The UK's competition authority (CMA) unusually cleared a merger (Sony Music / AWAL) after nine months of investigation. Could a Phase 2 investigation have been avoided? On 16 March 2022 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued its final report into the completed acquisition by Sony Music Entertainment (Sony Music) of AWAL and Kobalt Neighbouring rights businesses from Kobalt Music Group Limited ...
During the US President’s visit to Brussels, President Biden and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated on Friday 25 March that the parties have agreed on the main principles of a new agreement on the protection of personal data transferred to the United States. While a concrete agreement text has not yet been published, the US White House has published a Fact Sheet explaining the key principles to be expected in the final framework ...
On 25 February 2022, the High Court handed down its judgment in Corbin and King Ltd v AXA Insurance UK Plc [2022] EWHC 409 (Comm), giving further guidance on business interruption (BI) claims resulting from COVID-19 restrictions. However, permission has now been granted to appeal. The policyholder friendly judgment gives guidance on aggregation and the application of the Supreme Court’s causation reasoning to non-damage denial of access (NDDA) clauses ...
The new Register of Persons Holding a Controlled interest in Land (RCI) will come into force in Scotland on 1 April 2022. The purpose of this article is to highlight the key points of the regulations behind the RCI1 and how they may affect landowners and tenants of registrable leases (being those longer than 20 years) in Scotland ...
Over the years, the Quebec courts have repeatedly stated that dismissed employees have a duty to mitigate the damages they suffer as a result of a dismissal. This obligation, which is now codified in the Civil Code of Québec,1 has been adapted to the circumstances of the cases over which the courts have presided. The question, then, is whether the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have an impact on a dismissed employee?s obligation to mitigate damages ...
The 31st of March is already an auspicious date in the Cambodian tax calendar: It is the deadline for most taxpayers in Cambodia to submit their annual Income Tax return. This year, however, the last day of March is also the deadline for non-resident e-commerce providers to register for value-added tax (“VAT”) in Cambodia ...
China began legislating the protection of human genetic resources in 1998, at which time the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and the Ministry of Health jointly formulated the Interim Measures for Administration of Human Genetic Resources; however, there had been no corresponding implementing rules to implement it in practice ...
Energy efficiency is an important element for the location of data centres. A trade agreement with New Zealand could lead to a growth of demand from UK data holders for data centres in New Zealand. Background The data centre market is affected by numerous complex elements. Some support growth in the United Kingdom, such as the need to ensure United Kingdom data is in UK facilities if data privacy measures cannot be put in place for storage of data abroad ...
6 April 2021 saw the IR35 regime change for large or medium sized private and third sector organisations. As the first year anniversary of these changes approaches, in this and subsequent articles, we consider the impact the changes have had so far. For our first article in the series, we consider whether organisations are applying the rules correctly and what common mistakes are being made ...
Working remotely combined with “The Great Resignation” has raised questions about how employers can best protect their business interests in this new world of work. Rewind a few years and most employees were physically attending the workplace every day, which in turn made it easier for employers to monitor the work being carried out by their employees and ensure that confidential files were locked away safely ...
Earlier this week chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed the contents of his Spring Statement, against a backdrop of economic uncertainty where he referenced the national pandemic recovery and the war in Ukraine. Key announcements made included cutting fuel duty, raising the National Insurance threshold and enhancing the R&D tax credits system for more sectors to stimulate private sector investment. Our experts respond below to the statement at large ...
One of the amendments to the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the Tax Code), which was introduced by Republic Act (RA) No. 10963 (the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law) and took effect on 1 January 2018, was the increase of value-added tax (VAT) from 0% to 12% on the sale of goods and services to export enterprises upon satisfaction of certain conditions under the TRAIN Law. On 11 April 2021, RA No ...
When it comes to continuing disclosure, two of the more common “material events” to occur are rating changes and the incurrence of a “financial obligation.” As a general matter, these are reportable events that should be posted to Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA). However, as a practical matter, these material events are frequently overlooked ...
Intending to provide clear reporting obligations for issuers, and to provide consistent, comparable, and decision-useful information for investors, on March 21, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed a landmark climate disclosure rule that would mandate SEC registrants to disclose greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and certain materials risks relating to climate change ...
The joint employer rule has been a hot topic in the last several years, mostly in the context of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Recall the drama of the Trump administration's narrower definition of a joint employer for wage purposes, followed by the Biden administration's almost immediate rescission of that rule. Gig economy workers have battled about overtime and their entitlement to it under the FLSA's definitions ...
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is not a stranger to the False Claims Act. In her eight years as a U.S. district judge for the District of Columbia, before she was elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2021, she handled at least two FCA cases — one about a federal grant recipient and one about a government contractor. Her decisions in these cases show a meticulous and thorough approach, with particular attention to pleading standards ...
March 24, 2022 By: Andrea Musker The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, signed by President Biden on March 15, 2022, extends federal telehealth flexibilities beyond the expiration date of the public health emergency for a limited time. The public health emergency is currently set to expire on April 16, 2022, but it may be renewed for another ninety days ...
March 24, 2022 By: Karen N. George and Andrew H. Selesnick The DMHC issued its final guidance on the No Surprises Act, confirming that the Knox-Keene Act constitutes a “specified state law” under the Act. The out-of-network reimbursement requirements for emergency services and the dispute resolution process in the NSA will therefore not apply to DMHC claims ...
Oral Argument Scheduled for April 8 on Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate Injunction Scheduled for April 8, 2022, with each side being afforded 15 minutes for argument. It appears that oral argument may be livestreamed by the 11th Circuit. Injunction Against Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate Oral argument held on the United States’ appeal of a federal district court judge’s December 7, 2021, decision in Georgia v. Biden, Case No ...
In the midst of a new wave of COVID-19 infections, the Cabinet of Thailand approved the draft of a new regulation on March 1, 2022, referred as the Draft Announcement of the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee (“EEPC”) Re: Incentives for Business Operator in the Promotion Zone for Specific Industries B.E … ...
A new regime The UK has introduced a new regime which, from 4 January 2022, requires purchasers to obtain prior approval for transactions in certain specified sectors ...
Welcome to the COVID-19 Inquiry Spotlight Sessions. Brought to you by the Regulation, Business Crime and Compliance team at UK law firm Shoosmiths, this podcast series will explore the key topics associated with a Public Inquiry. We will help you to understand how the COVID-19 Inquiry might affect you and your business, and we will be joined by special guests who will deliver a specialist viewpoint on some of the topics ...
