States’ responses to the global pandemic may, however well-intended, harm the interests of inward investors. Under international public law, those investors have rights and so a spate of investor-State arbitral claims may well be a legacy of the pandemic. Across the world, governments have responded to Covid-19 by introducing emergency measures, which have inhibited social interaction and hampered economic activity ...
Governments are turning toward the use of data driven solutions as part of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which raises numerous privacy concerns. Contact tracing technology seeks to inform and notify individuals that have been in contact with a person infected with COVID-19, enabling such individuals to self-quarantine, receive testing and, if required, obtain follow-up treatment ...
UK law firm Shoosmiths has been mobilising its legal advisors and support staff to keep its clients up-to-date on the many potential impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. Its free, online COVID-19 hub is already packed with a wealth of information on topics that might have both short and long-term effects on business ...
The Coronavirus pandemic is presenting companies and their directors with many challenges. Simply planning for “business as usual” requires change to usual practices, involving a balance between compliance obligations and official public health advice. Holding general meetings, particularly as we enter AGM season for listed companies with a 31 December year-end, is one such challenge ...
It seems that business disruption due to coronavirus is pretty inevitable. What should you as a company director be doing if the disruption means your business starts to suffer? What changes for me as a director? As a director, you know that you owe duties to the company ...
How do you protect the privacy of people who have been infected by Covid-19, while still usefully informing those who have been put at risk? At a time of public health emergency, shouldn't GDPR take a back seat? As companies struggle to get new processes in place to cope with the potential ramifications of Covid-19, the aim of this note is to highlight how EU data protection law applies to this unusual set of circumstances ...
Force majeure clauses in business-critical contracts are coming into sharp focus at the moment as coronavirus continues to sweep the globe and the extent of the impact on global supply chains is becoming increasingly apparent. Many businesses concerned about potential disruption as a result of the coronavirus outbreak are reviewing their key contractual arrangements to understand potential contractual implications ...
The impact of the coronavirus raises a number of questions for landlords and tenants of commercial property. This article considers the most frequent questions we are asked. Can I claim a reduction in rent if I am unable to use my premises? In most cases you will not be able to claim a reduction in rent ...
On top of the multiple challenges hitting retail and leisure landlords and occupiers arising from COVID-19, the news that Intu has had to write down the value of its shopping centre portfolio by nearly £2 billion came as further bad news. Intu owns multiple high-profile retail and leisure locations across the UK (including The Trafford Centre in Manchester and the Lakeside complex in Essex) and on 12 March was widely reported as being at risk of insolvency ...
The Financial Services industry has been quick to respond to the struggles facing individuals and businesses during the current coronavirus pandemic, but there are issues they need to consider when implementing their forbearance measures ...
The spread of coronavirus is continuing to dominate the news with a fifth of the UK workforce expected to be off sick during the peak of the epidemic. As the number of confirmed cases in the UK increases daily, we look at five key issues for employers ...
There has been an increase in the number of businesses seeking to exploit coronavirus for commercial gain, often in breach of relevant advertising and consumer regulations. What can you do to make sure your advertising practices are above board? Background A surge in the demand for products related to coronavirus, such as facemasks and hand sanitiser gel, has led to a range of issues, particularly in relation to responsible advertising and fair pricing practices ...
