When President Biden announced in December 2020 that he intended to nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the appointment raised eyebrows in certain policy circles. Becerra does not fit the typical administrative profile of past HHS heads. In fact, he has no actual experience in health care or public health policy. Rather, his background is primarily rooted in law enforcement ...
On 24 February 2021, Hong Kong’s Finance Secretary Paul Chan delivered the 2021-22 Budget which highlighted upcoming government initiatives to promote the establishment of and re-domiciliation of offshore funds to Hong Kong using the Hong Kong open-ended fund company structure (OFC) ...
An open-ended fund company (OFC) must at all times have an investment manager (Fund Manager) who is responsible for managing the scheme property. To bring in expertise in respect of a specific market or strategy or for other various reasons, Fund Managers may engage sub-managers, advisors or delegates. The delegation of the investment management function by a Fund Manager is permissible under the OFC regime ...
The SFC’s recent public reprimand and fine of HK$6.3 million against a licensed corporation (the Company) brings various provisions of the Code of Conduct and Internal Control Guidelines to the forefront. It also highlights the need for licensed corporations to fully comply with any licensing conditions. Outlined in this article are the key facts of this case and a summary of what licensed intermediaries can learn from this disciplinary action ...
On 16 April 2021, the People’s Bank of China (“PBoC”) issued the Measures for Supervision and Administration of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing in Financial Institutions (《金融机构反洗钱和反恐怖融资监督管理办法》) (the “2021 AML Measures”), following PBoC’s issuance of a consultation draft of the same on 30 December 2020 (the “Consultation Draft”) ...
Read and download the Dutch chapter of the latest Vertical Agreements guide of Lexology GTDT, as updated by Sarah Beeston, Pim Jansen and Nina Korstenbroek. You can access the chapter by clicking on the link below. This comprehensive chapter explains how the Dutch competition rules are applied to agreements for the sale and purchase of goods or services between parties operating at different levels of the supply chain (so-called "vertical agreements") ...
Romanian authorities have recently initiated the transposition process for Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law (the “Whistleblowers’ Directive”). A limited period for public review of the first draft of transposition bill has just closed. The projection is that it will become law by December 2021 to meet the transposition deadline ...
Did you know? The Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) revised Patent Examination Guidelines came into force on 15 January 2021. The changes significantly relax the patentability requirements for inventions in the pharmaceutical, chemical and biotech field. Why does this matter to you? The revised guidelines focus on the examination criteria for novelty and inventive step in relation to the rapidly developing field of chemical and biotech inventions ...
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) is a new federally-funded program providing emergency assistance for eligible venues adversely affected by COVID-19. The program, administered by the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Disaster Assistance, will offer over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues, providing economic relief to eligible entities. This legal update summarizes the requirements and additional information related to the grant application process ...
What options does one have when they discover that a term in a previously executed contract or written instrument was worded poorly, or incorrectly drafted? Generally, parties in this scenario may seek the remedy of rectification, which gives a court the equitable jurisdiction to rectify or correct the document so that it accords with the parties’ true agreement ...
Further to the decline of the Covid-19 spread in Israel after the successful vaccination rollout, Israel has announced changes in foreign entry policy into the country, which will allow, among others, the regular entry of foreign experts and businessmen. These reliefs come after several months in which the state borders were almost completely closed to foreigners ...
On March 26, 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) published Announcement 2021-7, which notifies taxpayers that certain amounts paid for personal protective equipment (such as masks, hand sanitizer, and sanitizing wipes) for the primary purpose of preventing the spread of COVID-19 (“COVID-19 PPE”) may be an eligible expense that can be reimbursed from certain health care account based plans ...
On April 13, 2021, Law No. 21,314 was published in the Official Gazette, which, among other matters, set new transparency requirements and reinforce the responsibilities of market agents (the "Law"). Relevant modifications to the current insurance regulation: Amendments to Decree with Force of Law No. 251 of 1931 ("Insurance Act"). Article 5 of the Law amends the Insurance Act, among others, in the following matters: Insurance consultation system (new Article 12) ...
On Tuesday, April 13th of 2021, a law was published in the Official Gazette that establishes new demands for transparency and strengthens the responsibilities of market agents, regulates the social security advice and other matters indicated therein, reforming, among other regulations, Law No. 18,045, on the Stock Market and Law No. 18,046 on Corporations (going forward, referred as the “Law”) ...
On Tuesday, April 13 th of 2021, a law was published in the Official Gazette that establishes new demands for transparency and strengthens the responsibilities of market agents, regulates the social security advice and other matters indicated therein , reforming, among other regulations, Law No 18,045, on the Stock Market and Law No. 18,046 on Corporations (going forward, referred as the “ Law ”) ...
Earn-outs are a commonly used payment mechanism in overseas and cross-border M&A transactions. Through earn-outs, transacting parties can set flexible metrics to adjust the buyer’s payment obligation and thereby allocate the risks and benefits between the buyer and seller ...
The INPI (Brazilian PTO) published Ordinance/INPI/PR No. 21, of March 26, 2021, which extends the Backlog Combat Project aiming at reducing the number of invention patent applications pending decision. The ordinance came into force on April 1st, 2021, and targets patent applications filed between Jan. 1st, 2017 and Dec. 31st, 2017 ...
On April 8, 2021, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced a proposed rate increase of 1.3 percent for skilled nursing providers in fiscal year 2022. It is estimated this will result in approximately $444 million increase in payments to skilled nursing facilities (SNF) under Medicare Part A for the fiscal year. This increased payment rate does not incorporate the SNF Value-Based Program (VBP) reductions that CMS estimates to be $184 ...
The designation of eight new Freeports within England made headlines in the Budget and now the winning bidders have to put into effect their successful proposals. What will this mean in practice for those areas affected and what are the likely issues that Freeport authorities will face? We have pulled together some questions we are asked frequently on Freeports, together with the responses we have been providing to our clients ...
The advent of blank cheque company IPOs. Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) have taken the corporate world by storm. These “blank cheque” shell companies, which raise funds in their initial public offerings (IPO) to invest in potential but as yet unidentified target businesses, have fuelled a listing frenzy in the US. SPAC IPOs have garnered US$87.9 billion in fundraising in the first three months of 2021, already exceeding last year’s total ...
In a recent article published in écho, WSG Member Astrid Wagner, Partner, IP Communication & Technology at Arendt & Medernach, provides insight on the growing risk of damage to information systems in cyber attacks and what cyber protection measures should be taken ...
On 24 March 2021, the EU Member States agreed to begin negotiations with the European Parliament concerning a legislative proposal on health technology assessment. Health technology includes medicinal products, medical devices or medical and surgical procedures, as well as measures for disease prevention, diagnosis or treatment used in healthcare ...
