As the Czech government signed off on the EU “Green Deal”, which aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions to zero by 2050, the Czech Republic needs to find ways to achieve this goal, or at least to get close to it ...
On January 31, 2022, the Financial Market Commission (“FMC”) opened a public consultation process (the “Regulatory Proposal”), in order to simplify the registration process in the following registries, and the ongoing reporting obligations of entities registered in those registries: Registry of Foreign Reinsurance Brokers. Registry of Foreign Securities. Special Registry of Reporting Entities ...
The Federal Circuit issued numerous precedential opinions last week, two of which answered long simmering questions about inter partes reviews (IPRs). Below we discuss a case addressing whether admissions of prior art in the patent itself can be considered as prior art in an IPR. Our Case of the Week reversed Federal Circuit precedent concerning the scope of IPR Estoppel ...
The past year has seen substantial activity by the federal courts in guarding against government overreach in False Claims Act cases. One of the principal areas courts have focused on is the FCA's knowledge requirement — i.e., FCA liability can only be imposed where a person violates the act knowingly. Two recent decisions, from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the U.S ...
The General Department of Taxation (“GDT”) issued Instruction no. 1972 GDT on 31 January 2022 (“Instruction 1972”) which sets out obligations for taxpayers in Cambodia that carry out projects for public interest in connection with a grant or loan agreement (“Agreement”) or memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) between the Royal Government of Cambodia and another government or national development agency or partner international organisations ...
The Scottish courts recently refused assistance under the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency when a request for a stay on actions in Scotland was made by a Foreign Representative appointed under a Singapore moratorium procedure. Dr Hamish Patrick, Partner in Shepherd and Wedderburn's banking and finance team, has recently published an article on this case in International Corporate Rescue ...
The UK Government has put forward for approval by Parliament a new safeguard mechanism for international transfers, known as the International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA), that will impact organisations transferring personal data out of the UK. If approved, the IDTA will apply from 21 March 2022, and we would encourage affected organisations to review their data transfer processes now ...
Background On February 4, 2022, Law No. 21.420 was enacted, which reduces or eliminates the indicated tax exemptions thereof. This law seeks the financing of the new Guaranteed Universal Pension (PGU) in a sustainable way over time, including a series of amendments to the Mining Code, among others. Modifications Exploration Mining Concession The duration of the concession is increased from 2 to 4 years, eliminating the possibility of requesting an extension ...
When the family team at Shoosmiths is instructed to advise on international child abduction we are very much aware that the parent left behind is often living a real-life nightmare. The situation usually involves our client’s child(ren) having been abducted by the other parent and being retained in a foreign country, or there being a serious risk that the other parent is about to abduct the child(ren) from this country to somewhere overseas ...
Key Points As of January 2022, CMS is posting each skilled nursing home's weekend staffing levels and staff turnover rates on its public-facing Care Compare website. This information will be used in the Nursing Home Five Star Quality Rating System and will affect facilities' Five Star ratings starting in July 2022 ...
Key Points Before a party may sue to seek a refund of allegedly excessive property-related fees, like municipal water rates, their pre-suit Government Claims Act presentation must “fairly describe” each way in which the fees violated Proposition 218, or risk dismissal. Proposition 218 does not apply to penalties that water agencies impose on customers who fail to timely pay water bills. Do not overlook the Government Claims Act ...
A Los Angeles Police Department Captain was en route to a homicide scene when he received a radio call for a robbery in progress. The Captain noticed a patrol car parked in the alley near the robbery location which was not responding to the call; the Captain assumed it was a traffic car on a different radio frequency, and decided to respond to the call himself. As he was arriving, he saw the patrol car back up and leave the area ...
Key Points As of January 1, 2022, skilled nursing facilities are not limited to hiring licensed nurses to fill the role of infection preventionist. California still requires the total time dedicated to the infection preventionist role be full-time. In January 2021, Assembly Bill (AB) 2644, codified as Health & Safety Code Section 1255 ...
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released guidance on the FY2023 H-1B lottery process. Despite attempts to change the structure of the lottery selection process, the Service announced that it would continue with a random-selection lottery for 2022. The registration system will be open from 12 p.m. ET March 1, 2022 until 12 p.m. ET March 18, 2022. The application fee will continue to be $10 for each case entered into the system ...
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released guidance on the FY2023 H-1B lottery process. Despite attempts to change the structure of the lottery selection process, the Service announced that it would continue with a random-selection lottery for 2022. The registration system will be open from 12 p.m. ET March 1, 2022 until 12 p.m. ET March 18, 2022. The application fee will continue to be $10 for each case entered into the system ...
On 13 January 2022 UK and India launched negotiations for a free trade agreement. Intended to provide net benefits to businesses, not all will benefit from the agreement. This article identifies some topics that business may wish to raise with government ...
The phrase ‘national security’ is at the heart of but not defined in the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021. There are some insights from related legislation and other sources, but the absence of definition means there is legal and consequently business uncertainty. From 4 January 2022 when the NSI Act 2021 came into full effect, the meaning of national security became crucial to M&A activity concerning the UK ...
Regulation (EU) 536/2014 of the Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on clinical trials on medicinal products for human use (“Regulation”) came into force on 31 January 2022. The Regulation was adopted by the European Parliament in 2014 and released in May of the same year. It was subsequently officially published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 31 July 2021 and came into force six months after that date ...
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) announced on January 28, 2022, that this year’s annual application period for the FY 2022 H-1B program will run from March 1, 2022, through March 18, 2022. Continuing the new electronic registration process that USCIS implemented for the first time two years ago, employers seeking new H-1B visas must register electronically with USCIS during the 16-day window. USCIS will then review all registrations submitted ...
Someone at IRS’s Chief Counsel Office realized the Service may have a qualified small business stock (“QSBS”) interpretation problem. After the IRS released multiple private letter rulings (“PLRs”) with favorable guidance on what constitutes a qualified trade or business under IRC section 1202(e)(3), IRS Chief Counsel appears to have had enough. Chief Counsel Memo (“CCA”) 202204007 (Nov ...
In this article we look at the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the social and health care sector in the build up to the upcoming Public Inquiry, due to commence in Spring 2022. Upsetting scenes arising from the COVID-19 pandemic included photographs of bereaved families with only six people in attendance at family funerals ...
