During the last two days, the Labour Court judgment in the matter of Solidarity and Others v The South African Broadcasting Corporation (“SABC”) (case no. J 1343/16, 26 July 2016) has been widely publicised and is well-known to South Africans. The judgment relates to a protest policy recently introduced by the SABC, in terms of which it would no longer broadcast footage of destruction of public property during protests ...
The decision by the International Trademark Association (“INTA”) to host a major meeting in Cape Town – apparently the first INTA conference to take place on African soil – is highly significant. It certainly says a great deal about the continent's growing economic importance. The conference takes place on 1 – 2 September 2016 and it’s entitled “Building Africa with Brands” ...
On July 5, 2016 the Chilean Congress enacted Law No. 20,931 (“Anti-crime Agenda”), strengthening the prosecution of robbery, burglary, theft and willfully or negligently receiving or possessing stolen goods. The Chilean Criminal Code sanctions any individual who knowingly or negligently possesses, transports, buys, converts or trades goods proceeding from theft, robbery, embezzlement and/or cattle theft. Negligent behavior can also be prosecuted ...
On June 17, 2016, the Superior Court1 affirmed the 2014 decision of the Commission des lésions professionnelles2 ("CLP") in Canadelle, s.e.c. and Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail ...
Implementation of Prakas on minimum registered capital of banking and financial institutions,Circular № B7-016-117 C.L, dated 16 June 2016This Circular, issued on 16 June 2016, aims at implementing Prakas №B7-016-117 on Minimum Registered Capital of Banking and Financial Institutions (“BFIs”), dated 22 March 2016 (“Prakas №B7-016-117”), in relation to procedures for increasing the minimum registered capital requirements of BFIs ...
Media outlets have recently been reporting on the possibility that Nikola Tesla Airport will acquire Sava Centar (SC), with the purpose of turning it into its company headquarters. This acquisition would be followed by an investment of over EUR 30 million in the next three years for the building's reconstruction and adaptation ...
Allied Irish Bank PLC -v- Moloney & anor [2016] IEHC 346 Twomey J, 20 June 2016, concerned an application by Allied Irish Bank (AIB) for summary judgment in the sum of €10.8m. The defendants contested the application claiming that they had a binding oral agreement with AIB, whereby it was agreed that the defendants would sell the properties charged to AIB, and the outstanding loan would be written off. The fact of the borrowings was not disputed ...
Last June 24th, the Supreme Court of Canada (the ?Supreme Court?) rendered judgment in the case of British Columbia (Workers? Compensation Appeal Tribunal) v. Fraser Health Authority1 (?Fraser?). Briefly, this case involved seven laboratory technicians from the same hospital who had breast cancer. Each of them filed a claim for compensation under the Workers Compensation Act (the ?Act?), alleging that their cancer was an occupational disease ...
Latest news reports from the airline industry show that the European Commission has ended their investigation into the ownership structure of "Air Serbia", reaching a conclusion that Serbia indeed holds management rights over its national air carrier. Furthermore, having in mind their minority stake in Air Serbia, Etihad Airways has thus been enabled to operate according to EU standards in Serbia ...
The July 2016 issue of the Asian Legal Business (ALB) Asia Edition included a regional update article entitled "Single Entry Approach: Mandatory Conciliation and Mediation of Labor Disputes", contributed by SyCipLaw partner Marianne M. Miguel and SyCipLaw Associate Mary Grace L. Javier. The article discussed the Department Order No ...
Two recent high-profile cases involving popular songs have placed the spotlight on copyright issues. In the first of these, in California, a Los Angeles jury has decided that Led Zeppelin’s 1971 rock classic Stairway to Heaven did not infringe the copyright in a 1967 song called Spirit by the band Taurus. The case centred on the opening chord sequence in Stairway to Heaven, which the jury concluded was not “intrinsically similar” to the sequence in Spirit ...
A recent European trade mark decision highlights how risky it can be to simply register the word version of a trade mark that is used in a stylised form. The case also highlights an issue that may be worthwhile considering when creating a trade mark – simpler may be cheaper. The decision in question involved a European registration for the trade mark Aunt Bessie’s in ordinary script for a range of foodstuffs ...
When the wording of a construction-related guarantee is ambiguous, the intention of the parties involved is key in determining its true nature. This was highlighted in a recent Supreme Court of Appeal (“SCA”) judgment, which found that the best way to determine the parties’ intention was to look at all relevant facts ...
Dear Sir or Madam,We would like to inform you that in October 2016 significant changes in Russian labour legislation will come into force. The changes are as follows:Salary payment terms are specified. Salary shall be paid not later than 15th day of the month following the assessment one. Rate of interest for pay pause has increased. The rate of interest has increased twice: from 1/300 of the key interest rate to 1/150 ...
Last June 8, Carlos J. Leitão, the Minister responsible for Government Administration and Ongoing Program Review and Chair of the Conseil du trésor, tabled Bill 108, An Act to facilitate oversight of public bodies' contracts and to establish the Autorité des marchés publics ...
Amendments to Russian Civil Code on different types of interest under Articles 317.1 and 395Dear Sir or Madam,We would like to inform you that on July 5, 2016 the President of the Russian Federation signed Federal Law dated 03.07.2016 No. 315 “On Amendments to Part I of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation and certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” (hereinafter referred to as the “Law”), which comes into force from August 01, 2016 ...
According to recent news reports, the Bosnian Ambassador in Podgorica, Đorđe Latinović, stated that a labour agreement between BiH and Montenegro on temporal employment is due to be signed soon. The main purpose of this agreement being to regulate the status of seasonal workers in the two countries and reduce the possibility of undeclared work ...
Extension of Deadline for Online Company Re-Registration, Notification № 2338 (Ministry of Commerce) 01 July 2016According to Prakas 300, dated 29 December 2015, all companies, branches, and representative offices registered in Cambodia wererequired to complete a re-registration process through the Ministry of Commerce’s online registration portal which was launched in January 2016.The deadline for completing the re-registration process was previously extended from March to 30 June 2016 ...
Banking and FinanceMEMBERSHIP OF FAST AND CENTRAL SHARED SWITCH SYSTEMS, Prakas № B14-016-147 Pror Kor, dated 19 May 2016This Prakas, effective from 19 May 2016, requires banking and financial institutions to become members of FAST and Central Shared Switch systems. It aims at encouraging an easy, quick, effective, secure and reliable retail payment in order to foster the development of banking and financial sectors and the national economy ...
Patricia Gannon, Senior Partner, and Rastko Petaković, Partner, together with Associates Veton Qoku and Nevena Tomić Lučić, attended the Balkan Legal Forum ( BLF) 2016 – a conference organised by the IBA European Regional Forum and the Legal Development Foundation ...
Emphasising the importance of the shift to green trends and sustainable development has become something of a global custom in recent years, although mostly through being associated with the production of green energy and its consequential distribution. However, an often overlooked aspect in this regard has been the need for labour force that arises from the development of the so-called "green economy" ...
Clients with European Union (“EU”) trade marks, registered designs and EP patents may be wondering what will happen to their IP protection in the United Kingdom (“UK”) now that the nation has voted to leave the EU.The good news is that EU IP rights extending to the UK will not be affected in the short-term. The European Patent Office is not an EU institution, so the leave vote will have no effect on EP patents ...
Using muti or traditional preparations to intimidate, scare or threaten a colleague constitutes misconduct and employers have the right to “remove such purveyors of darkness from their environment”.This was the outcome of recent arbitration proceedings before the National Bargaining Council for the Sugar Manufacturing and Refining Industry in the case of NASARIEU obo Mngomezulu v Tongaat Hulett Sugar Limited (Darnall) (case no. NBCS5-15, 15 June 2016) ...
