The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement ("CEPA") is a free trade agreement between Mainland China and Hong Kong that offers Hong Kong products, companies and residents preferential access to the Mainland market. Many of the preferences go beyond China's WTO concessions. CEPA is not a closed agreement and both sides hold regular meetings on further concessions and the details for implementation ...
A Ruling setting forth the Guidelines to Analyze and Verify Consumer Information and Advertising Material was published in the Federal Official Gazette on July 24, 2012 to become effective on August 23, 2012 ...
Between 22 May 2012 and 4 June 2012, staff teams from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund (“IMF”) visited Lisbon to conduct the fourth review (the “Review”) of Portugal’s economic programme (the “Programme”). A copy of the initial statement can be downloaded here:http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/articles/financial_operations/2012-06-04-portugal_en.htm And a copy of the full report can be downloaded here: http://ec.europa ...
The usual restrictions on Sunday trading hours have been suspended during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games ...
China has traditionally restricted foreign investment in the retail and wholesale sectors with the aim of nurturing strong domestic players before their foreign counterparts would be allowed to enter the country. Since becoming a member of the World Trade Organisation, China has gradually opened up its distribution sector to foreign investment ...
In the history of the Eurozone crisis, Spain has been a special case. It was always the "teachers pet" when it came to sovereign debt, that is, until recently. On 9 June 2012, Spain received an offer of up to EUR 100 bn in financial support from the EU for its ailing banking sector. What does that mean for Spain and the rest of the Eurozone and how did Europe’s fourth-largest economy find itself in this state? BACKGROUND Spain has been unlucky in many respects ...
The Supreme Court has struck down the core provisions of the Trade Minister Regulation which allowed producers to import finished goods (No. 39/M-DAG/PER/10/2010). The regulation will cease to have legal effect as of 8 May 2012. The Ministry of Trade is reported to be currently considering an amendment which aims to accommodate the interests of both producers and traders but may have to draw it more narrowly than the original version. Decision No ...
LAVERY follows the evolution of consumer law closely, its specialized expertise in the fields of retailing and class actions has been confirmed many times by stakeholders in the milieu ...
What is CEPA? The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement ("CEPA") is a free trade agreement between Mainland China and Hong Kong that offers Hong Kong products, companies and residents preferential access to the Mainland market. Many of the preferences go beyond China's WTO concessions. CEPA is not a closed agreement and both sides hold regular meetings on further concessions and the details for implementation ...
“A patent, trademark, or design registrationcan only be declared void by Federal courts”. Under this statement, theSuperior Court of Justice of Brazil has reaffirmed unanimously that defendantscannot argue unenforceability of a trademark registration as a defense argumentin an infringement lawsuit ...
Laverly follows the evolution of consumer law closely. Its specialized expertise in the fields of retailing and class actions has been confirmed many times by stakeholders in the milieu. Laverly makes it its duty to keep the business community informed about these matters by regularly publishing bulletins that deal with judicial and legislative developments that are likely to leave their mark and influence or even transform practices in the milieu ...
On 24 February 2012, Greece opened the Private Sector Involvement debt swap deal (PSI) to bondholders. Essentially the deal involved a swap that meant bondholders would have to accept a 53.5% cut on the face value of their bonds which, in real terms, meant a loss of approximately 75% on their investment. The deal will be the largest financial restructuring in history, dwarfing the Argentinean restructuring in 2005 valued at EUR 33 ...
The latest additions to the Greek debt saga and the Eurozone crisis are the Credit Default Swap holders and the ISDA. But who are they and what is their role? What is a Credit Default Swap (CDS)? A CDS is most simply described as a type of insurance against the risk of a default on a debt issued by a third party (the reference obligor) ...
All fire insurance policies which cover a mortgaged immovable contain a clause dealing with the mortgage security (the “mortgage clause”). Financial institutions are familiar with this clause, which is considered as a separate contract from the insurance policy between the insurer and the mortgage creditor (the “creditor”) of the insured immovable ...
On 2 March, 25 of the 27 EU members committed to the new "Fiscal Compact" concept, signed the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union. The Treaty, which is technically an intergovernmental treaty and not an EU instrument (due to the UK and the Czech Republic not wishing to sign up to it), was introduced in December 2011 by Germany and France ...
Government guidance that suggests parent companies are unlikely to be snared by anti-bribery legislation that catches a subsidiary could lull businesses into a false sense of security. While it is unlikely that a subsidiary or joint venture partner operating independently and caught by the Bribery Act would make its parent liable, there is other legislation ready to catch the owner ...
Europe’s Finance ministers worked through the night of 20 to 21 February to hammer out the terms of the second Greek bail-out to the tune of EUR 130 bn. While the markets have responded coolly to the deal, ministers remain optimistic that enough has been done to stem the contagion to the rest of the Eurozone. Many experts remain skeptical as to whether the bail-out will be enough to save Greece from ultimately defaulting ...
Not long ago, returns on traditional investment products, for example term deposits, were quite low and did not generate a great deal of interest among those who could spare and would like to invest money with the prospect of some return. Alternatives nearly always carry a higher risk and the various solutions, such as mutual funds, were not well known and poorly understood ...
Pursuant to the 2011 General Rules on Foreign Trade, since January 2, 2012, holders of trademarks that have been registered with the Mexican Industrial Property Institute (“IMPI”) may request the listing of their trademarks at the Mexican Customs Office (“AGA”), through a database developed by AGA ...
<table border="0" width="780" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p>To date, under Panama law (and ever since 1917<a name="_ftnref1"></a><a href="wsg_admin14 ...
On December 15, 2011 was published in the Official Journal of the Federation the decree by which they renovated and added various articles of the Federal law on protection to the consumer, which entered into force the day after its publication ...
Kocián Šolc Balaštík kicked off the new year by helping complete a significant transaction: the sale of UG Air, an operator of duty free and fashion shops at the international airport in Prague, to Aelia Czech Republic s.r.o. KSB has provided legal advice to UNIMEX GROUP, a.s ...
The Republic of Panama, using Law No. 35 of May 10, 1996 as a basis, continues making its best efforts to provide the highest possible protection to Intellectual Property, both in the territory of the Republic of Panama as well as also cooperating with the owners of intellectual property rights ...
