Many businesses rely upon restrictive covenants with their employees. These include noncompete agreements, nonsolicitation agreements and confidentiality agreements. These agreements are intended to ensure that the investment a business makes in its employees, its customer relationships and confidential information are adequately protected. Recently, multiple new rules have been proposed that could see many of these agreements ruled unlawful and unenforceable in the United States ...
The Consumer Protection Act 1987 (the CPA) was enacted almost 35 years ago in order to implement EU law. The act introduced the concept of “strict liability” into the arena of product supply to certain users. This means that consumers who are injured by defective products can sue manufacturers without having to prove negligence. This practical guide provides an overview of the CPA for consumers and manufacturers, with reference to recent key cases ...
This is a summary of the Annual Report. Click here to access the full guide. The 2020 proxy season shareholder proposals were already submitted before the COVID-19 shadow loomed large over the season; however, such shadow likely impacted how shareholders voted on the proposals themselves, impacted business throughout 2020, and continues to jolt 2021 and the forthcoming 2021 proxy season ...
Summary The 2022 proxy season will continue to be affected by the aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will be predominantly shaped by the landmark events of the 2021 proxy season, where ESG matters moved from unconventional to mainstream, and women held a historic amount of board seats of the Russell 3000 companies ...
With a new proxy season fast approaching, it’s time for public companies to do a deep download of key securities law updates and business developments of the past year so the company is positioned for success in 2018. Below is a review of the 2017 proxy season, along with a summary of new and anticipated changes that may impact reporting and disclosure requirements for the upcoming 2018 proxy season ...
Now that the holidays are in the rearview and business as usual has begun to pick up where it left off, it’s time for public companies to do a deep download of key securities law updates and business developments of the past year so they are positioned for success in 2019. Below is a review of the 2018 proxy season, along with a summary of new and anticipated changes that may impact reporting and disclosure requirements for the 2019 proxy season ...
A California federal judge issued an opinion on April 20, 2011, providing guidance on an important aspect of the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) - who is considered a foreign official under the statute. In United States v. Noriega, District Judge A ...
On February 2, 2006, the Quebec Court of Appeal rendered an interesting judgement involving directors’ liabilities in the case of Johnson and Marcil v. André Arthur et al (500-09-012808-028), a lawsuit for slander ...
In 2019 at the World Economic Forum, Antonio Neri, CEO of Hewlett Packard said “Data is the new currency”. This analogy has become very popular because data is now considered one of the most valuablecommodities. In the European Union (EU), data protection is a fundamental right, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into force on May 25th, 2018, isthe framework for protecting that right ...
In the recent case ofAslan v Stepanoski[1](the Aslan case), the Court of Appeal of New South Wales, Australia upheld a builder’s action suspending the performance of works over non-payment and denial of access to the site by the employer. The Court held that the contractor’s decision to suspend works was not a repudiatory conduct as he was entitled to do so under the contract ...
An interview with Michał Barłowski, the partner in charge of the Bankruptcy and Restructuring practices at Wardyński & Partners, about planned amendments to Poland’s Bankruptcy & Rehabilitation Law. Restructuring is an alternative to bankruptcy. So why do we hear so little about effective restructuring and so much about liquidating bankruptcies? Michał Barłowski: The reasons are many and have various sources ...
HMRC publishes updated guidance on termination fees and compensation payments and confirms the VAT treatment of dilapidations. On 7 February 2022, HMRC published Revenue & Customs Brief 2 (2022) (the 2022 Brief), its long-awaited updated guidance on early termination fees and compensation payments ...
The Parliament of Rwanda recently passed two key laws to counter money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (“WMDs”), in an effort to strengthen and increase confidence in its financial system. Law No. 74/2019 of 29 January 2020 establishing the Financial Intelligence Centre (“Law No ...
Crowded release of new AML rules With the continuous development of onshore financial markets and the ever-intensifying requirements globally for anti-money laundering (“AML”), it has become increasingly imperative for China to improve its AML legal and regulatory frameworks to give further play to the role of AML in building up the modern financial system and deepening the two-way opening-up of the financial industry ...
Crowded release of new AML rules With the continuous development of onshore financial markets and the ever-intensifying requirements globally for anti-money laundering (“AML”), it has become increasingly imperative for China to improve its AML legal and regulatory frameworks to give further play to the role of AML in building up the modern financial system and deepening the two-way opening-up of the financial industry ...
On February 10, 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (“MIIT”) issued a second draft of the Measures for Administration of Data Security in the Field of Industry and Informatization (for Trial Implementation) (Draft for Comment) (the “Measures”), which makes revisions to the first draft in response to public comments received following its issuance on September 30, 2021. This second draft opened for public comments until February 21, 2022 ...
On February 10, 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (“MIIT”) issued a second draft of the Measures for Administration of Data Security in the Field of Industry and Informatization (for Trial Implementation) (Draft for Comment) (the “Measures”), which makes revisions to the first draft in response to public comments received following its issuance on September 30, 2021. This second draft opened for public comments until February 21, 2022 ...
Coty Germany sells luxury cosmetics in Germany. It markets certain brands via a selective distribution network, i.e. through authorized distributors. Coty brought proceedings before the German courts against one of its authorized distributors, Pafümerie Akzente, in order to prohibit it from distributing Coty products via Amazon ...
The relationship between parody and IP rights comes up quite often. Just recently the Advocate General of Europe’s highest court, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), handed down his opinion in the case of Deckmyn, a case which involves the allegedly parodic use by a Belgian political party of a comic in which there is copyright ...
[!<CDATA[ Moratoriums on foreclosures due to COVID-19 ended this summer, prompting concerns of a shock similar to the 2008 housing crisis. While there are numerous differences between today and the previous recession, financial service providers can stay a step ahead by arming themselves with a few lessons learned ...
Section 29 of the Bankruptcy Ordinance (Cap. 6) (BO) allows a trustee in bankruptcy to apply to the Courts for orders compelling disclosure of material documents and/or information of the bankrupt in order for the trustee to carry out his/her duties under the bankruptcy. For the authors’ previous article on Section 29, please see here ...
Initially published by Thomson Reuters [24 November 2021], Shoosmiths partner Sam Tyfield below explores the Financial Conduct Authority’s policy and supervisory priorities in the areas of market abuse monitoring, data collection and the classification of a ‘venue’ - for the purposes of the FCA Handbook. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) released Market Watch 68 on November 16, 2021 ...
