The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is changing the way we live, interact and conduct business. The Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (“B-BBEE”) world in South Africa is no different. All companies undergoing a B-BBEE verification are required to permit their B-BBEE verification agencies to conduct on-site inspections and personal interviews as part of the verification process ...
Application of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (the "OHASA")? Several health and safety obligations (both general and specific) towards employees are imposed on an employer or user in respect of the "workplace". The term "workplace" is also defined broadly in the OHASA as "any premises or place where a person performs work in the course of his employment" ...
In the wake of the rapid developments to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Temporary Relief Scheme (“C19 TERS”) in the past few weeks, it is critical that employers remain informed and up-to-date on the latest processes in place. The C19 TERS was established to compensate employees who have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic, through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (“UIF”) ...
This article is an updated version of the article published on 16 March 2020. On 15 March 2020, South African President Ramaphosa announced the declaration of a national state of disaster, as a result of the recent events surrounding the rise in coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in South Africa. The declaration of a national disaster was made in terms of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (the "DMA") ...
On 1 December 2017, the South African Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel, published Government Notice no. 41294, which announced the release of the Competition Amendment Bill, 2017 (the “Competition Bill”) for public comment.Members of the public are invited to submit written comments on the Competition Bill to the Economic Development Department within 60 calendar days of publication of the notice (ie, by 30 January 2018) ...
South Africa’s East Coast Radio listeners recently got a great beginners’ class in trade mark law. It would be a shame if all the people who missed the broadcast lost out.The discussion dealt with a dispute involving the fast-food chain Chicken Licken and a small Durban vegan restaurant called Oh My Soul. It featured an interview with the couple who own the restuarant, Tallulah and Richard Duffin, as well as the attorney acting for Chicken Licken ...
Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia interviewed Lisa J. Sotto, partner and head of the Global Privacy and Data Security practice at Hunton & Williams LLP, to discuss the recent data security incident involving Barnes & Noble stores. Sotto discussed life in the modern world of technology where there is an increased risk of data security incidents, and many companies only reach out to counsel after a data breach occurs ...
A recent judgement of the Court of Appeal brings welcome clarification of the principles regarding the recovery of wasted expenditure claims in IT disputes. Summary Whist wasted costs arising from failed IT implementations often form part of a subsequent loss of profit claim, the two forms of loss are separate and distinct. Consequently, in order to be effective, exclusions must specifically refer to wasted costs ...
Stories of trade marks becoming generic - which may have the result that trade mark registrations become vulnerable to cancellation - are rare. Yet there have been a number of examples recently. In March 2014, there was a decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that dealt with a claim that a trade mark registration for Kornspitz should be cancelled because the word had become generic ...
Two groups of former Sony employees filed putative class actions this week arising from the company’s recent data breach. Two former employees filed a putative class action in California federal court alleging Sony failed to secure the company’s computer network from hackers who were able to access employees’ confidential personal information. (The hackers were confirmed yesterday to be affiliated with the North Korean government ...
Traditionally, the estate administrator’s main duty has been to liquidate the machinery of the estate as quickly as possible. But there are alternative possibilities. Instead of seeing the bankruptcy estate as a pile of assets left behind by a company that has gone through financial hardship, smart thinking says you should see this as an opportunity to start a new business. At its best, bankruptcy means a fresh start for a successor company without burdens of the bankrupt one ...
A recent IRS concession bodes well for how the tax treatment of proof of stake validators may develop through case law. On December 20, 2021, the IRS offered a full refund to the plaintiffs in Jarrett et al v. United States for taxes paid on tokens created through proof of stake on the Tezos blockchain in 2019. In a statement released February 3, 2022, Joshua Jarrett confirmed the decision to seek an IRS ruling in the cryptocurrency case, rather than accept the tax refund ...
As we enter the final quarter of 2021, there are many things still to do and plan for before the end of the year. There are also some timing considerations given proposed legislative changes and the lead time needed to accomplish some of these items. You should be reviewing your year-end estate planning or business transition concerns NOW ...
At the recent Scotland Development Conference hosted by Built Environment Networking, major residential developers and housebuilders, social housing providers and leadership from the housing sector joined a panel discussion to share details of the biggest housing projects currently planned for Scotland and how the sector can ensure a focus on creating community is retained, as well as the push for an increase in the rate, volume and affordability of housebuilding ...
A Marijuana Related Business (or MRB), whether a plant-touching operation or a provider of goods and services to a plant-touching operations cannot seek protection from the Bankruptcy Court as Bankruptcy Court is a Federal Court and Cannabis remains illegal at the Federal level ...
Society Education shall once again be organising the yearly employment law seminar, which shall be held online on the 24th and 27th of October. Dr Christine Calleja and Dr Martina Bonnici, shall be participating in this year’s seminar with the following topics: occupational health and safety and whistleblowing legislation. The seminar will be moderated by Dr Christine Calleja ...
Petunia Products, Inc. owns the BROW BOOST ® trademark, under which it sells a “Billion Dollar Brows” eyebrow primer and conditioner. Petunia recently asserted trademark infringement claims against a skin care products company, which Petunia alleges infringed on its BROW BOOST mark in connection with the name of its product that competes with Petunia’s product, and by using the hashtag #BROWBOOST on social media to promote its product ...
West Virginia now has one set of social distancing rules for businesses thanks to an emergency rule promulgated by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources ("DHHR"). Prior to the DHHR’s rule, local boards of health were issuing county-by-county orders that created a patchwork of similar, but different, requirements throughout the Mountain State ...
The Algarve has been seriously affected by the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, on 29 July 2020, the Portuguese Parliament published Resolution no. 51/2020 in which it recommend the adoption of a social and economic emergency plan for the Algarve (“Plano de emergência social e económico para o Algarve”) by the Portuguese Government. The recommended measures set out in Resolution no ...
Particular issues may beset a sale of land between developer and Registered Provider but, by forecasting ahead, costs and delays can be avoided. As the demand for housing increases, so too will expected proportions of affordable housing provided as part of any development. Often the easiest way to provide on-site affordable housing is by bringing a Registered Provider (RP) on board. The RP might buy ready built plots or the land itself on which it will build ...
