of the State Procurement Law, adopted by Supreme Decree Nº 344-2018-EF (hereinafter, the “Regulations”) ...
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. v. International Trade Commission, Appeal No. 2020-1785 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 29, 2021) The Federal Circuit’s only precedential patent decision this week comes on appeal from the International Trade Commission, where an Administrative Law Judge found infringement of multiple patents and the Commission issued a limited exclusion order related to sample preparation ...
Last spring, many businesses did the unthinkable. In response to the spread of Covid-19 and subsequent stay-at-home orders, they seemingly overnight deployed fully remote workforces. Then everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that a fully distributed workforce ... works. As it turns out, cybercriminals were among those most eager to take advantage of distributed workforce arrangements ...
President Biden has signed into law the FASTER Act, which adds sesame as a "major food allergen" under the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). Under the FD&C Act, food labels of products containing sesame, whether in whole seed form or as an ingredient in a spice or flavor, must disclose its presence using its plain English name. The law will become effective on January 1, 2023 ...
