Following an antitrust investigation, in 2017 the European Commission had fined Google LLC and Alphabet Inc. a record €2.4 billion for abuse of Google’s dominant position. In brief, it found that Google was self-preferencing, by presenting results from its own Google Shopping first upon a so called “Google search”. On appeal to the General Court, the fine was confirmed in 2021 ...
By: Leah Lively and Alexandra Shulman On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued a new final rule, “Employee or Independent Contractor Classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act,” aimed at clarifying the distinction between employees and independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) ...
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), at its open meeting on December 13, 2023, approved new rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) regarding texting that will alter the landscape of lead generation practices ...
Since its enactment on July 1, 2021, the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act (FTSA) has become a significant pain point for businesses, leading to extensive class action exposure, particularly for those involved in telephonic communications. The FTSA, which initially granted consumers the right to take legal action against unwanted calls and texts, led to an influx of over 500 complaints in its first year ...
Earlier this year the government passed the controversial Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023. Following on from this, detailed guidance has now been published for employers, trade unions and workers on the issuing of work notices. The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act (Act) came into force on 20 July 2023 and attempts to alleviate the disruption caused to the public by prolonged strikes in certain sectors in the wake of recent, sustained industrial action ...
The Online Safety Act 2023 implements broad reforms for how many businesses must operate their online services. Here, Matthew MacLachlan explains the action to take now to comply. The Online Safety Act 2023 (‘the Act’) received Royal Assent in October 2023. Although the Act is now law, it will not be enforced by the regulator, Ofcom, until secondary legislation is passed and when Ofcom’s draft codes of practice are finalised ...
Following the recently reported hack of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s social media account yesterday (10 January 2024), the SEC formally announced that it had approved the launch of 11 Bitcoin ETFs in the US. As the announcement states, these approvals are not an endorsement of cryptocurrency as an “investment” or of any of the issuers of the ETFs themselves ...
Please be informed that the Government has prolonged the moratorium on unplanned inspections of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs till the end of 20241 ...
Please note the following press release. This press release is available at our homepage. DATAGROUP, advised by Heuking, acquires iT TOTAL AG A team led by Dr. Rainer Herschlein and Benedikt Raisch legally advised DATAGROUP SE on the acquisition of iT TOTAL AG. DATAGROUP thus expands its footprint in southwest Germany and enhances its position with attractive customers and experienced IT professionals ...
Jon Bew and Wayne Gibbard, co-heads of the Financial Services Sector at Shoosmiths, comment on upcoming trends and developments to expect in 2024 for the sector. Everyone is feeling it, the rumbling of a technological storm. The immergence of generative AI, RegTech and increased fraud and cyber risk, have swept clouds of uncertainty across the Financial Services Sector… ...
Compliance Will Need Banks to explain “How the AI Systems Work” Delano Magazine Written by: Kangkan Halder Published on 24.12.2023 The growing role of artificial intelligence in processing information for legal documentation and counsel won't eliminate the need for human lawyers or ethical judgments, argue Marc Mouton and Astrid Wagner, partners at Arendt & Medernach ...
On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (the “DOL”) announced the final rule regarding when employers can classify workers as independent contractors under federal labor law. The DOL first proposed the rule in October of 2022. What Employers Need to Know The DOL’s new rule has consequences for employers. More individuals are likely to be classified as employees rather than independent contractors. Most federal and state labor laws apply only to employees ...
The world will be increasingly marked by change and at ever faster speeds. Future leaders will need new skills. The three years from 2020 to 2023 will be remembered as a turning point for humanity. 2020’s opening act was the explosion of the Covid-19 pandemic which left indelible changes on how mankind organises their home, works and sets life priorities ...
On Dec. 13, 2023, in a 4-1 vote, the Federal Communications Commission finalized new rules to close the so-called lead generator robocall and robotexts loophole, marking a significant paradigm shift in lead generation practices. On Dec ...
By Christina Morgan and Steve Nakasone This year alone, seven new states have passed comprehensive consumer privacy laws. Businesses operating nationwide will soon have to contend with twelve separate consumer privacy laws. A current list of the states with consumer privacy laws, and their effective dates, is below ...
Carly Parrott rejoins Carey Olsen as Head of Employment in Guernsey Carly previously served as counsel in Carey Olsen's employment team in Guernsey from 2017 to 2020 and brings with her a wealth of experience and an established reputation as one of the Island's top employment lawyers ...
In the fourth quarter of 2023, Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., made industry news, important banking and financial rule changes were implemented, and Georgia's Department of Banking and Finance quietly issued important new regulatory guidance on a handful of topics. Warnock Addresses Banking Committee, Introduces Legislation First, during a three-plus hour U.S ...
Shoosmiths’ Technology Sector Group comments on upcoming trends and developments to expect in 2024 for the sector. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Alex Kirkhope – IT & Tech Partner With Collins Dictionary naming “AI” its word of the year, there is no disputing that artificial intelligence has been the world’s most talked about technology of 2023 ...
Benchmarking is a vital tool in the development and improvement of a franchise network, and will benefit franchisees and franchisors alike. A good benchmark, whether financial and/or operational requires the communication of accurate and relevant documents and information between the franchisee and the franchisor, which is best organised in a clear and detailed manner in the franchise agreement ...
Crypto assets are a rapidly evolving and highly innovative sector of the financial industry, offering new opportunities and challenges for businesses, consumers and regulators. Crypto assets are digital representations of value or contractual rights that use cryptography and distributed ledger technology (DLT) to enable peer-to-peer transactions without intermediaries ...
On January 3rd, 2024, the Senate approved, with 32 votes in favor, the Report of the Constitutional, Legislative, Judicial and Regulatory Affairs (“the Report”), on the Bill to amend the Data Protection Law and creates the Data Protection Agency (Bulletin No. 11144-07/11092-07), (“the Bill”). However, despite the approval of the Report concerning amendments and proposals of the Chamber of Deputies, 24 of these were ultimately rejected ...
Barely a week ago on December 29, 2023, China's legislative body passed and President Xi Jinping signed into law the newly revised Company Law, effective from July 1, 2024 (the "New Law"). It makes a big splash to the business community for both the law's as-pillar significance, and the striking degree of revisions (over a quarter of provisions are involved with major changes) ...
