The much-anticipated Energy White Paper was published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (
BEIS ) on 14 December 2020, setting out its strategy for the UK s energy transition over the next decade. The Energy White Paper focuses on strategy in six key areas: consumers, power, the energy system, buildings, industrial energy and oil & gas.
Much of what has been set out in the Energy White Paper is not new. For one, the Energy White Paper builds on the UK government s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution (the
Ten Point Plan ). However, committing this strategy to a White Paper brings the proposals set out by BEIS one step closer to future legislation.
A new law recently modified the Labour Code, which now provides that employees can claim leave for family reasons if, among other things, they have a child under the age of 13 who must quarantine following a decision or recommendation of the competent national or foreign authority in order to limit the spread of an epidemic. In such circumstances, the employee's absence is justified by a certificate issued by the competent national or foreign authority confirming the decision or recommendation.
Since the beginning of 2021, the government has implemented a raft of additional travel and entry measures to minimise the spread of new COVID-19 variants in the United Kingdom, including pre-departure COVID-19 testing, travel bans, the suspension of travel corridor arrangements and the requirement that visits to the United Kingdom be for an essential purpose. This article outlines the recent developments for travel to England.
In March 2020 the Comptroller of Revenue released a concession confirming that where companies had to alter their operating practices to compensate for the COVID-19 outbreak, the comptroller would not determine that such company had failed the economic substance test under Article 6 of the Taxation (Companies – Economic Substance) (Jersey) Law 2019. Given that the pandemic remains ongoing, the comptroller recently issued further guidance in relation to the concession.
Introduction
On 27 December 2020 Congress enacted the Trademark Modernisation Act (TMA) 2020 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021. The TMA amends the Trademark Act 1946 – also known as the Lanham Act – and makes significant changes to trademark law by clarifying the burden for trademark owners seeking injunctive relief and providing new mechanisms for challenging applications and registrations on non-use grounds. The notable changes that will come into force in 2021 affect proceedings in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, as well as federal court litigation. The key highlights of the new law are set out below.