Did you know? A pilot program providing Hong Kong applicants with the opportunity to expedite their patent applications filed in China has been in place since 1 Jan 2023. The scheme allows Hong Kong permanent residents and entities legally registered in Hong Kong to request prioritized examination for their patent applications before the China National Intellectual Property Administration ...
On 30 June 2023, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (Exchange) published conclusions to its consultation launched last December on its proposals to expand the paperless listing regime and other Listing Rule amendments. The Exchange will adopt all the proposals with a few minor modifications ...
Some experts have described the rise of AI as the next industrial revolution. Generative AI is a powerful tool that can transform how your business operates. However, businesses intending to make use of AI solutions need to understand the benefits and risks of implementing generative AI.1 What is Generative AI? Artificial Intelligence – Generative AI is a branch of AI that uses pre-trained AI models to generate new data including text, images, videos, music, and even computer code ...
On 28 October 2021, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) released the consultation conclusions on proposed amendments to the Code on Pooled Retirement Funds (PRF Code). The amended PRF Code will become effective upon gazettal, which is expected to be some time in November 2021 (Effective Date) ...
On 27 August 2021, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”), a group of private-market participants convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2014 to lead the LIBOR transition in the United States, issued FAQs and Best Practice Recommendations on, among other things, the use of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) and its term rates (“Term SOFR”), following the ARRC’s formal recommendatio
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (“HKMA”) released a technical whitepaper on CBDC on 4th October 2021 “e-HKD: A technical perspective” (“Whitepaper”). The HKMA announced its “Fintech 2025” strategy in June this year, one part of which is to strengthen research work into CBDC with a view to future-proofing Hong Kong in terms of CBDC readiness ...
The European Commission adopted a new set of Standard Contractual Clauses (“New SCCs”), effective 27 June 2021, for the transfer of personal data to non-EU regions. From 27 September 2021 onwards, data exporters and data importers can only conclude contracts which incorporate the New SCCs for the transfer of personal data out of the European Union ...
On 13 October 2021, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) issued an Announcement on the Participation of Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors and RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors in Financial Derivatives Transactions (Announcement, available here in Chinese) ...
On 30 September 2021, the Government passed into law the Securities and Futures (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 and the Limited Partnership Fund and Business Registration Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 (the Ordinances). These new laws will enable foreign investment funds to be re-domiciled and registered in Hong Kong as open-ended fund companies (OFCs) or limited partnership funds (LPFs). The Ordinances will come into effect on 1 November 2021 ...
Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) held two virtual briefing sessions in October 2021 and provided useful guidance on its newest climate-related risk management requirements for fund managers, as detailed in the Consultation Conclusions on the Management and Disclosure of Climate-related Risks by Fund Managers (with amendments to the Fund Manager Code of Conduct (FMCC)) and the Circular issued on 20 August 2021 ...
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 our Client Alert dated 26 March 2021, we reported that the Government had released a draft Technical Circular on the implementation of the spirit of Security of Payment Legislation (SOPL) in public works contracts. The draft Circular was provided to stakeholders to comment and the Circular aimed at implementing certain measures of SOPL on public works contracts, term contracts and related subcontracts tendered after July/August 2021 ...
The Personal Information Protection Law (the “PIPL”) will take effect on 1 November 2021. It follows the fundamental rules on protecting personal information under the Cybersecurity Law and Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). We highlight below the key points in the PIPL on processing personal information within China, and outbound transfer of personal information, which may impact businesses whether they are operating in or outside the PRC. 1 ...
There were conflicting judicial opinions of first instance courts as to whether the exception in summary judgment applications under Order 14, rule 1(2)(b) of the Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A) (Fraud Exception) covers actions in which the defendant is not alleged to be a party to the fraud, but where allegations of fraud are made against a third party. In R. Stahl Inc ...
On 29 September 2021, the Hong Kong Legislative Council passed a bill to reform the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) (PDPO) by introducing a two-tier offence to criminalise doxxing acts, conferring new enforcement powers on the Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner to prosecute doxxing offences and issue cessation notices with extra-territorial effect to demand the removal of doxxing contents by both Hong Kong persons and non-Hong Kong service providers ...
On 15 September 2021, the SFC issued a press release relating to the Consultation Conclusions (Conclusions) on proposals to amend its anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) guidelines, approximately one year after the SFC issued the consultation paper (Consultation) on 18 September last year ...
On 15 September 2021, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) jointly announced that southbound trading of the Bond Connect scheme (Southbound Bond Connect) would be officially launched on 24 September 2021 (the joint announcement is available here) ...
In Triple Point Technology Inc v PTT Public Company Ltd [2021] UKSC 29, the principal issue before the Court was the approach to be adopted when interpreting a liquidated damages clause in a contract i.e. a clause providing for a pre-determined sum agreed upon in the event of a specified breach by one of the parties ...
The recent judgment in Kinli Civil Engineering Ltd v Geotech Engineering Ltd, HCA 2141/2020, is a reminder of the importance of choosing words carefully when drafting an arbitration clause, to ensure that it reflects the parties’ intentions as to how any disputes that may arise are to be resolved. Background The proceedings were instituted by the Plaintiff (K) against the Defendant (G) for sums, said to be due under a contract between them (Contract) ...
In Surrey County Council v Suez Recycling and Recovery Surrey Ltd [2021] EWHC 2015, the parties had entered into a number of agreements and England’s Technology and Construction Court had to determine what they had ultimately agreed should be the appropriate dispute resolution forum. The Court granted the application for a stay of the proceedings in favour of arbitration, under s.9 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (equivalent to s ...
In Perpetual Wealth (Hong Kong) Ltd v Be Solutions Company Ltd, HCA 1905/2018, the Court emphasised that for construction cases, the starting point for expert directions is that single joint expert (SJE) evidence is preferred, as it assists to narrow the scope of the issues in dispute, shortens the trial, facilitates settlement of issues and often leads to global settlement of the action ...
The green light was recently given for two substantive changes in family law practice. First, on 15 February 2022, the Mainland Judgments in Matrimonial and Family Cases (Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement) Ordinance (Cap. 639) (Ordinance) and Rules will come into operation. Secondly, there is a new Guidance Noteon Case Management and Time Tabling in Children and Ancillary Relief Proceedings issued by the Judiciary under Practice Direction SL10.4 ...
Background On 10 September 2021, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and People’s Bank of China (PBoC)released their respective implementation rules in connection with the cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect (WMC) pilot scheme in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) ...
