The UK Cabinet Office has just announced, in a brief statement that the date for the Procurement Act 2023 to enter into force has been postponed. At less than 2 months from the planned “go live” date which was slated for 28 October 2024, in a surprise announcement, the new Government has decided to push this back. The reasoning for the decision stems directly from the change in administration following this year’s General Election ...
This newsletter features a look into notable recent case law and other developments in Finnish competition law and other regulatory issues. The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority proposes a first ever fine for an alleged obstruction of a dawn raid In May 2024, the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) proposed that the Market Court imposes an infringement fine of approximately EUR 4.4 million for an alleged obstruction of the FCCA's unannounced inspection ...
The Court of Justice of the European Union (the “CJEU”) has issued a decision (C-109/23) on a reference for a preliminary ruling requested by a German court in relation to a potential breach of restrictive measures issued against Russia ...
In recent years, the emphasis on sustainable and responsible investment has grown significantly. This shift is driven by increasing awareness of environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) issues among investors, regulators, and the public ...
In this article, Shoosmiths and KPMG explore some of the key policy and business implications for organisations deploying connected and automated mobility (CAM) in the UK market. The Automated Vehicles Act (the AV Act) came into force on 20 May 2024. This important piece of legislation signals a major step towards the widescale adoption and use of CAM within the UK ...
The Council of Europe has recently published a guidance note to the general public considering the best practices for the effective implementation of restrictive measures. This guidance note sets out to provide a non-exhaustive list of recommendations for the effective implementation of restrictive measures. The first set of recommendations relates to the designation and identification of persons and entities which are subject to restrictive measures ...
Law No. 21,398 (known as the "Pro-Consumer Law"), which amended Law No. 19,496, Consumer Protection Act ("CPA"), reinforced the right of withdrawal in distance purchases, establishing that: Consumers may exercise the right of withdrawal or repentance, within a period of 10 days from receipt of the product, without expression of cause, with respect to all purchases of goods, without conditioning the right to the will of the supplier ...
The European Union's NIS2 Directive is a significant update to the original NIS Directive which was implemented in 2018 and which the NIS2 Directive is set to repeal this autumn. The original NIS Directive was the first EU-wide legislation focusing on network and information system security. The deadline for member states to transpose NIS2 Directive into national law is just around the corner (17 October 2024), and the implementing provisions will be applicable from 18 October 2024 onwards ...
On July 22, 2024, the European Commission approved revised Interpretative Guidelines (the “Guidelines”) on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (“Regulation 261/2004”), which address air passenger rights concerning compensation and assistance for denied boarding, cancellations, and delays and on Regulation (EC) No 2027/97 on air carrier liability in case of accidents ...
On July 26, 2024, the Ministry of Natural Resources ("MNR") promulgated the Notice of the Ministry of Natural Resources on Strengthening the Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation Security of Intelligent Connected Vehicles ("Notice 139"), reiterating the importance of the security of surveying, mapping and geoinformation ...
August 14, 2024 By: Wendy Lee A little more than a year ago, on July 23, 2023, the Washington My Health My Data Act (WMHMDA) was passed into law. The law originally went into effect on March 31, 2024, however the compliance deadline for small businesses was June 30, 2024. This law was passed as a reaction to the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court ruling and was designed to protect consumer health data ...
Introduction On July 11, 2024, the Court of Appeal1 rendered a decision that, for the first time, addresses the question of whether the elected domicile appearing in the Québec Enterprise Register (the ?REQ?), established under the Act respecting the legal publicity of enterprises,2 can provide a basis for the Superior Court?s territorial jurisdiction within the meaning of article 41(3) of the Code of Civil Procedure ...
The National Cybersecurity Coordination, a unit of the Undersecretary of the Interior responsible for coordinating the actions of public agencies in cybersecurity and recommending to the President of the Republic policies, laws, regulations, protocols and standards in this area, recently put two of a series of regulations required by Law No. 21,663 Framework on Cybersecurity up for public consultation ...
The Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, abolishing the Chevron doctrine, provides the False Act Claims defense bar with a potent new weapon. Two critical elements of any FCA claim are the falsity of the claim and scienter, which requires proof that the defendant acted knowingly. The government and relators' counsel often rely heavily on regulatory guidance issued by administrative agencies to establish these elements of their FCA claim ...
A private sale may start an inventor’s one-year filing clock, but it likely won’t save a patentee from an intervening prior art reference. On July 31, 2024, in a precedential decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) elaborated on the prior art public sale exception set forth in 35 U.S.C. §102(b)(2)(B). Specifically, the CAFC affirmed that a secret sale of a product would not be sufficient to pre-date a prior art reference under 35 U.S ...
You did not get paid for your labor and material, so you ask, what can I do? Alabama’s lien law provides you an opportunity to place a lien on the property for certain unpaid amounts for labor and materials. If you follow the proper procedures to perfect the lien and obtain a judgment in your favor, you may force the sale of the property to collect on your judgment (see Ala. Code § 35-11-226). This article focuses on the procedural basics of Alabama’s lien law ...
On 16 July 2024, Legal Notice 166 of 2024 was published in Malta. This implemented the relevant provisions of DORA (full title being Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on digital operational resilience for the financial sector and amending Regulations (EC) No 1060/2009, (EU) 648/2012, (EU) 600/2014, (EU) No 909/2014 and (EU) 2016/1011) into Maltese law ...
After the White House announced its New Process to Promote the Unity and Stability of Families, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting applications on August 19, 2024. This process will help ensure U.S. citizens with undocumented spouses and/or children can keep their families together during the permanent residence process ...
Introduction On June 14, 2024, the Superior Court of Québec issued a decision1 interpreting section 938.1.2.2 of the Municipal Code of Québec, which came into force in 2019. This provision gives a person interested in participating in the awarding process the opportunity to file a preliminary complaint about a requirement in the tender documents that they believe does not ensure the honest and fair treatment of tenderers ...
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will soon hear arguments in a case that may have far reaching implications for businesses facing consumer protection claims in the state. The Court has granted allocator in Halpern v. Ricoh U.S.A., Inc ...
Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit provided a cautionary tale for trade secret owners who seek preliminary relief against a competitor who hires its former employees but do not clearly articulate the trade secrets the owner seeks to protect. In early 2023, Insulet Corp. sued EOFlow Co. in the District of Massachusetts for misappropriating trade secrets supposedly obtained from employees EOFlow hired away from Insulet years earlier ...
****Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!**** The authorities in Russia and the rest of the world have recently been paying more and more attention to data protection issues ...
On 1 July 2024, the Act of 15 May 2024 on measures to address over-indebtedness and protect companies in difficulty (the“Act”) was published in the Belgian Official State Gazette. The main amendments of the Act, as well as its entry into force, are briefly discussed below ...
The Chancellor’s statement on 8 July 2024 stated that mandatory housing targets will be restored as part of the reform of the National Planning Policy Framework in England and Wales. This is expected to be included in the King’s speech on 17 July. The planning regime in Scotland is devolved and it is the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) that applies. Challenges and court cases followed the publication of NPF4 in February 2023 ...
