The "say-on-pay" rules giving stockholders a voice in executive compensation are now in place for publicly traded companies. The rules establish new proxy requirements applicable to the 2011 proxy season, although for smaller reporting companies, implementation of certain of the rules has been deferred until 2013. A number of companies have already begun to report the results of their “say-on-pay” votes ...
Tax treatment of different acquisitions What are the differences in tax treatment between an acquisition of stock in a company and the acquisition of business assets and liabilities? The main difference from the acquirer’s perspective is that there is only a step-up in the tax basis on an asset purchase, while a stock acquisition as a general rule does not allow for a step-up on the basis of the target’s assets ...
On January 25, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) proposed new Rule 204(b)‑1 (the “Proposed Rule”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), that would implement various provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) by creating a new Form PF for use by the Financial Stability Oversight Council (the “FSOC”) and other regulatory agencies in assessing systemic risks posed to the U.S ...
With the continuous increase of Chinese investments throughout the entire world and, particularly, in Portugal, along with the inverse phenomenon, it is extremely important to acknowledge that Portugal has already entered into double tax treaties with China and Macau, which became important instruments to be considered by companies and individuals when moving forward with their international planning strategies ...
It's that time of year when municipalities send out tax accounts to their citizens. In certain cases, they may contain a very unpleasant surprise. For citizens living in municipalities whose property assessments are for the years 2010 to 2012, now is the time to do some double-checking ...
The USPTO has declared that the aftermath of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan constitutes an “extraordinary situation” under 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.183 and 2.146 that justifies certain measures of relief from patent regulations. While the PTO cannot declare this extraordinary situation a “postal emergency” to grant stronger relief, it has elected to recognize the difficulties of its innovation customers in the affected areas of Japan ...
On April 4, 2011, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a Final Rule implementing the prioritized examination track (“Track I”) of its new examination timing control procedures.1 Under Track I, patent applicants can accelerate examination of certain patent applications that are filed on or after May 4, 2011 ...
In a letter dated April 8, 2011, to the President of the North American Securities Administrators Association (“NASAA”),1 Robert Plaze, Associate Director of the Division of Investment Management of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), stated that the SEC is expecting to adopt final rules implementing various provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) applicable to investment advisers by July 21, 2011 ...
Early last year, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (“SAIC”) and the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) jointly issued a Circular on Further Strengthening Administration of the Registration of Resident Representative Offices (“RO”) of Foreign Enterprises (“Circular”) ...
Are donations of counterfeit goods to charities socially acceptable? - Despite calls for seized counterfeit goods to be donated to charity, a number of conditions should be met in order to protect both IP rights holders and those receiving the goods Nobody would dispute that in today’s world, the social and environmental impacts of our actions must be taken into consideration whenever we make a decision ...
The new Immigration Bill was passed by the Indonesian Parliament on 7 April 2011. It will pass into law on the day it is signed by the President or within 30 days of its passage, whichever occurs earlier.The bill covers a range of basic matters relating to immigration, including entry to and exit from the Indonesian territory, travel documents, visas, stay permits, etc ...
Abstract:Following the provisions of the TRIPS agreement, the Brazilian Industrial Property Law affords special protection to famous (highly renowned) trademarks in all fields of activity ...
The Brazilian industry appears to be fully recovered from the world crisis of 2008, at least as regards Intellectual Property aspects. According to a recent official announcement made by the Brazilian Trademark Office, the number of trademark filings in Brazil raised considerably in 2010, from an estimate 111.724 applications in 2009 to a total of 129.620, which corresponds to a 16% growth ...
It seems to have avoided the worst effects of the 2009 financial crisis that shook much of the developed world, as domestic demand, government stimulus and rising commodity prices helped pull the economy out of recession faster than most countries. Indeed, the good economic momentum that catapulted Brazil forward over the past 10 years has helped 30% of the population to rise out of poverty and become consumers of products and services ...
1. International anti-corruption conventions To which international anti-corruption conventions is your country a signatory? Chile is a signatory to and has ratified the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, and the United Nations Convention against Corruption. 2 ...
Chinese authorities may soon make another significant step in China’s shift from being the global manufacturing hub to becoming the world’s biggest consumers market. During a press conference held in Beijing last 15 June, Yao Jian, the spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced the upcoming reduction of import duties on luxury goods ...
The Ministerial Decree of the Italian Minister for the Economic Development dated May 11, 2011 (the “Decree”) has at long last implemented in Italy the administrative procedure for opposition against Italian and International trademark applications ...
Asters Law Associates Oles Kvyat and Oleksandr Mozheiko talk today about the terms and procedures of the Initial Public Offering on the Ukrainian Stock Exchange The Ukrainian market grows in line with global markets. When global markets decline, the Ukrainian equity market suffers correction as well. The recent financial turmoil experienced by the world in 2009 - 2010 adversely affected the Ukrainian equity market ...
These Regulations transpose the EU Directive 2008/101/EC ("the Aviation Directive") which extends the EU Emissions Trading Scheme ("ETS") to aviation activities. The previous 2009 Regulations [S.I. No. 274 of 2009], which partially transposed the Aviation Directive, are revoked. All flights arriving at and departing from EU airports will be included in the ETS from 2012 ...
As you will be aware, 1 January 2012 is the go live date for OHS harmonisation. A new OHS Act, Regulation and Codes of Practice will commence in the Commonwealth and in each State and Territory at this time. The new package of OHS legislation will be based on model legislation, so will be substantially similar in each jurisdiction. For detailed information about the state of play in relation to OHS harmonisation, see our HR&IR Update of 22 June 2011 ...
Following the introduction of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Bill 2011 (Bill) and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2011 (Transitional Bill) into the Commonwealth Parliament (as reported in our news alert of 23 March 2011), the Senate referred the Bill and the Transitional Bill to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee (Commi
On June 22, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted final rules and amendments under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), designed to implement various provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) ...
International trade sanctions are becoming an increasingly high profile issue for both practitioners and clients in Australia. Major reforms to Australia's sanctions system will have implications for global companies with any Australian connections ...
The aim of the recent freedom of information (FOI) reforms was to encourage a pro-disclosure culture, and to provide additional assistance and guidance to both the applicant and agencies in processing FOI requests. However, since the commencement of those reforms, maintaining the balance between the philosophy and the practical operation of the FOI Act has presented challenges for agencies in meeting their statutory FOI obligations ...
The government has recently published a consultation document seeking views in relation to its proposals for business rate retention ("BRR") in England and options for enabling local authorities to carry out Tax Increment Financing ("TIF") within the business rates retention system. The business rates consultation may interest developers, the public sector and those involved in renewables or regeneration, particularly those considering Tax Increment Financed projects ...
