For over five years, the Russian merger control landscape has been a quiet place, occasionally disturbed by high-profile mergers which required a king-sized approach and the use of international cooperation tools. In 2021, following a change in the Federal Antimonopoly Service’s (“FAS Russia”) senior management, decisions have been taken which signal a shift within Russian merger control legislation and practice ...
With the purpose of promoting the development of clean energies, the Government is preparing new public tenders of State-owned land, to award lots in 20 different properties (see summary table at the end). This offering is significant because more than 40% of the installed capacity in renewable energy generation is on State-owned land. Currently, there are 200 executed contracts for about 80,000 hectares of land for this type of project ...
The Scottish Government has published its route map out of lockdown, legislating five levels, each imposing increasingly tougher restrictions. As at 19 July, the whole of Scotland moved to Level 0, with cautious optimism that most legal restrictions might be removed entirely in August. However, in the meantime, the move to Level 0 does not mean that everything returns to how it was pre-pandemic – there will remain a level of restrictions and compliance points that must be met ...
As most people are undoubtedly aware, the construction industry has seen material prices escalate astronomically over the past few months. Some specialty lumber prices have soared upwards of 6,000 percent. The cost of a sheet of plywood is double what it was even six months ago. Generally, contractors assume the risk of material prices when they sign a lump sum or GMP contract unless there is a material escalation clause included in the contract terms ...
On July 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a wide-ranging executive order entitled “Promoting Competition in the American Economy.” One key element of the executive order is to address noncompete covenants that the White House characterized as stifling competition between companies. Section 5(g) encouraged the FTC to draft rules which seek to “curtail the unfair use of non-compete clauses and other clauses or agreements that may unfairly limit worker mobility ...
Bill 78 was introduced in December 2020 by Minister Jean Boulet and given assent on June 8, 2021. It amends the Act respecting the legal publicity of enterprises (the “Act”) and its regulation, the Regulation respecting the application of the Act respecting the legal publicity of enterprises (the “Regulation”) ...
The built environment contributes 20% of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, making it a key player in tackling the ambitious challenges we face on the journey to a low or net zero society. How we heat (and cool) our buildings is a crucial element in reducing carbon emissions. But there is no single answer that will deliver the required emissions reductions to achieve government targets ...
Directors have a fiduciary duty to their companies as they hold positions of trust and confidence and as a result, have an obligation to act in good faith and in the company’s best interests. Ghana’s new Companies Act (Act 992) introduces provisions concerning amongst others, the requirement for Directors to deal transparently while handling transactions, and their obligations when managing conflict-of-interest situations ...
Since our 4 July inBrief on the UAE permitting 100 per cent foreign ownership for certain activities, there have been some significant developments which we will discuss below. List of Strategic Impact Activities The UAE Cabinet has now issued a list of strategic impact activities and the rules for licensing companies that engage in any of the listed strategic impact activities ...
Utility bills can bring unwelcome surprises: a water bill that reminds you of the extra irrigation costs incurred during a heat wave, an electric bill that makes you realize how much extra power is used when working from home or gaming nonstop, an embarrassing cable bill documenting how many shows you binge-watched last month ...
On Dec. 29, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a final rule amending Regulation Z’s Ability-to-Repay/Qualified Mortgage (QM) requirements (the New Rule). Regulation Z requires creditors to make a reasonable, good-faith determination of a consumer’s ability to repay their residential mortgage loan. Loans that comply with Regulation Z’s requirements qualify for certain protections from liability ...
Canadian Patent Practice has undergone several changes in recent years, in many cases to fulfill the requirements of various international treaties / agreements, including those of the Patent Law Treaty (PLT) and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) ...
The question of insurers’ duty to defend is back in the spotlight. On March 18, 2021, the Superior Court once again considered the issue in its application of the law to facts relevant to the dispute.1 Facts In April 2016, Cégerco Inc. (“Cégerco”), a general contractor, retained the services of Construction Placo Inc ...
The UAE has introduced new administrative sanctions on all entities that fail to comply with the requirements of Cabinet Decision 58 of 2020 concerning the Regulation of Real Beneficiary Procedures (Decision 58 of 2020). Issued on 23 May 2021, Cabinet Decision 53 of 2021 (Decision 53 of 2021) empowers the Ministry of Economy and the relevant licensing authorities in the UAE to administer various penalties on violators of Decision 58 of 2020 ...
The Building Safety Bill was finally introduced into Parliament on 30 June 2021 with the aim of delivering fundamental reform to the building safety system. The Bill’s progress through Parliament will be closely monitored as the construction industry looks to prepare for the potentially wide-ranging impact of this complex piece of legislation. The Bill was published in draft form in 2020 to enable pre-legislative scrutiny ...
Starting around October 26, 2020, the Small Business Administrations (the “SBA”) asked Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) lenders to provide certain questionnaires to PPP borrowers with loans of $2 million or greater. There are two questionnaire forms on the Treasury: Form 3509 for for-profit borrowers and Form 3510 for non-profit borrowers ...
Chapter 53 of the Texas Property Code just received major updates for the first time in years. On June 15, 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law HB 2237. This bill makes many notable changes to Texas’s lien laws. The construction industry and construction lawyers should take note of these changes to the complex and often confusing world of mechanic’s, contractor’s, and materialman’s liens in Texas ...
COVID-19 came upon us all like a tsunami, leveling life as we knew it and causing an entirely new paradigm of behavior to be necessary. No segment of the population was hit harder than seniors, both in our communities and in senior care facilities. Long-term care facilities were on the frontlines of the battle, being one of the first industries to be required to wholly alter traditional behaviors to try to stop the inevitable spread of this deadly virus ...
On Friday, July 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing various federal agencies to implement 72 specific actions intended broadly to increase competition in the American economy. The executive order is intended to impact a wide range of economic activity, including mergers and acquisitions, occupational licensing, anticompetitive behavior, and prices of medical devices and prescription drugs ...
Holding companies to account: criticism of the current criminal framework Over time and bit by bit the UK’s approach to corporate criminal liability is being narrowed. The issue has long been debated with many commentators agreeing that the current criminal legal framework is far from satisfactory at holding corporate organisations to account for instances of criminality when those crimes are committed on behalf of, or in the name of, the company ...
On 10 July 2021, the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission and the Office of Cybersecurity Review under the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) promulgated the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (the “Review Measures”) (Revised Draft for Comments) (the “Draft”) ...
Contents Please click on the links below to jump to the relevant section: Legislation Relevant entities Relevant activities Tax residence requirements Guidance General requirements Directed and managed Core-income generating activities (CIGA) Premises Employees and personnel Expenditure Enhanced requirements Reduced requirements Outsourcing Enforcement authorities Reporting formalities Demonstrating compliance Penalties Recent developments Legal framework Legisl
Contents Please click on the links below to jump to the relevant section: Legislation Relevant entities Relevant activities Tax residence requirements Guidance General requirements Directed and managed Core-income generating activities (CIGA) Premises Employees and personnel Expenditure Enhanced requirements Reduced requirements Outsourcing Enforcement authorities Reporting formalities Demonstrating compliance Penalties Recent developments Legal framework Legisl
