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20 December 2022
WHISTLEBLOWING: THE GERMAN PARLIAMENT PASSES THE WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION ACT
Whistleblowers will be able to draw attention to violations of laws and regulations in companies and public authorities more easily and without fear of reprisals. This is the aim of a draft law by the federal government (20/3442), which the German Parliament passed on 16 December 2022 in a version...
05 December 2022
UPC: Jurisdiction and "opt-out"
Once the Unified Patent Court (UPC) comes into effect, and after the transitional period of 7 years (at least), the court system will have exclusive jurisdiction over UPs and all EPs designated to participating EU Member States (unless these EPs have been opted out of its jurisdiction). The UPC...
05 December 2022
WHICH STATES ARE IN THE UPC & WHERE WILL A UP HAVE EFFECT?
26 EU Member States participated in the enhanced cooperation procedure to establish the unitary patent (including the UK which has now withdrawn). However unless these states have also ratified the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA) then the unitary patent (UP) will not be effective in their...
05 December 2022
The UPC Rules
On July 2022 the UPC Rules of Procedure (the Rules) were announced as approved with the amendments from the previous (18th) draft from 2017 being published in tracked changes form. A consolidated final version of the Rules of Procedure of the Unified Patent Court (also available in French and...
05 December 2022
UPC Structure – local, regional and central divisions
The UPC will have a Court of First Instance (divided into local, regional and central divisions) and a Court of Appeal (Luxembourg). Cases will commence in any one of these divisions according to the subject matter and the prescribed division set out in the UPC Agreement and the UPC Rules .
11 October 2022
How to get a Unitary Patent
Enhanced cooperation under Regulation 1257/2012 of 17 December 2012 implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of unitary patent protection was used to establish the unitary patent (UP). Also termed the European patent with unitary effect, the UP will be a single patent right covering all the...
11 October 2022
UPC: Costs and Fees
Following a lengthy consultation, the Preparatory Committee for the Unified Patent Court (UPC) published its Rules on Court fees and recoverable costs ( the Rules ) along with Guidelines for the determination of value–based Court fees and the ceiling of recoverable costs of the successful party (...
21 September 2022
The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation: Substantive Assessment Issues and Open Questions
The EU Institutions have now reached agreement in relation to the new Foreign Subsidies Regulation, a potentially far-reaching instrument that effectively creates a new subsidy control regime for non-EU subsidies affecting the EU's internal market.
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03 February 2023
New UAE Commercial Agencies Law comes into force
Last year, we published an e-bulletin on the key changes that had been announced to the draft UAE Commercial Agencies Law. Following the passage of Federal Law No. 3/2022 in December 2022 (the " Commercial Agencies Law "), these changes are now in-force. Below we have provided a re-cap of the key...
25 January 2023
M&A STANDPOINT: Formal sale processes: A useful tool to solicit offers or a last resort?
FSPs were created to encourage a competitive and confidential sale process under the Takeover Code, but often they may signal that a company has run out of options. However, a number of companies have elected to launch FSPs in recent months, so when is an FSP is the right choice for a company?
24 January 2023
Global M&A Outlook 2023: Automotive Electric and digital revolutions still drive M&A
The automotive sector is currently experiencing two inflection points at the same time: an electric vehicle revolution, as the industry transitions from the internal combustion engine (ICE) to zero emission vehicles (ZEV) including battery electric vehicles (BEV) as part of the wider...
24 January 2023
Global M&A Outlook 2023: Consumer 2022 was a challenging year compared to 2021
M&A in the consumer sector slowed throughout 2022 as compared to the buoyant trends in 2021. Macro-economic issues and global headwinds have meant a tougher environment for consumers, particularly with record-breaking inflation adding to the cost of living and turning the screws on household...
23 January 2023
How hard is it? The Takeover’s Panel consults on guidance for exclusivity granted at the non-binding bid stage
Following two Takeovers Panel decisions that found pre-deal exclusivity and other deal protection arrangements to be unacceptable, the Takeovers Panel has now commenced consultation on proposed new guidance on deal protection granted in respect of non-binding proposals. Most importantly, the...