The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) entered into force on July 1, 2020 replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that has been in force since 1994. The USMCA has a sunset provision providing that investors may continue using NAFTA’s dispute resolution mechanism for NAFTA legacy investments for up to three years after NAFTA’s termination, i.e., until June 30, 2023 ...
HSR Notice Thresholds Have Increased. On January 26, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced its revised annual threshold that determines whether companies may be required to notify federal antitrust authorities about a proposed merger or acquisition due to the size and value of the transaction. The Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act (Section 7A of the Clayton Act) requires parties to certain mergers and acquisitions to notify the FTC and U.S ...
This newsletter features a look into Finnish competition law developments and recent enforcement practice. 2023 starts with reforms in Finnish merger control Lower turnover thresholds enter into force Revised merger control turnover thresholds entered into force in Finland on 1 January 2023. The thresholds are applicable to all transactions signed on or after this date ...
With cybersecurity risks increasing and evolving moving into 2023, the federal government is taking steps to help secure our cyber infrastructure. The recent passing of the 2023 omnibus spending agreement included additional funds for a variety of federal agencies in order to strengthen our cybersecurity apparatus. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (“CISA”) received $1.3 billion for its cybersecurity programs. This is a $230 million increase over last year ...
On September 16, 2022, the DOLE issuedDepartment Order No. 237, series of 2022, or the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 11165or the Telecommuting Act (“Revised Telecommuting Rules”). New Definitions The Revised Telecommuting Rules clarified the definition of an “alternative workplace” and a “regular workplace” ...
The importance of the UAE as a trading and consumer goods hub resulted in a protective approach of the authorities towards distributors and franchisees. The UAE Federal Law No. 18 of 1981 on Commercial Agencies (Old Law) was drafted with the intent of protecting the interests of UAE nationals (and companies wholly owned by UAE nationals), and was protective towards the interests of registered commercial agencies ...
Rising interest rates, inflation, and a global economic slowdown create the perfect storm, pushing some companies into financial distress. These conditions can also create opportunities for investors to make strategic acquisitions of distressed assets ...
Canadian Lawyer By Tim Wilbur Cecilia Barnes knew from an early age she wanted to be in business. She entered law school so she could work with entrepreneurs and business executives. When Barnes looked for opportunities after graduating, she focused on working in-house. “I thought, I've taken all of these courses in business and trademark and copyright. So, any company is going to be so excited to have me ...
This is the third article in our series about sponsor licences. This article focuses on the effect of insolvency on a sponsor licence. Businesses are facing challenging times in the current economic downturn and insolvency is a real possibility for many, with 5,595 company insolvencies in the third quarter of 2022[1] alone. If a business is on the brink of insolvency this will potentially have an impact on any sponsorship licences held within the company group ...
Charities face challenges on many fronts right now, but one silver lining to the cost-of-living crisis is the popularity of charity shops, especially among younger people. Today sees the launch of Charity Super.Mkt at the Brent Cross Shopping Centre in North London, a great illustration of necessity being the mother of invention, meeting the demand for sustainable fashion and bringing life back to vacant retail space. Charity Super ...
BigTech has kept information about advertising (who is seeing the adverts, who is clicking on the adverts...) largely in a safe under lock and key. This is about to change and advertising agencies could be a major beneficiary. Advertising agencies likely need to invest in capabilities to analyse huge volumes of data, or engage external advisors to do this work ...
Pensions analysis: On 16 December 2022, the Pensions Regulator (TPR) published its consultation on the new defined benefit (DB) funding code of practice together with a response to its first consultation and a consultation on its proposed twin track regulatory approach to assessing valuations including its proposed Fast Track design. Suzanne Burrell, partner at Shoosmiths examines the consultation and its implications ...
The UAE commercial agency regime has been a central pillar of commerce since the issuance of UAE Federal Law 18 of 1981 (the 1981 Law). While piecemeal amendments to the 1981 Law have been introduced from time to time, the UAE government has now issued UAE Federal Law 3 of 2022 concerning commercial agencies (the New Agencies Law) which repeals and replaces the 1981 Law in its entirety ...
Overview If you are thinking about outsourcing manufacturing but have no idea where to start, or if you are already sourcing your product overseas but running into complications, this book, So You Need To OutSource A Product?, will provide some helpful guidelines on navigating the process. You probably already know this, but it bears repeating: Manufacturing outsourcing raises profit margins, improves inventory management, and gets new products to market faster ...
Contents Risk analysis in an evolving market Complex fund structures Typical structures in our jurisdictions Legal perspective Waiver of commitments Market risk Competition in the market Concentration risk Liquidity risk ESG risks Conclusion Risk analysis in an evolving market Despite being a relatively long-standing lending product, there have been limited public payment defaults by funds in the fund finance space ...
We are pleased to issue our third edition of the Regulatory Compliance Quarterly Updates. These updates are intended to keep Maltese regulated entities informed of regulatory changes and developments taking place in the local financial services space ...
This inBrief highlights the different aspects of venture capital, animportant source of raising money for start-up companies which donot have access to capital markets. We discuss the different types ofventure financing through which start-ups can raise money andwhich are taken into account when assessing valuations ...
This is the second article in our series about sponsor licences. This article focuses on the effect of an acquisition on a sponsor licence. When selling or acquiring a company that already holds a sponsor licence, certain reporting duties will arise in relation to that transaction ...
As the stock exchange market in the country develops, in addition to the regular auction trading method, block trades or special crossings (via the NTM) are also permitted, whereby the buyer and seller of listed shares can directly negotiate and agree upon the conditions of their transaction ...
This is the first of three articles in our series on sponsor licences. This article focuses on how to obtain a sponsor licence as a Start-up business. In the eyes of the Home Office, a Start-up is a company that has been operating or trading in the UK for less than 18 months on the date that they make a sponsor licence application ...
On 2 January 2023, three pieces of federal legislation came into effect which, if implemented as envisaged, will arguably make the most significant changes to litigation in the on-shore Dubai Courts since the UAE was established ...
Introduction On 22 December 2022, the Malta Financial Services Authority (‘MFSA’ or ‘the Authority’) issued a stakeholder consultation on the proposed establishment of a new framework for Notified Professional Investor Funds (‘NPIFs’). The NPIF framework proposal seeks to introduce a new fund structure, complementing the existing fund frameworks in Malta ...
On January 19, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published its proposed rule barring most non-compete agreements that would apply to employees. We previously summarized the proposed rule here. The deadline for comments on the proposed rule is March 20, 2023. Comments can be submitted online at Regulations.gov or in writing to Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite CC-5610 (Annex C), Washington, DC 20580 ...
On January 5, 2023 the SEC announced a settled Administrative Proceeding with Randy Robertson. Mr. Robertson previously served as the co-portfolio manager for the BlackRock Multi-Sector Income Trust (“BIT”). While serving as the co-portfolio manager for BIT, Mr. Robertson explored the possibility of a BlackRock investment opportunity regarding a potential secured lending investment relating to print and advertising expenses associated with film distribution. Mr ...
