The technology that forms the foundation for digital currencies like Bitcoin could be the technology that provides unprecedented security for and access to medical records. The Blockchain For years, online communities sought increased freedom and autonomy by shielding their economic activities from the government and corporate intermediaries ...
The Slovenian National Assembly adopted the Class Action Law, which will implement an important institute to the Slovenian legal system, i.e. mechanism of class action. This mechanism is already applied in the UK, Belgium, Netherlands and Sweden, but is yet to be implemented in numerous EU member states. The new mechanism of class action will provide for the injured parties, both natural and legal persons, to file a compensation claim in case of mass harm situations ...
The autonomous vehicle industry is pressing forward, full speed ahead. The conveniences and efficiencies created by shifting to self-driving vehicles are expected to drive vast economic growth and generate widespread consumer demand. Given the potential benefits, it is no wonder that autonomous technologies are now being embraced by a variety of market players— ranging from small start-up tech companies to perennial automotive giants ...
On 25 May 2018, a new set of privacy rules formed by the European Union (“EU”) will take effect. The General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) seeks to replace the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC. Organisations – including many African ones – will need to make changes to their oversight, technology, processes, and human resources to comply with the GDPR ...
Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Jefferson Sessions issued new guidance reversing the federal government’s former position that gender identity is protected under Title VII. In a memo sent to the heads of all federal agencies and the U.S. attorneys, the attorney general stated that as a matter of law, “Title VII does not prohibit discrimination based on gender identity per se ...
Are bidders required to partner with a Taiwan company to participate in the bidding process? Foreign companies may participate in the bidding process on their own, so long as they meet the bidding qualifications. Most public engineering projects permit either bidding by a single company or by a joint bid. So long as a company is able to meet the qualifications for the procurement project, it may submit a bid on its own ...
Noble Group continues to draw fire from Iceberg Research more than two years after the short-selling firm first accused the listed commodities trader of questionable accounting practices. In August this year, Iceberg renewed its criticism of the group, but expanded its crosshairs to include Singapore's regulators ...
After weeks of headlines dominated by Equifax’s cyber breach affecting 143 million consumers and the breach of the SEC’s own EDGAR system, the SEC recently announced the creation of (i) a Cyber Unit to target cyber-related misconduct and (ii) a Retail Strategy Task Force to strengthen its protection of retail investors ...
On June 30, 2017, Governor Kasich signed the workers’ compensation budget bill. House Bill 27, which funds the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, also made several important changes significant to Ohio employers. The changes are effective September 29, 2017. The most impactful portions of House Bill 27 involve a modification in the injury statute of limitations for filing a claim, reducing the filing from two years of the date of injury to one year ...
Many of us are aware of the popular myth that ostriches believe burying their heads in the sand will make them invisible to predators. In other words, an “if I can’t see you, you can’t see me” approach. Even though scientists will tell you that this is not true, the approach seems to bear a resemblance to the online behaviour of some humans ...
The District Court for the Southern District of New York recently rejected the notion of a “holistic” approach to materiality, instead zeroing in on the government’s continued payment of claims despite knowledge of non-compliances as proof positive those non-compliances were not material. In United States ex rel. Kolchinsky v. Moody’s Corp ...
On Friday, September 22, 2017, the Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) officially withdrew two guidance documents issued under the Obama administration regarding implementation of Title IX on school campuses. In place of these guidance documents, the OCR issued new interim guidance documents regarding how schools should handle sexual assaults. The OCR indicated official guidance and directives will be issued after a formal notice and comment period ...
In line with the state policy set out in the Philippines Constitution to recognise the indispensable role of the private sector in national growth, encourage private enterprise and provide incentives to attract needed investment, the Philippine government has long resorted to public-private partnerships (PPPs) to address problems of national interest ...
Any new technology that gains universal application changes the existing world. The reconfiguration occurs imperceptibly but thoroughly. But in this new reality, how should the rule of law, values essential to the civil society and human rights be protected? A new economic reality functioning in cyberspace has arisen before our very eyes. Human activity, both positive and negative, is moving to the virtual arena that functions above and beyond state borders ...
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently granted a petition for interlocutory review to decide whether a violation of the FCA’s first-to-file rule can be cured by filing an amended pleading. Both the D.C. Circuit and Fourth Circuit1 recently addressed this issue, concluding that the plain language of the first-to-file rule precludes amending around the rule ...
The European Court of Justice makes important clarifications relevant for dominant firms'' pricing and rebate policies in its recent Intel-judgment Introduction In recent months, the European Court of Justice (''ECJ'') delivered its long awaited judgment in the Intel appeal case. The judgment sets aside the ruling by the General Court and refers the matter back to that court ...
Yesterday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos addressed the public regarding a controversial and difficult issue – Title IX. In her statements, she announced the new administration will change the way colleges and universities handle incidents of sexual assault on campus ...
After getting the knowledge of GPA Model and PPP Model, the bidders need to know how to make preparation during the pre-bid stage. Following are the responses to some most frequently asked questions regarding bidding qualifications, based on which the foreign bidders can make its preparation plan ...
In its flagship report entitled Global Economic Prospects released in January, the World Bank observed: “The Philippines is particularly weak with regard to transport and trade-related infrastructure … with particularly low rankings for the quality of its seaports and airports. About one-quarter of the population remains without electricity.” Yet growth in the Philippines is projected to accelerate to 6 ...
In recent months, the South African Minister of Transport gave notice that Cabinet had approved the Comprehensive Maritime Transport Policy, 2017 (“CMTP”). The CMTP makes certain policy statements in order to develop South Africa’s maritime industry. Below, we summarise certain policy statements that relate to the more commercial aspects of shipping, in the order in which they are dealt with in the CMTP ...
Unmanned vessels are no longer a futuristic concept, but a reality. In Norway, several projects involving the testing of unmanned vessels are currently ongoing. It is only a question of time before we see unmanned vessels operating in international waters. In this article we will first look at ongoing projects in Norway and the challenges faced from a national law perspective ...
It is rare that FCA defendants have their legal defenses paid for, and rarer still that DOJ must bear the expense. In United States ex rel. Wall v. Circle C Construction, the Sixth Circuit held that the government must pay roughly $500,000 in legal fees and expenses the defendant incurred as a result of the government’s unreasonable litigating position ...
New Way of Claiming Damages for Competition Law Infringements in Croatia News Karanović & Nikolić On the 22nd of July, 2017, the Law on Actions for Damages for Competition Law Infringements came into force in Croatia (the "Law"), implementing the EU Damages Directive ...
Design of the Models Taiwan law provides for two models for private parties to participate in governmental infrastructure projects. One is the model under the Government Procurement Act (“GPA Model”) and the other is the Public-Private Partnerships Law (“PPP Model”). The most significant difference between the two models lies in the funding entity ...
California defamation law continues to evolve as the courts synthesize well-settled legal principles with ever-changing technological realities. On July 21, 2017, California’s First District Court of Appeal issued a published opinion in ZL Technologies v. Does 1-7 (July 21, 2017) 2017 DJ DAR 6999 ...
