The recent Government policy document leaked and published by The Guardian newspaper has given an indication of the post-Brexit immigration strategy. Despite not representing formal policy, given its unofficial status and the fact that the Government has yet to hear views from numerous stakeholders including the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), current Government thinking is represented …
Rights holders continue to have an ongoing battle against technological developments that facilitate free access to their content. The battles have taken many forms over the years since the creation of the printing press, recording TV and radio to VHS and cassettes respectively all the way through to the music industry’s fight against Napster.
The introduction of the internet as a delivery platform and the digitisation of audio visual (AV) content have triggered major changes in the media sector. The shift from a relatively closed media system, controlled and broadcast linearly, to an open media ecosystem where the audience chooses its favourite content on-demand not only represents a challenge …
Imagine the worst: within the last 72 hours, your company has been hit by a major crisis. There may have been serious damage to the community in which you operate. Your customers may have suffered, people’s livelihoods may have been destroyed, the environment may be irretrievably damaged. Some of your employees and contractors may be …
With less than one year left before the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force in May 2018, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has embarked on an initiative to correct some public misconceptions about its impact. Elizabeth Denham, the Information Commissioner, recently expressed concern in the ICO blog that ‘not everything you read or …
Continue reading “The General Data Protection Directive: correcting the myths”
Even for City lawyers used to increasingly heavy-handed tactics in panel reviews from banking groups, it proved something of a shock. News earlier this year that Deutsche Bank had notified pitching firms of its unwillingness to pay for trainees and newly-qualified lawyers during its last adviser review sent a jolt through the UK legal market. …
The Digital Single Market (DSM) proposals emanating from Brussels are designed to create a level digital playing field between Europe and the USA. The European Union has long acknowledged the online dominance of the American tech giants and is keen to create a legal framework that may benefit the European digital economy. But in classic …
Continue reading “Should you be worried about the Digital Single Market?”
On 19 May, Iran went to the polls for what many believed would be a tightly-fought election. By the next morning it was clear that the analysts’ predictions had been wide of the mark. Incumbent president Hassan Rouhani, leader of the Moderation and Development Party, secured a landslide victory over his nearest rival, Ebrahim Raisi, …
The UAE recently issued laws on Excise Tax (Federal Law No 7 of 2017) and VAT (Federal Law No 8 of 2017). Excise tax will be applicable in the UAE from 1 October 2017 and VAT will be applicable from 1 January 2018. Excise tax will be applicable on a limited number of commodities like …
Continue reading “Tax procedures law in the UAE – a significant step forward”
‘It has happened to me where you serve a client, have a great book of business, and then Ernst & Young [EY] is lucky enough to win the audit work for that client,’ says EY global legal head Cornelius Grossmann, reflecting on the vagaries and rewards of providing legal services in a Big Four giant.
In recent times, we have seen the introduction of the concept of ‘cashless’ ways to pay for goods and services, offering more convenience and security benefits than traditional payment methods. There are e-wallets, retail-based digital reward exchanges, there is direct carrier billing, and there is even the ability to pre-load cash onto mobiles, wristbands and …
Continue reading “Regulation of e-payments in the UAE as businesses cash-in on cash-less solutions”
Is the general counsel the ringmaster managing risk effectively within their organisation, or a stage prompt waiting in the wings? These were the main discussion points of a recent panel debate before an audience of more than 40 senior in-house lawyers gathered together at Eight Members Club in Moorgate.