Many foreign companies registered in the UAE form joint ventures to execute projects, especially in areas like defence, oil and gas, engineering, and construction. However, most of them are unaware that the legal provisions generally governing a foreign company in the UAE are not applicable to unincorporated joint ventures (JV).
Those learning a language will be familiar with the problem: a word in the foreign language looks and sounds similar to a word in a person’s mother tongue but, it turns out, has a completely different meaning. They are false friends. Take the French ‘actuellement’, which actually means ‘at the moment’. As in language, so …
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On 10 May 2010, the Dutch Temporary (Parliamentary) Committee on the Inquiry Financial System (the committee), also known as the ‘De Wit Committee’ after its chairman, set up by the Dutch Parliament’s House of Representatives, presented its report on the first part of its investigation into the crisis in the Dutch financial system. This report, …
Continue reading “Credit lost: a Dutch Parliamentary committee’s report on the financial crisis”
There have been several recent cases concerning the laws of confidence and defamation that address important procedural issues relevant to litigators practising in all spheres. This article discusses decisions by the Court of Appeal, a Queen’s Bench judge and a Master.
Anyone not involved in what might be regarded as the mainstream of the construction industry (whether as a building contractor or someone who regularly employs one) would be forgiven for thinking that a dispute resolution procedure introduced to rid the industry of some of its historical problems is of no relevance to their business.
The long-awaited revisions to the Medical Device Directive 93/42/EEC (MDD) and the Directive for Active Implantable Medical Devices 90/385/EEC (AIMD) were adopted by the European Parliament on 29 March 2007. These amendments are contained in Medical Device Directive 2007/47/EC (the 2007 Directive), which was published in the Official Journal of the EU on the 21 …
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The laws governing foreign ownership of companies in Middle Eastern countries are complex. While there are greater options today to allow international companies to do business in the Middle East (including the opportunity to establish wholly owned subsidiaries in free zones), one popular option is to appoint a local agent to sell goods or services, …
Continue reading “Introduction to Middle East distribution and agency agreements”
Given the current economic climate, competition authorities are expecting a possible increase in the use of the ‘failing firm’ defence. The doctrine provides potential opportunities for businesses to acquire competitors, which in normal circumstances would be regarded as anti-competitive. The basic rationale behind the doctrine is that since the failing firm would have left the …
Continue reading “The ‘failing firm’ defence in difficult times”
On 8 June 2010, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) rejected the attempt by various leading European mobile network operators (MNOs) to challenge the validity of a cap imposed by the EU on the roaming fees they can charge customers travelling overseas. From the point of view of these providers, price-capping regulation has effectively curbed …
Continue reading “ECJ rules on the validity of the Roaming Regulation”
Disputes between landlord and tenant are the most common and vicious in India. Many states in India have enacted rent control laws that govern the relations between landlords and tenants. Rent control laws exist in approximately 40 countries around the world. In most of these countries, the rent control laws were enacted in the backdrop …