Among the main aspects regulated by the CPTPP in terms of trademarks, domain names and patents, the following should be considered: Recognition of non-traditional trademarks and collective and certification trademarks The Treaty states that the fact that a sign is visually perceptible shall not be a condition for the registration of a trademark, and the possibility of registering sound and olfactory marks is contemplated ...
International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March each year. The aim is to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and strive for the acceleration of gender parity. The theme this year is #EmbraceEquity. In light of the celebration of IWD, this article considers potential barriers to women securing leadership roles, in particular how timing can be a crucial factor in securing leadership roles, and what can be done to alleviate some of those barriers ...
Published in Corporate Counsel Business Journal March 1, 2023 CCBJ: To start out, please share your background with our readers, including your involvement with the WSG–Legal 500 Survey of In-House Legal Technology. Herman Raspé: I am a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler in the capital markets group with a focus principally on equity, but also cross-border debt transactions ...
The Department for Work and Pensions has announced a revised timeline for pensions dashboard connection. The aim of a Pensions Dashboard is to enable individuals to see information about all their pension saving, including state pension, in one online location. This is to enable individuals to keep track of their pension savings, particularly where they have worked for several different employers ...
Dear Readers, ALRUD Regulatory practice has prepared a new version of our regulatory Guides. This Guide is devoted to an overview of key changes and trends that took place in 2022. The review was published with the participation of ALRUD experts - Maxim Alekseev, Senior Partner and Head of ALRUD Regulatory practice,Dina Kravchenko, Senior Associate, andBoris Pribylov, Senior Associate. Follow the link below to learn more ...
Cisco has recently released its 2023 Privacy Benchmark Study which explores the impact of data privacy on organisations around the world and why data protection compliance remains mission critical for businesses. The study finds that 95% of companies understand privacy to be a ‘business imperative’, but Harvey Jang, Cisco’s privacy chief, highlights that ‘when it comes to earning and building trust, compliance is not enough’ ...
The UK has traditionally benefitted from access to huge amounts of EU grant funding for important R&D projects, particularly under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme which saw around 12 percent of the total funds, amounting to around £7billion awarded to UK researchers over a four year period. On 1 January 2021, Horizon 2020 was replaced by a successor programme, Horizon Europe, which runs until 2027 and will make a total of €95 ...
With the cost of living continually rising, more and more workers are looking at how they can generate extra income. It appears that Gen Z (those born from 1997 onwards) workers are one of the majority generations pursuing a side hustle alongside their full time job. But is the extra work being carried out by these workers due to necessity? Commentary suggests that young workers want a fulfilling career and they do not feel like they are able to achieve that with just one job ...
Over the month of February 2023, a number of Legal Notices have been published within the area of company law. A batch of Legal Notices enumerated L.N. 25 of 2023, L.N. 26 of 2023, L.N. 27 of 2023 and L.N. 28 of 2023 were published on the 7th of February regulating cross-border mergers, divisions and conversions of limited liability companies, respectively. On the 21st of February, L.N ...
Today (1 March 2023) is Zero Discrimination Day. The aim of the day is to promote equality and end all forms of discrimination. The day should serve as a reminder to employers on how they can identify, prevent and tackle discrimination. It is true that change within an organisation starts from the top and employers should be keen to build a culture of trust where employees feel comfortable raising concerns ...
In the second of our HR Improve articles we consider the importance of effective workforce planning and the options available to employers to help meet the current challenges in recruitment and building a workforce with the right skills for the future. Effective workforce planning enables employers to align their staffing requirements with their strategic direction for the business. In other words, it involves planning ahead to make sure you have the right people in place when you need them ...
Merger control constitutes the analysis carried out by the Office for Competition (the ‘Office’) in its assessment of those corporate transactions notifiable to it. The aim behind such an assessment is for the Office to consider whether that transaction – taking the form of the creation of a ‘concentration’ – is likely to impede effective competition ...
The Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) is a regulatory body established by the government of Dubai to oversee and regulate the virtual assets industry. In line with its mandate, VARA has issued a number of rule books, in particular the Compliance and Risk Management Rulebook (CRM), which sets out the regulatory framework for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) operating in Dubai ...
On Tuesday, February 21, 2023, the three-member Democratic majority of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) issued a decision in McLauren Macomb, reverting back to pre-Trump era standards and ruling that non-disparagement and confidentiality provisions in a separation agreement violated the concerted right activity provisions of Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). Section 7 of the NLRA applies to most U.S ...
Green tech presents a growth area and one in which the UK could flourish, but to do so requires capital investment and a clear strategy alongside developing the necessary skillset of the UK workforce. So how realistic is this in the current climate? Experience to date would suggest that the UK is lagging behind other countries in this sector and that unless more is done, we will miss out on the opportunity green tech offers ...
The Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act”), enacted by Congress in late December 2022, provides more nursing mothers with reasonable break time to express breast milk after childbirth and requires employers to designate private locations (other than bathrooms) that are free from intrusion and shielded from view for this purpose ...
The MFSA published a Consultation Document on proposed amendments to the Insurance Business Act (hereinafter referred to as the “IBA”) and the Insurance Distribution Act (hereinafter referred to as the “IDA”) on the 22nd of February. The MFSA also made available the draft legislation, as well as a podcast laying down the proposed amendments ...
On February 22, 2023, the United States Supreme Court affirmed the importance of long-standing U.S. Department of Labor salary pay regulations. In Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. et al. v. Michael J. Hewitt, (Case No. 21-984), the Court, in a 6-2-1 opinion, held that high-earning professionals can only be overtime-exempt if they are paid on salary basis. The case involved Michael Hewitt, a former offshore oil rig worker for Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc ...
U.S. businesses should take note of the enhanced benefits now available to companies that self-disclose misconduct or otherwise cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) under the DOJ Criminal Division’s new Corporate Enforcement Policy.[1] The policy, as revised, governs not only the DOJ’s handling of matters under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA),[2] but also the DOJ’s handling of matters under other federal criminal statutes as well ...
Construction continues to be one of the deadliest industries in the United States, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) is heavily targeting construction workplaces. In 2022, OSHA inspected construction workplaces more than any other industry, and OSHA’s focus on construction employers is expected to continue this year ...
