Choosing the name of a sports team can be a perilous exercise. In addition to representing certain values, names are supposed to fire up the fan base and motivate the athletes themselves. It must sometimes meet with the approval of major sponsors. But when sports teams are companies seeking to profit commercially from the use of their brand, legal considerations also come into play. Team names are typically linked to the organization of sports events for which tickets are sold ...
In a recent survey conducted by Fertility Network UK, 40% of patients undergoing fertility treatment admitted to experiencing suicidal feelings, with the majority feeling that they would benefit from counselling. Sadly, this support is not readily available and reportedly only half of those in need have access. Often, the only option is to go private, but with sessions estimated to be between £10-£70 per session, that is not always feasible for everyone ...
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has sought to consider as many voices as possible in its assessment of the vast human impact the pandemic has had on both individuals and organisations. Every Story Matters is the Inquiry’s way of doing so, enabling those in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to share their experiences of the pandemic with the Inquiry, via an online form. To date, around 6,000 people have shared their stories ...
We look at the legal framework within which the dispute between the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and the Cabinet Office over the former Prime Minister’s WhatsApp messages and diaries has developed, and possible consequences for the Inquiry depending on the outcome. What has the Cabinet Office been asked to provide? On 21 April 2023, Baroness Heather Hallett, Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry (‘the Inquiry’) issued a Section 21 Notice to the Cabinet Office (‘the Notice’) ...
On 17 May 2023, the Belgian Medicines Agency (FAMHP) announced that marketing authorisation holders (MAHs) have three years to comply with the prohibition of “negative formulations” on the packaging of medicinal products for human use. Such negative formulations include “gluten-free”, “lactose-free”, “ethanol-free” or “no colourings” ...
The SEC has published its final rule for the modernization of share repurchase disclosures. The final rule will require additional details of an issuer’s share repurchase activity. Unlike the previous requirements for share repurchase reporting, the final rule will require daily repurchase data, reported either quarterly or semi-annually, and eliminates the previous requirement for the publication of an issuer’s repurchase data by month in its 10-Qs and 10-Ks ...
Overview On 22 February 2023, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued a new regulation on the Forms and Procedures for Issuance of Temporary Suspension Measures and/or Decisions by the Cambodia Competition Commission (“CCC”) to strengthen the enforcement of the Law on Competition (“Competition Law”) in Cambodia ...
A gym franchisor recently secured a preliminary injunction against its former franchisee prohibiting the franchisee from operating an independent gym on the same location and using the franchisor’s trade secrets. Chris O’Hare, along with his company, (O’Hare), was a former Core Progression gym franchisee ...
A recent Financial Times newspaper article raises the question whether the mandate underlying the UK's competition authority (the CMA) should be reviewed. The argument is based on the CMA's blocking of the Microsoft/Activision merger, compared to the EU's conditional consent decision. The CMA's decision is being appealed by the merger parties ...
The Ministry of Economy published the new proposal to update the Regulation on consumer information on mortgage loans (Decree No. 42 of 2012), which improves consumer understanding of financial information and promotes the comparison of products offered by financial institutions ...
What do a squeak toy, whiskey, and dog poop have in common? If you are silently thinking to yourself “absolutely nothing,” it may surprise you to hear that the U.S. Supreme Court has spent months considering this question. On June 8, 2023, in a long-awaited win for trademark owners, SCOTUS ruled that a lower court erred when it issued a decision finding that a dog toy that parodies a famous liquor bottle, was covered by First Amendment free speech protections ...
June 8, 2023 By: Stephanie Shea and Michael Flynn On June 6, 2023, the FDIC, FRB and OCC collectively issued a document entitled, “Interagency Guidance on Third-Party Relationships: Risk Management” (“2023 Guidance”). Prior to this, each of these agencies had issued separate guidance on third-party risk. This 2023 Guidance replaces those separate pieces on third-party risk ...
In an uncertain market, there is often a renewed emphasis from investors not just on liquidity and rate of return on property investment opportunities, but also on the structuring of legal interests and the ability to ‘exit’ from a scheme ...
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has released a new workplace standard relating to menstruation and menopause. The BSI standard (BS 30416) aims to support the health and well-being of all employees who menstruate or experience peri/menopause. The standard suggests that there are many actions that employers can take to improve the accommodation of all its employees ...
On June 23, 2023, major amendments to section 45 of the Competition Act1 (the ?Act?) are set to come into force. Adopted in 2022 by the Parliament of Canada, these amendments are primarily designed to harmonize Canadian non-competition law with legislation in various other countries, particularly the U.S., which restricts certain business practices regarded as harmful to workers ...
On May 31, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released a Final Rule (the “Final Rule”) that withdraws the mandatory vaccination requirement for employees of CMS-certified healthcare facilities, which includes hospitals, critical access hospitals, long term care facilities, home health agencies, hospices, and ambulatory surgical centers ...
In May, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its decision in Amgen Inc. v. Sanofi, which addressed the statutory enablement requirement for patents. The decision is consistent with ongoing efforts to strike a balance between innovation and competition, while preventing the extension of monopolies beyond the invention disclosure ...
Cybersecurity is a looming threat for most businesses. The impact of a major cyber event can resonate for weeks, months, and even years after the initial attack. To mitigate the risks to consumers, there have been several legislative updates to address these evolving threats, including a significant change for entities in, and adjacent to, the financial services space ...
Most commentary around AI looks at the big picture or the future of work, but in this article we look at some practical data protection implications for businesses that are considering implementing AI systems. 1. Automated Decision-Making There are specific rules in both the EU and UK GDPR (in this article we will refer to both together) covering individuals’ rights when processing involves solely automated decision-making, including profiling ...
Managing Partner Simon Malko talked to Bloomberg’s Vivia Chen about how his own experiences dealing with stress and anxiety inspired him to make mental healthcare more accessible to everyone at the firm. He shared, “When I became a managing partner [in 2019], I had a lot of anxiety. I was dealing with a lot at work and the stress of raising two kids at home. I had an awful lot on my plate, and I was struggling with managing it all ...
On June 1, 2023, China's Ministry of Science and Technology ("MOST") officially released the Implementation Rules for the Regulation of Human Genetic Resources Administration ("Implementation Rules"), which will come into effect on July 1, 2023 ...
On June 1, 2023, the United States Supreme Court issued an important decision addressing the intent element of the False Claims Act (“FCA”) in United States ex rel. Tracy Schutte v. SuperValu Inc. and United States ex rel. Thomas Proctor v. Safeway, Inc. The FCA imposes liability on anyone who “knowingly” submits a false claim to the federal government and defines “knowingly” to include actual knowledge, deliberate ignorance, or recklessness ...
On May 30, 2023, the Cyberspace Administration of China (the "CAC") released the Guidelines for Filing Standard Contract for the Outbound Transfer of Personal Information (First Edition) (the "Filing Guidelines") ...
