In December 2004 and more recently in March 2005, the Superior Court rendered three significant judgments respecting motions for authorization to institute class actions. In the first case, Bouchard v. Laiterie et Boulangerie Parmalat Inc.1, the motion was denied for the absence of interest and of rights of the applicant. In the second case, Citoyens pour une qualité de vie v. Aéroports de Montréal2, the motion was denied for lack of identical, similar or related questions of law or fact ...
After long years of fierce debate, the Kyoto Protocol finally came into force on 16 February 2005, imposing obligations on states parties to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. This article takes a look at the background to the Protocol, and the many new and varied opportunities for businesses in Scotland and across the globe. The Protocol itself was adopted at the Third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Kyoto on 11 December 1997 ...
&L Goodbody recently represented the Irish Nightclub Industry Association (INIA) and the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) against Phonographic Performance (Ireland) Limited (PPI) in a case on copyright law which is a landmark judgment not only in Ireland but elsewhere. The INIA and IHF challenged an arbitrator’s award which had set copyright fees payable by nightclubs to Phonographic Performance (Ireland) Limited – “PPI” ...
One of the key sectors of the Oil & Gas industry is the extraction of oil, gas and gas condensate hereinafter to be referred as carbohydrates (“CH”). For businesses involved in CH extraction, the two key assets are the extraction licence and the oil or gas well (“CH Well”). This article throws light on light on the legal concept of a CH Well in Ukranian Law and its application to the ownership issue ...
The JIA or the Joint Investment Activity Agreement is a legal document on the basis of which thousands of tones of carbohydrates become privately owned in Ukraine everyday. Presently the JIA Agreement dominates the production of carbohydrates and this situation does not seem to be about to change in the near future. The article goes on to describe various JIA’s ...
As natural gas commodity prices continue their near-term climb, and new domestic sources become harder to find, many oil and gas producers and large gas users such as chemical companies are looking abroad for a cheaper and more readily available source of supply ...
I. Introduction President Vicente Fox has devoted significant political efforts to reform the energy sector. He is well aware of the current needs for investment, particularly in power generation and non-associated gas exploration and production. He is also aware that the government will not have the necessary funds to match the anticipated growth of energy demand ...
I. Introduction Mexico’s power generation sector is facing a possible crisis in the near future. The Federal Government has estimated that over 27,000 megawatts of additional power generation capacity will be needed by 2009 to avoid a power crisis in the country. Since 1960, the electricity sector has been reserved to the State ...
Advertising in Ukraine is regulated mainly by the Advertising Act (the “Act”). Some aspects are also regulated by the TV and Radio Broadcasting Act, Printed Mass Media Act, Protection Against Unfair Competition Act, Copyright and Related Rights Act, Protection of Rights to Trademarks Act, Protection of Consumer Rights, Languages Act and others.The Act has recently become one of the most publicly debated laws in Ukraine ...
In response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and other threats related to hazardous materials, the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) has revised its regulations related to the transportation of hazardous materials ...
Related Practice Groups Environmental The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”) recently published an Interoffice Memorandum (“the Memorandum”) that directs the agency’s offices how to handle reporting of spills and releases, including the discovery of historic contamination. It defines “historic contamination” as a “release” from an inactive source, whether of known or unknown quantities, citing as an example, contamination discovered during excavation activities ...
Under Section 113 of the Clean Air Act, when it finds that a regulated party is engaged in unlawful activity, EPA may, among other things, issue an administrative compliance order (ACO) that directs that party to comply, provided: (a) the ACO is based upon any information available to the Administrator; (b) the ACO is issued thirty days after the issuance of a Notice of Violation; and (c) the regulated party is given an “opportunity to confer” with the Administrator ...
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”) recently published an Interoffice Memorandum (“the Memorandum”) that directs the agency’s offices how to handle reporting of spills and releases, including the discovery of historic contamination. It defines “historic contamination” as a “release” from an inactive source, whether of known or unknown quantities, citing as an example, contamination discovered during excavation activities ...
Related Practice Groups Environmental During the 78th Legislative Session, the Texas Legislature passed a massive tort reform bill, H.B. 4, that will result in sweeping changes not only to tort cases but also to litigation generally. Several changes critically impact environmental cases. The purpose of this memorandum is to alert you to some of these changes ...
Chemical manufacturers, processors, and distributors, petroleum refiners and distributors, and other manufacturers are potentially affected by a “policy clarification and reporting guidance” issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 3rd, 2003, relating to § 8(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) ...
Incoming Call ChargesIn February 2003 the Ukrainian Parliament overruled President Kuchma's December 2002 veto against an amendment to Article 12 of the Communications Law 1995. The amendment prohibits all telecommunications operators from charging their customers for incoming calls. On March 13 2003 the president duly signed the amendment, which will come into effect six months after its official publication (ie, on September 18 2003) ...
As seen in Oil & Gas Journal
Mobile TeleSystems, Russia's leading mobile communications operator and one of the largest mobile operators in Eastern Europe, has acquired a 57.7% stake in Ukrainian Mobile Communications (UMC), the second largest Ukrainian mobile operator, for €194.2 million. In November 2002 Mobile TeleSystems signed a purchase agreement for 57.7% of UMC's shares. Under the agreement, Mobile TeleSystems was to acquire the 16 ...
Legal Framework for Advertising and Restrictions on Advertising of Tobacco Products and Alcoholic BeveragesAdvertising activity in Ukraine is regulated mainly by the Advertising Act1 and the Television Act2. The Advertising Act contains several various restrictions and bans relating to the advertising of tobacco products and alcoholic beve-rages. One of the most stringent restrictions applies to tobacco products and alcoholic beverages advertising on TV and radio ...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) recently issued a proposed rule and a notice of future of rulemaking under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) regarding standards for “all appropriate inquiry,” which are important to a variety of businesses, especially those engaged in real estate transactions ...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Corps of Engineers recently issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the definition of “waters of the United States,” which was published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2003. EPA and the Corps will be accepting comments that the agencies will use in developing rules clarifying what waters are subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act ...
In our October 22, 2002 Alert, we discussed the importance of the new compliance history rules of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”). Basically, a company’s compliance history will affect permitting, availability of innovative programs, and enforcement, including unannounced inspections. Be alert that the TCEQ compliance history rules ignore traditional distinctions between mergers and assets acquisitions involving successor liability ...
In our October 22, 2002 Alert, we discussed the importance of the new compliance history rules of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”). Basically, a company’s compliance history will affect permitting, availability of innovative programs, and enforcement, including unannounced inspections. Be alert that the TCEQ compliance history rules ignore traditional distinctions between mergers and assets acquisitions involving successor liability ...
A reference guide to articles, speeches and presentations created by Allen Cummings ...
University of Texas Oil, Gas and Mineral Law Institute Introduction This paper does not cover pooling from A to Z. If you are interested in a more basic treatment of pooling, see Smith and Weaver, "Texas Law of Oil and Gas," Lexis 2000, Section §4.8. Rather, this paper will first examine selected recent cases, which to some extent involved exercise of the pooling authority under the oil and gas lease ...
