On 6 April 2020, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (“ICASA”) published the Information and Communications Technology (“ICT”) COVID-19 National Disaster Regulations (the "Regulations"). The stated purpose of the Regulations is to prescribe the minimum standards to which all licensee (electronic communication services and broadcasting services) must adhere for the duration of the National State of Disaster ...
In order to allow telecommunications´ users connectivity in case that, due to force majeure, they cannot pay their monthly bills, the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications has agreed with some operators of mobile and fixed telecommunication services in the country, the establishment of a " Solidarity Connectivity Plan "that will be effective from April 1, 2020 ...
As misinformation on COVID-19 continues to spread, there is another more serious threat being dispersed through back trade channels and that is of counterfeit goods either for sale at exorbitant prices or fake goods proclaiming to cure or treat the virus. In 2018, Forbes announced that counterfeiting was the largest criminal enterprise in the world[1] and the sales of counterfeit and pirated goods totals $1.7 trillion per year, which is more than drugs and human trafficking ...
Associate Partner Sarmis Spilbergs and Associate Mikijs Zimecs have prepared a sample of a Privacy Policy that may help employees to process data related to COVID-19 in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation ...
On April 6, 2020, the National Consumer Service (SERNAC) published the "Interpretative Circular on distance contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic", which seeks to set general guidelines regarding distance contracting with consumers during the constitutional state of catastrophe due to public calamity. To safeguard the basic rights embodied in Law No ...
The set of several emergency measures of the Ministry of Health dated 23 March 2020 banned the retail sale of goods and services. It also banned the public presence at selected premises or selected times, prohibited the operation of certain premises, prohibited the free movement of persons or restricted the activities of public authorities and administrative bodies. On 26 March 2020 the Ministry of Health amended these measures ...
As soon as we began to shelter-in-place during the COVID-19 crisis, most of us also started to hold virtual meetings, both professional and personal, as a better, more satisfying way to connect. For this, we turned en masse to a handful of video conferencing platforms. However, while we can all agree that these services help us do our jobs and stay in touch with loved ones, these services raise many novel privacy and security concerns ...
As detailed in our previous alert, Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently committed to begin the gradual process of reopening businesses in Texas. On April 17, 2020, Governor Abbott issued two Executive Orders that relate to the strategic reopening of select services as the first step to open Texas in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Impact on Retail Employers Executive Order GA 16 (“E.O ...
Another week brings another round of COVID-19-related lawsuits. Even after a month, we already can identify some early trends: refund lawsuits and second amendment claims continue to boom. A rise in takings claims may signal another trend, or a recent adverse decision from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court may throw cold water on business owners and citizens’ efforts to be compensated for government-directed impacts ...
Key Points: Since Governor Newsom announced a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak, private Proposition 65 enforcement has increased by about 50%. Effective April 1st, new regulations clarify how manufacturers can satisfy their Proposition 65 warning obligations. These new regulations also clarify when retail sellers assume the burden under Proposition 65 to warn Californians ...
At a news conference on April 20, Governor Wolf announced he is extending his stay-at-home order until May 8, 2020. But in a nod to a construction industry that has been particularly hard-hit by the Governor’s shutdown and stay-at-home orders, Governor Wolf said he also will permit construction (both residential and non-residential construction) to resume throughout the Commonwealth on May 8, 2020 ...
The digital signature in Bolivia was created by the General Law on Telecommunications, Information and Communication Technologies No. 164, published on August 8, 2011, granting full legal and evidentiary validity to the legal act or business carried out using this technological tool. Supreme Decree No ...
The Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC) issued an administrative order, through Resolution 19012 of 2020, to providers of telecommunications networks and services providers (TNSP) to safeguard the rights of its users. We highlight the following measures: For mobile phone and internet operators: inform users of postpaid and prepaid services of their rights during the state of emergency and the rules that apply to the suspension of service for non-payment on time ...
The new COVID Prague program focused on business activities in the Capital City of Prague followed the fate of its predecessors COVID I and COVID II. This means that the available funds were exhausted on the same day as the receipt of applications, which thus ends. The COVID I and COVID II programs are also exhausted. Entrepreneurs thus have no choice but to wait for the announcement of the conditions of the COVID III program ...
The Philippine Government has issued a slew of resolutions and circulars as part of its response to the COVID 19 pandemic and unsurprisingly, a number of legal and practical issues have beset businesses and persons under the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ)1. Like the rest of the world, the country is bracing itself for a new normal – in the way enterprises are run, services are rendered, everyday tasks are undertaken ...
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the volume of counterfeit goods produced by Chinese manufacturers appears to be on the rise again. While counterfeit goods have been a challenge that online retailers have been fighting for years, the risk has become greater in the COVID-19 era when more consumers are turning to online shopping. Counterfeit goods result in lost revenue and reputational harm to retailers ...
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the volume of counterfeit goods produced by Chinese manufacturers appears to be on the rise again. While counterfeit goods have been a challenge that online retailers have been fighting for years, the risk has become greater in the COVID-19 era when more consumers are turning to online shopping. Counterfeit goods result in lost revenue and reputational harm to retailers ...
Now is the time to prepare for when non-essential businesses will be allowed to re-open after the various state and local COVID-19 shutdown orders are lifted. We do not know when that date will be or how the orders will be lifted, but planning now can make that phase go smoother for building owners and managers as well as tenants in those buildings. One thing we can be certain of is that the use and operation of buildings will not be “back to normal” for a while ...
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of states have temporarily waived or modified licensure requirements, allowing licensed practitioners from other states to provide in-person or telehealth services without seeking state-specific licenses. During this unprecedented time, states have quickly recognized the need for medical professionals to work across state lines and the importance of expanding telehealth services ...
WHAT'S NEW COVID-19 Business Strategies Hub Since the news first broke about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the global economy, Dinsmore has worked diligently to create the COVID-19 Business Strategies Hub. The Hub features attorney insights and complementary webinars to help you prepare and respond to legal, regulatory, and commercial implications related to the crisis ...
On April 29, 2020, the Agency for Access to Public Information (the “AAIP”, by its Spanish acronym) issued a statement through its website informing how personal data should be processed in the use of geolocation tools, especially in the context of the health emergency due to the COVID-19. In this connection, the AAIP communicates that the Personal Data Protection Law No ...
