The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel recently released an advisory opinion[i] regarding Section 1461 of title 18 of the U.S. Code. In it, they write the “Comstock Act”[ii] does not prohibit the mailing of certain medications used to perform abortions where the sender does not believe the medications will be used unlawfully. This opinion comes in the wake of the U.S ...
On Saturday, April 4, 2020, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a business review letter to a number of providers of Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”) and pharmaceutical products, stating that the DOJ “presently does not intend to challenge” their efforts to expedite and increase manufacturing, sourcing, and distribution of PPE and medications in connection with Project Airbridge ...
Located on an island in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic is a growing destination for U.S. businesses seeking to establish or expand overseas operations. An economically and politically stable country organized as a representative democratic government, it is the Caribbean's largest democratic country. The Dominican Republic had an inflation rate during the past year of only 4 ...
The UK government has announced plans to extend recognition of the CE marking ‘indefinitely’ beyond the upcoming deadline of 31 December 2024 for certain products placed on the Great Britain (GB) market, leading to uncertainty over the future of the UKCA marking ...
The contemporary business world has become fundamentally tied in with the progress of globalisation, and for anyone involved in it, that is no secret. Anybody would be hard pressed to find an industry that can exist and sustain itself in a purely national context, without – at least in some regard – relying on either a piece of legislation or a practice trend that is related to whatever kind of international functioning ...
In another step forwards for consumer protection regulation, the UK’s Department for Business and Trade has confirmed further amendments to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill to tackle deceptive trading practices in the digital realm. Following a comprehensive consultation into consumer transparency, the proposed laws will target ‘drip pricing’ by banning unavoidable hidden charges and make fake reviews illegal ...
Jonathan Smart, head of the mobility sector at Shoosmiths, comments on upcoming trends and developments to expect in 2024 for the sector. The automotive industry is in the midst of a transformative era, marked by technological breakthroughs and shifting consumer preferences. Staying ahead of the curve is crucial for industry insiders. Let's delve into five pivotal trends that are reshaping the landscape of the automotive sector ...
What’s happened? On 22 July 2022 Dubai Decree No. 22/2022 (the Decree) came into force with the purpose of encouraging further investment in the Dubai real estate market via the provision of various incentives and privileges aimed towards real estate investment funds ...
In September 2021, the House of Representatives approved on third reading House Bill (HB) 8942 – the Ease of Paying Taxes Act. The bill proposed to amend the National Internal Revenue Code as amended (the Tax Code) and introduce administrative reforms that will simplify tax compliance and strengthen taxpayers' rights ...
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 ...
Today's judgment from the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") in the case Commission v CK Telecoms (C-376/20 P) provides insight into how the EU merger control provisions should be assessed in consolidated markets, such as telecommunications. Understanding the judgment may be relevant for consolidation plans in many industries with tendencies towards oligopoly ...
The UAE has introduced Cabinet Resolution 31 of 2019 (as amended) (the Economic Substance Regulations) which apply to UAE onshore and free zone entities that undertake, and earn an income from, any of the Relevant Activities (listed below): Banking Business Insurance Business Investment Fund Management Business Shipping Business Holding Company Business Lease-Finance Business Distribution & Service Centre Business Headquarters Business Intellectual Property Business The Re
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How can investors, developers and the public sector find value in an ever-changing environment? This was the big central question forming the basis for EG’s recent Scottish Cities Live event, of which Shoosmiths was a sponsor ...
Private sector, investors and experts agree that the Government of El Salvador has to improve the business climate to attract more national and foreign investment that would contribute to increase the Gross Domestic Product and improve in this way the living conditions of the population ...
There are three main challenges to increasing competition in the availability of enroute charging stations, especially at motorway service area (MSA) sites, and the common theme is cost. The main challenges are: High costs for connecting to the electricity network, which acts as a key barrier to charge point operators (CPOs) investing at MSA sites. Limited competition at MSA sites, which is linked to the high costs for connecting to the electricity network ...
With the government’s widely publicised plan to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by the end of the decade comes a secondary issue – the need for an extensive electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to support an exponential increase in the number of EV cars on the road. Rollout of EV chargepoints is significantly behind what is needed to meet the predicted demand from 2030 ...
Electronic registration The Norwegian Maritime Authority («NMA«) has developed a new system for electronic ship registration and has proposed certain amendments to the Norwegian Maritime Code and appurtenant regulations. The amendments are currently circulated in a memo subject to public hearing ...
The evolution of technology is bringing rapid change to the world of work and employers who fail to embrace new tech will fall behind those that do. This is as true of the transport industry as any other. Employers that are leveraging technology are able to improve efficiencies, reduce costs and deliver a superior customer experience ...
February 2007 UK retail sales rose 0.6% on a like-for-like basis against a weak comparative in February 2006, when sales had fallen. The three-month trend rate of growth weakened in February to 0.9% from 1.1% in January for like-for-like sales, but rose to 4.2% from 3.6% for total sales, reflecting the continued growth of retail space.Clothing and footwear were still difficult but food sales improved, helped by Valentine’s Day, after a flat January ...
Amazon France Logistics has been fined €32m in France for being “grossly negligent” about European data protection law when it comes to monitoring its workers. How can companies do the right thing by workers and by regulators? Employers have increasingly sophisticated tools to help them monitor their workers. Amazon’s substantial recent fine from French data protection regulators shows that they don’t always get it right ...
Effective Tuesday, May 19, 2020, the Department of Labor issued a new rule to provide greater simplicity and flexibility to retail and service-industry employers. The rule relaxes the regulatory framework underpinning Section 7(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, also known as the “retail service exemption ...
Questions concerning how to pay employees in tipped occupations have plagued employers for years. Tipped employees that perform duties that are not sufficiently related to their tipped occupation must be paid at least the full minimum wage, not the lower tip credit wage, when performing those duties. The DOL's approach as to what is/not related to the tipped employee's occupation has changed administration-by-administration ...
