PORTUGAL I. Courts The Competition Court reduces fine of EUR 38.3 million imposed on EDP and Sonae by 10%On 30 September 2020, the Competition, Regulation and Supervision Court (Competition Court) reduced by 10% the fine of EUR 38.3 million imposed by the Portuguese Competition Authority (PCA) on EDP and SONAE in May 2017 ...
The Agreement on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) provides for a transition period ending on 31 December 2020. Thereafter, EU trade marks (EUTM) will cease to extend protection to the UK. To safeguard these rights, the UK government has implemented measures to ensure that EUTM owners will continue to enjoy trade mark rights in the UK. Trade mark rights registered as of 31 December 2020 will be automatically cloned into national UK registrations ...
This edition of our Q&A series focuses on real estate financing and loan securitization issues in the Lao PDR. Given the continuing global uncertainty and economic disruption caused by COVID-19, investors are increasingly concerned about their ability to secure, dispose or otherwise transfer assets that are often now subject to revamped or revised local rules and regulations ...
This edition of our Q&A series focuses on real estate financing and loan securitization issues in Cambodia. Given the continuing uncertainty and economic disruption caused by COVID-19 worldwide, investors are increasingly concerned about their ability to secure, dispose or otherwise transfer assets that are often now subject to revamped or revised local rules and regulations ...
On Dec. 21, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act), which provides additional COVID-19 relief to individuals and businesses. The long-anticipated COVID-19 relief bill will now head to President Trump for approval or veto. The Act does not extend requirements for employers to provide emergency paid sick leave or emergency paid family and medical leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) past the original Dec ...
Charities need many things to make a difference, including good people and sufficient funding, but effective leadership underpins everything and the recently refreshed Charity Governance Code is a valuable tool in striving to practise good governance ...
The Families First Coronavirus Relief Act ("FFCRA") was passed by Congress this spring to mandate two weeks of paid sick leave for COVID-19 reasons and to extend the FMLA by creating a new reason for FMLA leave relating to the need for child care because of COVID-19. The details of the FFCRA were covered by the Spilman COVID-19 Task Force at the time of passage here ...
On Nov. 20, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued two final rules, which implement changes to the Physician-Self Referral Law (Stark Law) and the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) regulations (respectively the OIG Final Rule and the CMS Rule, collectively the Final Rules). This alert is a part of the Dinsmore Health Care practice group’s ongoing summary of the Final Rules ...
Summary Proposed FASTER Act defines sesame as a major allergen under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; FDA Draft Guidance recommends the declaration of sesame as an ingredient in flavors and spices. Although non-binding, these actions foreshadow the regulation of sesame as a major food allergen in the future. Two recent legislative actions and an FDA publication address emerging concerns about sesame as an allergen. The U.S ...
Over the past several months, many disputes have arisen over whether the COVID19 pandemic or government responses to it provide, depending on the jurisdiction, an impossibility or impracticability defense for nonperformance under a contract. Now, we are beginning to see a flood of decisions addressing that defense. We previously wrote about two recent decisions from New York that are instructive on the defense of impossibility — the relevant standard under New York law ...
In an update to our client alert from November 30 regarding the San Francisco commercial eviction moratorium previously passed by the Board of Supervisors, we note that, following our publication of the client alert, the Board of Supervisors, on December 1, amended the moratorium to clarify previous language on a retail tenant’s right to terminate its lease that was ambiguous ...
Law No. 11 of 2020 on Job Creation (the “Job Creation Law” or known as the Omnibus Law) was issued and came into effect on 2 November 2020. It is mainly based on the principles of the equalization of rights, legal certainty, greater ease of doing business, togetherness, and independence ...
On 29 September 2020, the Minister of Law and Human Rights (“MOLHR”) issued Minister of Law and Human Rights’ Regulation Number 26 of 2020 on Visas and Stay Permits During the Adaptation to the New Normal Period (“MOLHR Reg. No ...
Key Points Employers may mandate employee COVID-19 vaccination programs, subject to certain exemptions. When requiring employee vaccinations, employers should consider the fact that these COVID-19 vaccines are currently approved under the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Mandatory employer COVID-19 vaccination programs must include religious and disability-related employee exemptions. INTRODUCTION On Dec ...
On December 10, 2020, the Minister of Finance, Éric Girard, introduced and tabled Bill 82 entitled An Act respecting mainly the implementation of certain provisions of the Budget Speech of 10 March 2020 (hereinafter the " Bill" ) before the National Assembly. The Bill opens the door to possible limitations on the duty to defend with respect to certain categories of liability insurance contracts to be determined by regulation ...
On 10 December 2020, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) providing guidance to licensed corporations(LCs) on how to meet the obligations in its 31 October 2019 circular on use of external electronic data storage providers (EDSP). The SFC also made consequential amendments to its Frequently Asked Questions on the premises for business and record keeping ...
The government has launched its long-awaited Energy White Paper, expanding on the government’s 10-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. The Energy White Paper commits to the creation and support of up to 220,000 jobs over the next decade, ranging from jobs in major power generation, carbon capture storage and hydrogen projects supported by a new £240 million net zero Hydrogen Fund, to the retrofit of homes and buildings for greater energy efficiency ...
Yesterday the government published its response to the consultation on the proposed changes to the calculation of local housing need set out in the ‘Changes to the current planning system’ document published on 6 August 2020. To say that the outcome of the consultation constitutes a u-turn on planning policy would be an understatement ...
In Canada, as elsewhere in the world, intellectual property owners have made numerous attempts to control their distribution channels through trademark law, copyright law, or exclusive contracts, without much success. However, in a recent decision ( Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. v. Simms Sigal & Co. Ltd ...
The Brexit transition agreement, which governs the relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom in 2020, including arrangements relating to data protection, ends on December 31, 2020. Without an agreement, the UK becomes a third country The European Union and the United Kingdom are still in intensive negotiations over how they will shape future trade relations, and it is so far unclear whether they will arrive at a follow-up agreement ...
A birth certificate is more than a piece of paper. An accurate birth certificate allows us to account for our population; it is often required in many aspects of life, ranging from employment, to obtaining state identification cards, to enrolling in school, to participating in government programs; and perhaps most importantly, it is an essential tool for establishing identity ...
In November, California voters narrowly passed Proposition 19, which makes significant changes to existing real property tax reassessment rules. Effective after Feb. 15, 2021, Proposition 19 significantly restricts property owners' ability to preserve the current assessed value of California real property transferred between parents and children. Effective Apr ...
Did you know? After more than a decade of discussion, China finally published the 4th amendment to the Patent Law on 17 October 2020. The amendments will come into effect on 1 June 2021. Why does this matter to you? Patent enforcement in China has long been criticised for being ineffective at deterring infringers. The new law enhances the enforcement of patent rights. The amendments introduces punitive damages in patent infringement cases ...
