The GDPR contains rules on when it is mandatory for controllers and processors to designate a data protection officer. The Article 29 Data Protection Working Party (WP29) issued guidelines on the data protection officers (DPOs) interpreting the respective provisions of the GDPR (Articles 37-39 and Recitals 77 and 97). The Data Protection Officer (DPO) The GDPR contains rules on when it is mandatory for controllers and processors to designate a data protection officer ...
Comment from Paula Swain, Partner National Head of Commercial Recoveries and Head of the Solent office for Shoosmiths, Paula is also a Director with the Solent LEP and was part of the Freeport taskforce which was successful in its bid ...
The advent of blank cheque company IPOs. Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) have taken the corporate world by storm. These “blank cheque” shell companies, which raise funds in their initial public offerings (IPO) to invest in potential but as yet unidentified target businesses, have fuelled a listing frenzy in the US. SPAC IPOs have garnered US$87.9 billion in fundraising in the first three months of 2021, already exceeding last year’s total ...
The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) established the COVID-19 Telehealth Program (the “Telehealth Program”) on April 2, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Telehealth Program provides $200 million in funding, appropriated by Congress as part of the CARES Act,[1] to assist certain non-profit and public healthcare providers in making telehealth services available to patients who cannot be seen in person ...
The European Court of Justice ruled last October that the data sharing framework between the EU and US, referred to as Safe Harbor, is no longer valid. On 2 February 2016, the EU and US authorities agreed in principle on a 'new' arrangement, known as the 'EU-US Privacy Shield', which is intended to replace 'Safe Harbor' ...
The Restrictive Trade Practices Law, 5748-1988 (the Law) is the primary law dealing with antitrust issues in Israel and its objective is to prevent harm to competition or the public. The Law contains the substantive rules that apply to the various restrictive trade practices (restrictive arrangements; mergers; monopolies; concerted groups) ...
On 21 June 2004, the European Community (“EC”) submitted its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (“WIPO”). The accession took effect from 1 October 2004.The Madrid Protocol is a treaty that facilitates the international registration of trade marks (“the International Registration System”) ...
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) – which is underpinned by competition law - allows access to third parties to data previously held only by ‘Gatekeepers’, namely, large digital platforms, such as Google or Facebook ...
At the end of March, UK Visas and Immigration closed both the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) and Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) routes, replacing them with two new visa categories, the ‘Start-up’ and the ‘Innovator’, which are contained within a new Appendix W of the Immigration Rules ...
Due to Norway’s status as a non-EU member, and instead member of the European Economic Area (the EEA), implementation of the Directives is delayed compared to the rest of the EU. For comparison, the original deadline for the implementation of the DSM Directive in the EU was 7 June 2021. Some of the proposed amendments to the Norwegian Copyright Act include: New obligations for providers of online content sharing platforms (such as Youtube, Facebook etc ...
A new report by Shoosmiths, in partnership with Beauhurst, shows that the number of venture capital ‘megadeals’ in the UK has increased tenfold over the last decade. In 2011 a modest five ‘megadeals’ (where £50 million or more is invested into a company) occurred, compared with an astounding 51 megadeals in the first half of 2021 ...
BigTech has kept information about advertising (who is seeing the adverts, who is clicking on the adverts...) largely in a safe under lock and key. This is about to change and advertising agencies could be a major beneficiary. Advertising agencies likely need to invest in capabilities to analyse huge volumes of data, or engage external advisors to do this work ...
On 18 July 2022, the UK government introduced the new Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (Bill). What is the Bill? The new Data Protection and Digital Information Bill contains the government’s proposals to reform the UK’s data protection regime. The Bill quickly follows the government’s publication in June of its response to its consultation on the Data Reform Bill carried out in Autumn 2021 ...
There have been fresh developments in the continuing battle between pharmaceutical manufacturers and parallel importers. National and European courts have been attempting to strike a balance between the principle of the free movement of goods within the EU and the legitimate protection of intellectual property rights. The most recent contribution has come from Advocate General Sharpston (AG) in her opinion in the ongoing case of Boehringer and others v Swingward and Dowelhurst (C-348/04) ...
We would like to inform you that today the President of the Russian Federation signed the Law dated April 28, 2023 No. 139-FZ significantly amending the Federal Law dated April 29, 2008 No. 57-FZ Federal Law “On Procedures for Foreign Investments in Companies having Strategic Importance for the National Security and Defense” (hereinafter – the “Strategic Investments Law”) ...
Investors were awarded compensation under a bilateral investment treaty, but under EU law, payment of the award constitutes unlawful State aid. This Catch-22 situation is at the heart of a long-running case across jurisdictions. In the latest development, the European Commission has decided to refer the United Kingdom to the European Court of Justice in relation to a judgement of the UK’s Supreme Court to lift the stay of enforcement of an ICSID arbitration award against Romania ...
The business world continues to be a multinational place, with marketplaces and supply chains that cut across national borders. Global expansion efforts have also spawned a growing desire for cross-border deal making. These mergers and acquisitions, however, are easily complicated by language and cultural differences, in addition to local politics and regulatory regimes ...
The business world continues to be a multinational place, with marketplaces and supply chains that cut across national borders. Global expansion efforts have also spawned a growing desire for cross-border deal making. These mergers and acquisitions, however, are easily complicated by language and cultural differences, in addition to local politics and regulatory regimes ...
Chairperson of the Information Regulator, Advocate Pansy Tlakula, recently sent a request to President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare that the remaining provisions of the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (“POPIA”) commence on 1 April 2020(“Commencement Date”). It is expected that the president will act on this request ...
On 17 October 2019, the Indonesian Commission for the Supervision of Business Competition (“KPPU”) issued KPPU Regulation No. 4 of 2019 on The Procedure for Supervising and the Management of Partnership Cases (“KPPU Reg. 4/2019”) which revoked several previous KPPU regulations, i.e. KPPU Regulation No. 1 of 2017 on The Procedure for the Management of Partnership Cases (as amended) (“KPPU Reg. 1/2017”), and KPPU Regulation No ...
It’s been well reported that Apple has managed to get a US trade mark registration for the layout or interior design (the look, if you like) of the Apple store. What this means is that Apple has exclusive rights to this layout - or indeed any confusingly similar layout - in the area of stores selling electronic goods ...
The Chancellor announced the first eight Freeport locations: Solent, East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe & Harwich, Humber, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth and South Devon, Teesside and Thames ...
The Ministerial Decree of the Italian Minister for the Economic Development dated May 11, 2011 (the “Decree”) has at long last implemented in Italy the administrative procedure for opposition against Italian and International trademark applications ...
The Abu Dhabi Global Market has announced amendments to its Companies Regulations. The Companies Regulations 2020 (2020 Regulations) repeal the Companies Regulations 2015 (as amended). We have summarised below the key changes under the 2020 Regulations.Companies Regulations 2020 Effect of amendmentSection 3One of the ways in which a restricted scope company can be incorporated is if the founding members are a group of people who are from the same family (as approved by the Registrar) ...
