Earlier this year, the UK government launched 'Tech Nation'; an interactive data project that shows the growth of digital businesses within specific areas/regions across the UK. The report is the first of its kind and ranked Belfast as the second highest region in the UK in terms of the highest average company turnover in this sector, with Greater Manchester securing the top spot and Sheffield, Inner London and South Wales coming third, fourth and fifth respectively ...
In this age of social networks, the dividing line between private life and public life seems more and more blurred. The same is true of the boundary between individuals' personal and professional lives. Indeed, headlines in the past few weeks remind us that the personal and professional aspects of an individual's life can sometimes become confused, at great cost to the individual ...
Writer, Margaret Rouse, describes a social media policy as “a corporate code of conduct that provides guidelines for employees who post content on the internet, either as part of their job or as a private person”. Underestimating the significance of a sound social media policy may lead to dire consequences for an organisation ...
This is the age of government regulation. Businesses pay millions of dollars each year to comply with ever-increasing regulatory requirements intended to avoid catastrophic loss to persons and property. While corporate America underwrites the lion’s share of the cost associated with enhanced safety, the benefits are realized primarily by consumers, politicians and insurers. Yes, insurers. A dollar spent on preventing loss is a dollar saved by insurance companies ...
In this article, we provide a brief overview of the most important new rules applicable to Hungarian data protection laws after 1 October 2015. BCRs accepted after 1 October 2015 Binding corporate rules (BCR) have so far not been recognized by Hungarian law and, thus, could not be used whenever personal data were transferred to a non-EEA country ...
A Texas federal court recently ordered an insurer to reimburse an oil and gas company for costs and expenses incurred while defending against environmental claims. The court found that a duty to defend existed even though the insured failed to immediately notify the insurer of the occurrence, giving rise to the claim as required by the insurance policy, and despite alleged willful miscon- duct that was excluded from coverage under the policy ...
The financial pressures resulting from the “narrow network” phenomenon are well-known to healthcare providers and payers. Many providers have been eliminated from existing networks in order to allow participating providers access to a greater volume of patients. Those remaining providers have seen lower reimbursement rates and other cost containment measures ...
Empezaron las eliminatorias al próximo Mundial pero las investigaciones por sobornos de la FIFA continúan – tendrán cobertura bajo pólizas de seguros las compañías y altos ejecutivos siendo investigados?El Comité de Ética de la FIFA anunció el 8 de octubre la suspensión provisional por 90 días de Joseph Blatter, presidente de la FIFA, y de Michel Platini, presidente de UEFA y vicepresidente de FIFA, entre otras suspensiones que fueron anunciadas en ese mismo momento ...
The Philippine section of The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Patents 2016 was contributed by SyCipLaw partners Enrique T. Manuel and Vida M. Panganiban-Alindogan. The chapter includes patent enforcement, patent amendment, licensing, patent term extension, patent prosecution and opposition, border control measures, antitrust law and inequitable conduct and current developments in relation to patents ...
The court of appeal of Quebec recently ruled on a leave to appeal from an interlocutory judgment dismissing a wellington type motion seeking to order an insurer to take up the defence of its insured.The decision of the Court inTechnologies CII inc.v.Société d’assurances générales Northbridge1follows the one issued on April 21, 2015 by the Honourable Michel A ...
The Finnish Criminal Code has been recently amended to combat cybercrime more effectively. The Criminal Code now takes a tougher stance against cybercrime by amending certain provisions, introducing completely new provisions and more severe penalties. The amendments entered into force 4 September 2015. From now on, cybercrime offences, such as illegal data interference and identity theft, can be found under their own titles in the Criminal Code ...
Although many of us still wonder at a drone cruising the sky, it has become relatively common to see these devices around. Drones are used for commercial, industrial, marketing and informational purposes, and also for pure fun and enjoyment. Drones, technically referred to as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), are now part of our lives. As many other aspects of day-to-day life, there is a regulation in Guatemala that applies to drones, though it is scarcely known by the general public ...
Over the past weekend, a series of tornadoes and severe storms caused significant injuries and property damage across seven states, including Texas. In Garland and Rowlett, northeast of Dallas, wreckage from businesses and homes, trees, power lines, cars and other debris litter the streets for miles ...
Real estate professionals, owners, managers, investors and lenders, as well as anyone else involved in today’s real estate market, face a variety of risks of loss. Here are ten ways insurance can help mitigate potential liabilities. 1. Additional Insured Coverages. Real estate transactions are complex, with multiple parties with diverse roles and durations of involvement. This means multiple policies of insurance ...
Winter Storm Jonas has finally departed the mid-Atlantic, leaving behind snow depths best measured with a yardstick and, now, mounting reports of significant damage to property and resulting interruptions to businesses near and far from the path of the storm ...
On February 18 last, the Supreme Court of Canada1 denied leave to appeal in the matter of Intact Compagnie d’assurance c. 9221-2133 Québec inc.2, thus confirming the principles applicable to the duty of the insured to collaborate ...
Since mid-February, there has been an ongoing debate in the public sphere regarding the high profile case that found the global IT giant Apple and FBI on opposite sides of the legal spectrum. The case's background involves the 2015 San Bernardino shooting incident in USA, and the fact that one of the perpetrators was in possession of an iPhone potentially containing relevant information for the ensuing investigation ...
Since mid-February, there has been an ongoing debate in the public sphere regarding the high profile case that found the global IT giant Apple and FBI on opposite sides of the legal spectrum. The case's background involves the 2015 San Bernardino shooting incident in USA, and the fact that one of the perpetrators was in possession of an iPhone potentially containing relevant information for the ensuing investigation ...
On February 1, 2016, the Superior Court of Québec rendered a significant decision in the area of civil liability in the context of the practice of a sport1. The judgment was widely reported in the media due, on the one hand, to the importance of the amount granted by the judge (8 million dollars) and, on the other hand, because it is closely related to the practice of the national sport of Canadians ...
On 15.12.2015 EU Commission, Council and Parliament agreed on the final terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in their trialogue negotiations. It is generally expected that the draft will be adopted soon, in any event not later than summer 2016. This ends the uncertainty about the content of the new European Data Protection law which will be directly applicable in all Member States two years after the adoption by Commission, Council and Parliament ...
On December 27th, 2015, Anti-Terrorism Law of People's Republic of China has been passed and promulgated on the eighteenth session of the 12th NPC Standing Committee, whose aim is to combat terrorism, safeguard national security and public safety (hereinafter referred to as "Anti-Terrorism Law "). The Anti-Terrorism Law will take effect since January 1st, 2016. Terrorist activities severely jeopardize public security and it is everyone’s hope to eradicate it ...
On February 1, 2016, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) published the Winter 2015 issue of Supervisory Insights. Not surprisingly, the first article dealt with the most important issue facing the financial industry today – cybersecurity ...
Virtually every merger or acquisition includes representations or requirements regarding insurance. Every corporate counsel knows that warranties regarding the adequacy of insurance coverage must be verified. Every sophisticated director and officer will require ongoing insurance coverage and indemnification after the closing of a merger. Many experienced counsel are savvy enough to watch out for basic insurance traps like anti-assignment provisions ...
A company that obtains information from a number of competitors (for example, to create industry statistics or to provide price comparisons) should be careful not to facilitate the flow of confidential information between those competitors. Two recent cases highlight the potential competition law issues. We will then look at some practical considerations to keep in mind ...
