Page 28 - Law Developments News Today

gold. For instance, smartphones and electric vehicles are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, a component of which is cobalt. According to the African Natural Resources Centre of the African Development Bank, minerals account for an average of 70% of total African exports and approximately 28% of gross domestic product, and the potential for growth is immense. The Democratic Republic of Congo alone concentrates more than 50% of the worlds cobalt reserves. Against this background, som...

In Halliburton Company v Chubb Bermuda Insurance Ltd,(1) the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the Court of Appeals decision to dismiss an application to remove an arbitrator on the grounds of apparent bias. The Supreme Court confirmed the Court of Appeals decision that arbitrators are under a duty to disclose appointments in references concerning the same or overlapping subject matter with a common party, although the Supreme Courts reasoning differed. On the facts of this case, while the Supr...

Introduction Since the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March 2020, governments worldwide have made significant efforts to cope with this unforeseen situation and control the spread of the virus. Numerous legal provisions, both temporary and permanent, have been introduced in an attempt to strike a delicate balance between public health and safety, individual freedoms and economic stability. As a result, a complex maze of laws, regulations, directives, r...

According to the doctrine of equivalents, even when an accused invention includes a modified element in contrast with the elements in the patented claim, if they are practically equivalent, the accused invention infringes the patented invention. Despite court rulings which make it possible for patents to be protected according to the real value of the invention, there is arguably increased uncertainty about the possibility for equivalent infringement.

Employers can implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, subject to some conditions and exceptions. There are a number of factors that employers should consider when determining whether to make a COVID-19 vaccine mandatory or voluntary, including the administrative burden, legal exposure and public relations issues. This article answers employers' key questions on the matter.

Introduction Ensuring the effective enforcement of judgments is a crucial aspect of a successful litigation strategy. The Cayman Islands recognises that valid decisions made elsewhere should be as enforceable as domestic judgments. While the statutory regime for registration and enforcement has been extended to only some of the superior courts of Australia and its external territories, the Cayman courts are willing to consider extending assistance to all judgment creditors through the well-trod...

Future superbank The planned merger of three banks into a new Hungarian bank holding (a so-called superbank) was announced in Spring 2020. Budapest Bank, MKB Bank and the savings group Takarékbank will be owned by the newly created Magyar Bankholding and will thereby form the second largest banking group in Hungary after OTP Bank. Governments power to exempt certain mergers from scrutiny – what this means in practice Normally, such a merger would require competition authority approval. Howev...

The Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) has opened an investigation and conducted dawn raids at the premises of importers and wholesalers of consumer electronics for possible anti-competitive agreements concerning resale price maintenance. Based on a preliminary assessment, the CPC believes that importers and wholesalers imposed price restrictions on retailers.

With the end of the Brexit implementation period comes the end of the free movement of persons. This is the case irrespective of the fact that the United Kingdom has secured a trade deal with the European Union. Employers and individuals must digest what the new immigration rules look like, both for EEA and Swiss nationals (aside from Irish nationals) wishing to come to the United Kingdom and British nationals wishing to go to the continent.

Introduction In August 2020 the Central District Court dismissed several requests for the certification of various class actions which had been filed against different airlines on the basis that statutory damages under the Israeli Aviation Services Law (ASL) (Compensation and Assistance for Flight Cancellation or Change of Conditions) 2012(1) cannot be claimed in class actions. In all of the class action requests, similar responses were raised by the airlines. The main argument was that accordi...