BackgroundOn June 12, 2013, the Canadian government announced its intention to introduce new legislation requiring the disclosure of payments made by Canadian extractive resource companies to domestic and foreign governments. While the United States and European Union have both already taken steps towards implementing mandatory payment reporting requirements for their mining, oil, and gas companies, Canada has now also joined the global movement towards transparency in this regard ...
Every day, our digital footprint gets larger as we continue to rely more heavily on technology in our day-to-day lives. From an inheritance and succession point of view, this poses an important question: What happens to our digital assets when we die? Often when writing a will, people will consider any physical property they own as well as any investments and sums held in bank accounts ...
A recent posting by United Kingdom IP firm Beck Greener discusses a very interesting European Union case involving sound marks. If you have any interest in trade marks, you will know that trade marks can take many forms. Although most trade marks are words or logos, trade marks can be all sorts of things… straplines (slogans), product shapes, store layouts colours, sounds, smells or tastes. But many of these more exotic types of trade marks can be difficult to protect ...
Like most industries, tech startups have been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As they scramble to adapt to a rapidly changing climate, tech leaders are asking if, and to what extent, their businesses can benefit from the $2 trillion stimulus package known as the CARES Act ...
In the Loop: With the Hanson Bridgett Government Group Many of us have had to request reimbursement from our company for an expense, which can be a pretty complicated process. For members of a legislative body, these rules can be even more specific. We'll think about Buddy, who sits on city council. Not long ago, the City gave Buddy a city-owned tablet to allow him to do his job remotely ...
Ahead of the 2021 holiday season, as children dream about the toys that Santa Claus will bring them, let?s take a look back at a landmark decision that reviews what is copyrightable under the Copyright Act ...
In our previous article, we reported that the court had refused to frustrate a tenancy agreement due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social disruption: The Center (76) Limited v Victory Serviced Office (HK) Limited HCA 1020/2020; [2020] HKCFI 2881. In this article, we will discuss several recent decisions on the same subject. The tenants’ arguments in all of these cases, that their payment obligations were discharged/suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, failed ...
In the recent judgment of The Center (76) Limited V Victory Serviced Office (HK) Limited HCA 1020/2020; [2020] HKCFI 2881, the Hong Kong Court of First Instance rejected a tenant’s argument that the tenancy agreement was frustrated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social disruption ...
Assuming that a foreign court exercises the power to issue letters rogatory or to appoint a commission to examine a witness in Quebec and to ask him to produce some documents, how can that be carried out in Quebec and is there a «blocking statute» protecting some of the documents?The Special Procedure Act (R.S.Q. c. P-27)The Special Procedure Act, Division VI (the «S.P.A.») governs rogatory commissions within Quebec for the purposes of a foreign lawsuit ...
The Court of Appeal has given some much-needed clarity on this issue in the recent decision of Abbey Healthcare (Mill Hill) Limited v Simply Construct (UK) LLP [2022]. In a majority judgment, the Court of Appeal reversed the first instance decision and held that the collateral warranty in question was a construction contract within the meaning of s.104(1) of the Housing Grants, Construction & Regeneration Act 1996 (the Construction Act) ...
On 15 June 2023, three groups namely the Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP), Pregnant Then Screwed (PTS) and Women in Data, published their collaborative report on the social and economic impact associated with extended paternity leave and pay. Currently in the UK, the statutory entitlement to paternity leave is capped at two weeks, with the weekly rate for paternity pay amounting to the lower of £172.48 per week or 90% of average weekly earnings ...
The General Department of Taxation (“GDT”) issued new Instruction No. 20522 (“VAT Instruction”) on 8 December 2021 which provides further clarity on the implementation of Sub-Decree 65 S.E and Prakas 542 MEF.P that were both issued earlier this year ...
The 31st of March is already an auspicious date in the Cambodian tax calendar: It is the deadline for most taxpayers in Cambodia to submit their annual Income Tax return. This year, however, the last day of March is also the deadline for non-resident e-commerce providers to register for value-added tax (“VAT”) in Cambodia ...
On 8 September 2021 the Ministry of the Economy and Finance (“MEF”) issued Prakas 543 on Tax on Salary (“Prakas 543”) and Prakas 542 on the Rules and Procedures concerning the Implementation of Value Added Tax on E-Commerce Activities (“Prakas 542”) ...
January 2022 has seen the issuance of Instruction No. 002 AAR.N (“Instruction 002”) on the Compulsory Submission of Annual Financial Statements to the Accounting and Auditing Regulator (“ACAR”) and Instruction 001 AAR.I regarding the Submission to the ACAR on the use of English for computerized or other accounting systems (“Instruction 001”). We set out the salient points with respect to Instruction 002 and Instruction 001 below for your reference ...
Overview On 15 October 2021, the New Law on Investment (“New Investment Law”) was promulgated, which aims to provide a comprehensive, transparent and predictable legal framework to attract both domestic and foreign investment. The New Investment Law replaces the existing 1994 Law on Investment and the 2003 Law on the Amendment to the Law on Investment (“Former Investment Law”) from its promulgation date (15 October 2021) ...
On 29 June 2021, the Ministry of the Environment (“MOE”) issued five new Prakas pursuant to Prakas No. 021 dated 3 February 2020 on the Classification of Environmental Impact Assessments (“EIA”) for Development Projects. These new Prakas determine the procedures and implementation guidelines for checklists used to prepare initial environmental and social impact assessment (“IEIA”) reports ...
Overview On 22 February 2023, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued a new regulation on the Forms and Procedures for Issuance of Temporary Suspension Measures and/or Decisions by the Cambodia Competition Commission (“CCC”) to strengthen the enforcement of the Law on Competition (“Competition Law”) in Cambodia ...
On 31 May 2022, Sub-Decree 102 on Transitional Fines for Violation of the Law on the Management of Commercial Gambling (“Sub-Decree 102”) was issued by the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) pursuant to Article 92 of the Commercial Gambling Law ...
On 29 March 2023, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (“MEF”), in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”), issued a new regulation regarding the Official Fees for Issuance of Compliance Certificates for Commercial Advertisements on Goods and/or Services in Cambodia (“Prakas 167”) ...
The General Department of Taxation (“GDT”) issued Instruction no. 1972 GDT on 31 January 2022 (“Instruction 1972”) which sets out obligations for taxpayers in Cambodia that carry out projects for public interest in connection with a grant or loan agreement (“Agreement”) or memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) between the Royal Government of Cambodia and another government or national development agency or partner international organisations ...
Key points From 8 September 2021 non-resident entities who provide digital goods/services or e-commerce activities to Cambodian consumers and who expect to have sales of USD15k or more before the end of the year, over three consecutive months, have 30 days to register for VAT with the General Department of Taxation (GDT) in Cambodia. From 2022 onward the same non-resident entities, as described above, that expect to have sales of USD62 ...
The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (“MLMUPC”) issued a new Prakas No. 109 on 22 November 2021 on the Formalities for Certification Work of Architectural Design and Structural Design (“Prakas 109”). The purpose of this Prakas 109 is to regulate the formalities of inspection and certification works in order to implement the Sub-Decree No ...