Part 2 of this series is about data protection. In case of questions, please contact Zoltán Balázs Kovács. How do you secure data in the home office environment? What policies should be in place to secure data and devices? What does a data breach mean? Employers must comply with the principle of accountability and demonstrate compliance (including by way of applying proper internal policies). This is important also from the perspective of data security ...
An app that has captivated Generation Z with the ability to create and share videos has been dragged into the US-China power struggle, becoming its latest flashpoint. The current social media darling, TikTok, boasts 800 million active users. Reports value it at up to US$50 billion (S$68.4 billion). Considering that its Beijing-based app maker launched it worldwide only two years ago, that represents huge growth ...
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) issued an interpretive letter (the “Stablecoin Letter”) confirming that national banks and federal savings associations are permitted to take and hold fiat currency deposits that serve as reserves for fiat-currency backed stablecoins associated with hosted digital wallets (the “OCC Stablecoin Letter”) ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has been not only causing major social upheaval but disrupting business development and the economy as well. Nevertheless, since last March, we have seen many developments and new projects involving self-driving vehicles (SDV). Here is an overview ...
The functioning of the World Wide Web is in many ways dependent on the use of hyperlinks. Many of those hyperlinks refer to works protected by copyright. In his recent Opinion, Advocate General Szpunar has considered which kinds of hyperlinks should be regarded as a communication to the public that require the copyright holder’s prior authorisation ...
What Happened: The US warns victims of ransomware and companies facilitating ransomware payments of potential Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) violations in light of rising ransomware attacks. The Bottom Line: Individuals and companies risk potential civil penalties based on strict liability if a ransomware payment involves a person or entity on OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (“SDN List”) ...
The electronic commerce industry is expected to expand by five to seven percent in the coming years while the streaming services business is also expected to exponentially grow, with more and more Filipinos opting to do their transactions online, as well as accessing Internet-based content and entertainment. Philippine authorities are inevitably focusing their regulatory gaze on these enterprises. A ...
Law 58/2020 of 31 August implements into Portuguese law Directive (EU) 2018/843 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing. It enshrines in the Portuguese legal framework a first approach to the regulation of entities that engage in activities with virtual assets ...
AELEX is the exclusive contributor to the Nigerian Chapter of The Legal 500 (Legalease): Franchise and Licensing Country Comparative Guides. The country specific Guide provides a pragmatic overview of how businesses can set up franchises and also license their technology and intellectual property rights in Nigeria. The Guide was authored by our Davidson Oturu,Tiwalola Osazuwa and Kofoworola Oyegunle. Please click here to read the Guide ...
On July 10, 2020, the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) released a Risk Alert highlighting the dangers of ransomware to SEC-registered entities, including investment advisers. The Risk Alert is a response to a marked uptick in both the prevalence and sophistication of ransomware attacks in recent months. Ransomware is a type of malware used by criminals to gain control of your or your firm’s confidential information and customer data ...
In response to the ongoing disruption caused by COVID-19, OCIE issued a Risk Alert on Aug. 12, 2020. In the Risk Alert, OCIE makes various observations and recommendations which fall into six different categories: (1) protection of investors’ assets; (2) supervision of personnel; (3) practices relating to fees, expenses, and financial transactions; (4) investment fraud; (5) business continuity; and (6) the protection of investor and other sensitive information ...
OCIE’s most recent Risk Alert, published Sept. 15, 2020, address another cybersecurity issue, this time highlighting the dangers of “credential stuffing.” Credential stuffing is a method of cyberattack that uses compromised client login credentials and can lead to loss of customer assets and the disclosure of confidential or other personal information. Hackers will obtain groups or lists of usernames, email addresses, and their passwords from sellers on the dark web ...
Although the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reported a slight decrease in settlements with life sciences companies in FY2019 (the most recent year for which data is available),[1] this likely will be a temporary trend. Several significant settlements and investigations in 2020 provide key insights into government enforcement priorities as we look toward 2021 ...
On 25 September 2020 Parliament approved the final draft of the revised Data Protection Act (rev-DPA).(1) The rev-DPA is expected to enter into force in 2022. However, it is subject to a facultative referendum and the corresponding ordinance will be adapted accordingly – thus, the rev-DPA is still a work in progress ...
Introduction On 16 October 2020 the government reinforced the urgent measures to limit the further spread of COVID-19. Teleworking is no longer highly recommended, but has become the standard for all employees whose roles allow for telework. Yet, the new rule is less far-reaching than that in place during the first lockdown in March 2020, as an exception now applies when the continuity of business operations, activities and services does not allow for teleworking ...
It is the time of year for a good scare– but not all a welcome treat! The U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services(HHS)published a cyber-threat advisory that comes as no great surprise to healthcare providers. As all healthcare providers are focused on continuing to provide excellent care during this COVID-19 pandemic, it is unfortunate that cyber-criminals see this as an opportunity for healthcare targeted ransomware attacks ...
On 25 September 2020 Parliament approved new regulations for Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT).(1) The goal of this new legal framework is to further establish and increase Switzerland's reputation as a leading, innovative and sustainable location for fintech and DLT companies. DLT framework DLT allows shared data management and, in particular, shared accounting among participants that do not know or do not trust each other's identity ...
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on October 29, 2020 it reached a more than $9.2 million settlement with Medtronic USA Inc. to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) and Open Payment Program.[1] Specifically, Medtronic agreed to pay $8.1 million to resolve FCA allegations it paid kickbacks to induce a South Dakota neurosurgeon to use its SynchroMed II intrathecal infusion pumps ...
If a branded medicine and its generic version are put on the EEA market by economically linked undertakings, is a parallel importer then allowed to rebrand and repackage the imported generic version as the branded reference medicine? This has been a hotly debated issue in recent years and recently led the Brussels Court of Appeal (CoA) to refer three questions to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) (Cases C-253/20 and C-254/20) ...
The Privacy Commissioners of Canada, Alberta and British Columbia issued a joint investigation report, finding that Cadillac Fairview did not obtain adequate consent for the collection of digital images of faces through facial recognition technology (Anonymous Video Analytics) installed in wayfinding directories in some of their Canadian shopping malls ...
We have recently discovered growing interest in implementation of diversity and inclusion (“D&I”) programs by companies operating in Russia. D&I programs imply processing of new categories of employee personal data and new purpose of data processing. For this, Russian Labour laws do not provide for any requirement nor regulation for implementation of D&I programs ...
In this newsletter you will find a selection of the main legal news related to the fintech and digital banking market in Argentina. 3.0 transfers New open and interoperable model for instant payments As we anticipated in previous bulletins, the Central Bank (BCRA) completely updated the system of immediate electronic payments existing until now, taking it to a much more ambitious, interoperable and open model, which aims to interconnect bank accounts and accounts on an equal footing ...
While public attention focused on the federal and state elections, Michigan voters made an important decision—they adopted Proposal 20-2, which amended Michigan’s Constitution to extend its protection from unreasonable searches and seizures to electronic data and communications ...
Introduction The rapid spread of COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in demand for medical devices (MDs) and personal protective equipment (PPE), masks for social use (textile articles) and other products destined to prevent the spread of the disease. As a result, it became clear that there was insufficient supply to meet existing needs during the state of emergency and the subsequent period ...
