The growing popularity of plant-based dairy and meat products has engendered a series of legal disputes about how these products may be labeled and advertised. Plaintiffs have filed a number of largely unsuccessful consumer class actions alleging that packages promising soy milk and veggie burgers tricked them into thinking that they were buying the animal versions ...
The European Commission (“EC”) is collecting data and feedback from stakeholders about the European Union’s (“EU”) current rules on packaging and packaging waste. Based on these insights, it will propose an amendment to the current rules that aim to ensure a properly functioning market for packaging recycling and diminishing packaging waste ...
Borrowers who go through the process of obtaining an FHA-insured multifamily loan generally come to the same conclusion: the juice is worth the squeeze. At the end of the day, they get to enjoy a unique blend of benefits (35 or 40-year mortgage term, below market interest rate, etc.) that simply can’t be replicated with a conventional loan. One FHA benefit that’s been getting a lot of attention lately is loan assumption ...
The Obama Administration recently released the signed text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“TPP”), which represents an important advancement in trading relations among 12 Pacific countries: Australia Brunei Darussalam Canada Chile Japan Malaysia Mexico New Zealand Peru
Pensions analysis: On 16 December 2022, the Pensions Regulator (TPR) published its consultation on the new defined benefit (DB) funding code of practice together with a response to its first consultation and a consultation on its proposed twin track regulatory approach to assessing valuations including its proposed Fast Track design. Suzanne Burrell, partner at Shoosmiths examines the consultation and its implications ...
This Newsletter describes the latest developments in Trade and Regulation in the South American region. There is an entire write up on the resolution of controversies within MERCOSUR. Bolivia & Peru have signed a General Agreement of Economic & Social Cooperation & Integration, the details of which are included in the newsletter ...
Figures published in May by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) record a further decline in Trade Union membership in the UK. Comparable data is only available as far back as 1995, but shows a clear decline over that nearly 30-year period to a level where, as at 2022, the proportion of UK workers in a union has declined to 23.1% - the lowest figure recorded in that time period ...
“A patent, trademark, or design registrationcan only be declared void by Federal courts”. Under this statement, theSuperior Court of Justice of Brazil has reaffirmed unanimously that defendantscannot argue unenforceability of a trademark registration as a defense argumentin an infringement lawsuit ...
In the decision Beijing Judian Restaurant Co. Ltd. v. Wei Meng, 2022 FC 743, rendered by the Honourable Angela Furlanetto on May 18, 2022, the Federal Court clarified what constitutes bad faith in trademark law. Prior to the decision, the concept of bad faith in relation to trademarks was interpreted rather cautiously in Canadian jurisprudence. Background Beijing Judian Restaurant Co. Ltd ...
The nearly global response to the spread of the deadly Coronavirus has led to governmental authorities at all levels issuing “stay-at-home orders,” “orders to close non-essential businesses,” and bans on gatherings of 10 people or more. The resulting shut-down, as well as the impact of widespread remote-working practices and displacement of personnel, may disrupt or interrupt trading and hedging activity ...
Recent developments such as the invalidation of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework under the Schrems 2.0 decision and Brexit will have a significant impact on how businesses transfer their data internationally. Recap: For more information see our previous webinars: on the Schrems 2.0 case: What is the Schrems 2.0 case about? on Brexit 2 ...
We are very excited to be supporting the UN Global Compact Network UK’s ‘Transitioning to a Net Zero’ webinar series ...
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is a free trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, the United States, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. After 7 years of negotiations, which began in February 2008, an agreement was reached on October 5, 2015, and the text was published in English on November 5, 2015 ...
After a marathon weekend negotiating session in Atlanta, trade ministers from the United States and eleven other countries reached a final agreement on the terms and text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP is a multi-faceted trade agreement among Pacific Rim nations that account for approximately 40 percent of world GDP ...
While the Ukrainian Parliament continues heated debates over the open market for agricultural land, one thing remains clear - the lifting of the moratorium on sale of agricultural land is an inevitable process, which is largely driven by globalization and the expansion of influence of major world corporate groups in Ukraine. However, for the land market and agribusiness to become transparent and efficient, the relevant risk management systems have to be implemented ...
On 2 March, 25 of the 27 EU members committed to the new "Fiscal Compact" concept, signed the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union. The Treaty, which is technically an intergovernmental treaty and not an EU instrument (due to the UK and the Czech Republic not wishing to sign up to it), was introduced in December 2011 by Germany and France ...
Yesterday, Shoosmiths hosted an event by The Fashion Network titled ‘Trend Forecasting & Analysis Masterclass: For Fashion & FMCG Retail Business’. During this event we heard from fashion industry leaders on how the landscape of retail and marketing is ever evolving, influenced by a myriad of factors ranging from consumer behaviour to emerging technologies ...
On June 17, the Trump Administration announced a new policy on Cuba, partially reversing certain of the market-opening measures that had been adopted by the Obama Administration during its final two years ...
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) has just enacted a revamped investor residency programme, entitling successful applicants to a permanent residence certificate (PRC). The Qualifying criteria are: Villas a. Investment of not less than $300,000 in actual construction of a new home, or in renovation of a distressed property as a home for the applicant and his or her dependants, on the islands of Grand Turk, Salt Cay, South Caicos, Middle Caicos or North Caicos; or b ...
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States The Exon-Florio Amendment to the 1988 U.S. Defense Production Act established the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS"). CFIUS is composed of representatives of several U.S. Government agencies, including the Departments of Treasury, State, Defense, Homeland Security, Labor and Commerce ...
The United States has announced that it has signed with Cuba a new agreement covering air services between the two countries. The new agreement, which replaces a suspended accord dating back to the 1950s, authorizes up to 110 daily round trip scheduled flights between the two countries by airlines of each respective country. The agreement permits twenty (20) scheduled non-stop flights between the U.S ...
The U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) has amended its Cuban Assets Control Regulations to, in OFAC’s words, “further implement elements of the policy announced by the President on December 17, 2014 to engage and empower the Cuban people.” In practice, the amendments make important changes to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, originally liberalized in January of this year ...
August 21, 2023 By: Akana K. Ma On August 14, 2023, pursuant to a Presidential executive order issued several days earlier, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (the Proposed Rulemaking) announcing a ban on investment by U.S. persons, including U.S.-registered business entities, in three advanced technology sectors in China – quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors ...
