The asset value of a strong brand is now widely recognised, not just by brand owners but by investors. Over the past decade, the top 100 brands, as evaluated by the world’s largest brand consultancy Interbrand, have, year on year, shown a marked lead in financial performance over both the MSCI world index and S&P …
Continue reading “Protecting brand identity in the digital media age”
The recent decision of the Court of Appeal (on 28 July 2011) in the case of Philip Towers v Premier Waste Management Ltd[2011] sends out a strong message to company directors that the courts will strictly enforce their fiduciary duties. In this case, the defendant director was required to account for undisclosed personal benefits, which …
Continue reading “Breach of fiduciary duties: director digs hole for himself”
In New Cap Reinsurance Corporation Ltd (in liquidiation) & anor v A E Grant & ors as members of Lloyd’s Syndicate 991 for the 1997 Year of Account & anor [2011], on 9 August 2011, the Court of Appeal opened up further routes for the enforcement of judgments made in foreign insolvency proceedings in England …
It seems to be an industry dichotomy: at a time when publishers are closing established development studios – recent casualties Black Rock, Blue Tongue, Kaos and Bizarre spring immediately to mind – the number and value of acquisitions in the sector has never been higher. Farmville creator Zynga has been on a purchasing spree in …
Whether buying or selling a technology company, there are a number of tax traps that may arise. Below, we discuss some of the tax traps that we have come across in recent transactions.
The Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters (the Hague Convention) establishes methods of co-operation for the taking of evidence abroad in civil or commercial matters. The Hague Convention was concluded on 18 March 1970, and came into force on 7 October 1972. India ratified the Hague Convention on …
Continue reading “The Hague Evidence Convention: applicability in the Indian legal system”
When an EU citizen is issued with a registration certificate valid for five years, or a family member is issued with a residence card also valid for five years, they will not automatically have acquired a right of permanent residence under Article 16 Directive 2004/38/EC at the end of that period. In Secretary of State …
The shortage occupation list has been amended to remove some specialist jobs that are no longer considered to be under resourced within the resident labour market. The ‘shortage occupation’ is part of the Tier 2 immigration route under the points-based system. The government has recently accepted recommendations from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) that …
For almost 40 years now, the Health and Safety at Work etc Act (HSWA) 1974 has been the bedrock of workplace health and safety law in the UK.
On 28 September 2011, the European Commission published a draft directive proposing the introduction of a financial transaction tax (FTT) across all of the member states of the European Union. In essence, the FTT would operate to tax all transactions in ‘financial instruments’ to which a ‘financial institution’ is party, provided at least one party …
The government’s introduction of the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) for small-scale renewables in April 2010 has led to frenzied activity in the relatively new sector of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy. Since April 2010, many start-up companies have emerged, and there has been a rush to install solar panels to take advantage of tariffs available. However, it …
Infrastructure development is, and will continue to be, a leading sector of the economy in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe over the next few years. As sponsors and banks conduct much greater due diligence, this article considers which remedies in the security package are effective in practice. This is of course a ‘hot’ issue in the …
Continue reading “Security over infrastructure and utilities in Bulgaria”