On 19 May 2020, an Act On certain measures to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus epidemic known as SARS CoV-2 on cultural events (Act No 247/2020 Coll, the “Act” ), entered into force. Not only for the field of tourism, but also for the field of culture, the possibility of the organizer to issue a voucher for a cultural event instead of refunding the entrance ticket fee was introduced ...
Last year, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director Andrei Iancu noted that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to “fundamentally chang[e]” “the legal concepts of inventor or author.”[i] The USPTO recently had cause to consider this issue. On petition, the USPTO considered whether an applicant can name an AI program as an inventor on a patent application ...
The Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (“SUPPORT Act”)[1] was enacted on October 24, 2018. Among other things, the SUPPORT Act amended the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (“Sunshine Act”)[2] to expand the definition of “covered recipients”[3] for payment tracking and reporting purposes ...
Federal and state government enforcers have been turning their focus to nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and other long-term care facilities. While this enforcement priority is not tied specifically to the COVID-19 pandemic, facilities can expect additional scrutiny as they are considered “ground zero” for infections ...
Since the start of the spread of COVID-19 in Canada, the federal and provincial governments have announced various programs and subsidies to help Canadian businesses survive in light of the challenges posed by necessary social distancing measures, as discussed in our previous blog post here ...
On May 28, 2020 the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued proposed regulations providing details for companies that may qualify for carbon oxide sequestration tax credits for qualified carbon oxide that has been securely captured, stored, or disposed of pursuant to Section 45Q of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). Code Section 45Q provides a tax credit on a per-ton basis for CO2 that is sequestered ...
Through the recently issued Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application and Interim Final Rule on Loan Forgiveness, the Small Business Association (SBA) has once again demonstrated that the contours and requirements of the PPP program are constantly evolving. The SBA’s recent Interim Final Rule on SBA Loan Review Procedures provides some insights on how the SBA will enforce PPP qualification and forgiveness requirements ...
The Amendments to the Agreement on Trade in Services of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (Amendment) which was signed on 21 November 2019 has come into force on 1 June 2020. Trade in Services is one of the four major areas covered by the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), under which Hong Kong service suppliers enjoy preferential treatment when entering certain service sectors in the Mainland ...
On 30 May 2020, the Abu Dhabi Media Office posted through Twitter that the Department of Government Support has eased restrictions on some activities and issued a set of guidelines for working from and visiting government entities in Abu Dhabi. The guidelines below come into effect from today, 1 June 2020, and are limited to individuals between the ages of 12 and 60 ...
We are in unprecedented times. The Covid-19 pandemic has swept the globe like a tsunami and it continues to wreak havoc on countries, people and economies. The effects of the pandemic are evident now. For example, the US unemployment rate is presently at 14.7%. In the peak of the financial crisis of 2008, the unemployment rate was 10% ...
On 26 May 2020, the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) issued a press release and rolled out round 4 of measures aimed at mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on the businesses and workers in Cambodia. These latest measures consist of a combination of new measures and extension of those measures already in place ...
Two years ago, the most visible and tangible impact of the entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR” or “Regulation”) for individuals all around the globe was an unprecedented wave of emails from businesses changing their privacy policies and seeking consent to store and process data ...
On Thursday, May 28, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced a preliminary timetable for the reopening of San Francisco businesses, restaurants, and offices. The multi-phased plan, which can be found here (“Order”), is designed to comply with the timeline and guidelines previously announced by Governor Gavin Newsom ...
As California continues to move through Stage 2 of its Resilience Roadmap, “Lower-risk workplaces,” where retail (curbside and delivery only), related logistics and manufacturing, office workplaces, limited personal services, outdoor museums, childcare, and essential businesses can now open with modifications, California employers should continue to be vigilant in assessing and complying with up to date health and safety guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Admini
The Ministry of Health, jointly with the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and the Mexican Institute of Social Security (“IMSS”), recently published specific technical guidelines for companies and work centers to resume activities ...
Metro Manila, Regions II, III, and IV-A, and the provinces of Pangasinan and Albay (which are currently under [MECQ]) will be placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) from June 1. This is based on the announcement made on May 28, 2020 by the President. Many other areas of the country which are now under GCQ will transition to Modified General Community Quarantine starting June 1 ...
In a move that will improve the time for obtaining application approvals, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced today it plans on resuming premium processing for Form I-129 (non-immigrant worker) and Form I-140 (immigrant worker) petitions in phases throughout June. On June 1, 2020, it will accept Premium Processing requests for all eligible Form I-140 petitions ...
States’ responses to the global pandemic may, however well-intended, harm the interests of inward investors. Under international public law, those investors have rights and so a spate of investor-State arbitral claims may well be a legacy of the pandemic. Across the world, governments have responded to Covid-19 by introducing emergency measures, which have inhibited social interaction and hampered economic activity ...
On May 28, 2020, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at limiting the protections afforded to social media companies like Twitter and Facebook. The executive order was signed shortly after Twitter added fact-checking links to two of the President’s tweets regarding the efficacy of absentee voting from California. The Communications Decency Act The executive order is intended to modify Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. (47 U.S.A. § 230 ...
By a near-unanimous 417-1 vote, the House has passed the PPP Flexibility Act, which if enacted would, among other things, extend the time to utilize Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan proceeds and obtain forgiveness, allow more time to rehire employees, and allow more of the proceeds to be used for other forgivable costs besides payroll costs. The Senate will now consider the bill and may vote on it next week. A copy of the bill may be found here: https://docs ...
Key Points The Judicial Council amended Emergency Rule 9 to provide dates certain for tolling the statutes of limitations for civil actions, which are currently tolled due to the COVID-19 state of emergency. Pursuant to the amended Emergency Rule 9, the statutes of limitations applicable to CEQA actions are tolled from April 6, 2020, until August 3, 2020 ...
Effective at noon today, May 29, 2020, Virginia Governor Northam's Executive Order 63 went into effect, requiring face coverings to be worn in certain circumstances. Specifically, a face covering is required for individuals aged ten and older when "entering, exiting, traveling through, and spending time inside" the following categories of businesses: All retail. Food and beverage, but only when reopened for indoor dining. Personal care/grooming - i.e ...
The Canadian government, concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on corporate valuations, has issued guidance that it will pay particular attention to foreign direct investments of any value (meaning, even investments that are not subject to review under the Investment Canada Act (the “ICA”)). The government’s announcement does not amend the ICA, nor any thresholds for review ...
