The contemporary business world has become fundamentally tied in with the progress of globalisation, and for anyone involved in it, that is no secret. Anybody would be hard pressed to find an industry that can exist and sustain itself in a purely national context, without – at least in some regard – relying on either a piece of legislation or a practice trend that is related to whatever kind of international functioning ...
In another step forwards for consumer protection regulation, the UK’s Department for Business and Trade has confirmed further amendments to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill to tackle deceptive trading practices in the digital realm. Following a comprehensive consultation into consumer transparency, the proposed laws will target ‘drip pricing’ by banning unavoidable hidden charges and make fake reviews illegal ...
Jonathan Smart, head of the mobility sector at Shoosmiths, comments on upcoming trends and developments to expect in 2024 for the sector. The automotive industry is in the midst of a transformative era, marked by technological breakthroughs and shifting consumer preferences. Staying ahead of the curve is crucial for industry insiders. Let's delve into five pivotal trends that are reshaping the landscape of the automotive sector ...
In September 2021, the House of Representatives approved on third reading House Bill (HB) 8942 – the Ease of Paying Taxes Act. The bill proposed to amend the National Internal Revenue Code as amended (the Tax Code) and introduce administrative reforms that will simplify tax compliance and strengthen taxpayers' rights ...
February 2007 UK retail sales rose 0.6% on a like-for-like basis against a weak comparative in February 2006, when sales had fallen. The three-month trend rate of growth weakened in February to 0.9% from 1.1% in January for like-for-like sales, but rose to 4.2% from 3.6% for total sales, reflecting the continued growth of retail space.Clothing and footwear were still difficult but food sales improved, helped by Valentine’s Day, after a flat January ...
Amazon France Logistics has been fined €32m in France for being “grossly negligent” about European data protection law when it comes to monitoring its workers. How can companies do the right thing by workers and by regulators? Employers have increasingly sophisticated tools to help them monitor their workers. Amazon’s substantial recent fine from French data protection regulators shows that they don’t always get it right ...
Effective Tuesday, May 19, 2020, the Department of Labor issued a new rule to provide greater simplicity and flexibility to retail and service-industry employers. The rule relaxes the regulatory framework underpinning Section 7(i) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, also known as the “retail service exemption ...
Questions concerning how to pay employees in tipped occupations have plagued employers for years. Tipped employees that perform duties that are not sufficiently related to their tipped occupation must be paid at least the full minimum wage, not the lower tip credit wage, when performing those duties. The DOL's approach as to what is/not related to the tipped employee's occupation has changed administration-by-administration ...
On October 01, 2020, Law No. 17 ...
Expectations are increasing and there is mounting pressure from investors and consumers for private and public sector organisations and charities to be seen to be doing something about ESG factors, including equality, diversity and inclusion. Diversity and inclusion are increasingly recognised as crucial factors in building sustainable and successful supply chains in the private, public and charity sectors ...
LAVERY follows the evolution of consumer law closely, its specialized expertise in the fields of retailing and class actions has been confirmed many times by stakeholders in the milieu ...
An analyst estimates that the market value in 2023 for digital advertising will be US$701 billion. The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) is a legislative competition law 'key' to 'unlocking' the big-data relating to digital advertising held in the ‘safe’ owned by BigTech. Advertising agencies are potentially one class of beneficiary (see link for article - The Digital Markets Act - Strategy reboot for online advertising) ...
The International Trade Commission (ITC) sits in a nondescript office building about a block farther south of the National Mall than tourists usually care to venture. Patent owners come from around the country to this tree-lined street in Washington, D.C., to seek a powerful remedy to protect their patented products: an exclusion order. An exclusion order directs U.S. Customs and Border Protection to block infringing imports at the United States border ...
Recently, the General Directorate of Customs (DGA), under the provisions of art 440 of the Regulation of the Uniform Central American Customs Code (RECAUCA), has modified the period of stay for vehicles owned by foreign tourists, Salvadorans residing abroad, and Salvadoran students residing abroad ...
On 11 January 2024 the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) published policy statement PS24/1 (without consultation). The policy statement sets out temporary changes to the complaints handling rules for motor finance complaints, amid a rise in complaints against motor finance firms relating to commission ...
Key Notes FDA announces flexible approach to enforcement of Nutrition and Supplement Facts labeling requirements for small food manufacturers and manufacturers of packaging for single-ingredient sugars, in part due to the impacts of COVID-19. The FDA adopted final rules updating the Nutrition and Supplement Facts1 labeling requirements (the “Rules”) that are effective on Jan ...
In case you missed it, there was an interesting piece in the January/February issue of Transaction Trends, the Electronic Transactions Association’s official publication. I highly recommend it, as it was a good look ahead. The feature, “Putting the ‘L’ in M-Commerce” was an interview with several prominent industry executives about loyalty cards and programs. Today, however, loyalty card programs are fragmented, to put it politely ...
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the food industry, just as it has many others. The good news is that food-to-person transmission of the disease does not seem to be a risk. The challenge remains keeping workers safe from airborne and surface transmission. However, the FDA and the USDA have provided guidance and recommendations to food producers to deal with COVID-19, links to which have been provided below. The guidance focuses on stopping the person-to-person spread of the disease ...
The establishment by the Scottish Government of a food security task force is a necessary and timely response to the war in Ukraine. In addition to the harrowing humanitarian crisis, the conflict has prompted significant concern among food producers. The UK food sector and consumers are currently facing a perfect storm just as we begin to emerge from the pandemic ...
The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic is upending regular commercial activity across the United States and around the world, and that disruption is expected to escalate. Among the issues confronting our clients, the effect of public health orders and other measures to address COVID-19 is threatening, impacting, and in some cases, outright prohibiting the performance of material contractual obligations ...
The Court of Appeal of Quebec has issued an important judgment pertaining to a franchisor’s implicit obligations towards its franchisees. In June 2012, the Superior Court of Quebec ordered Dunkin’ Donuts Brands Canada Ltd. (“Dunkin’ Donuts”) to pay an amount of $16.4M (plus interests and costs) to 21 of its franchisees in Quebec the sum of $16 ...
The rise of e-commerce and the struggle many brick-and-mortar retail stores face is nothing new. Customers are increasingly choosing to shop for clothes, furniture and even groceries from the convenience of their own homes. More recently, however, this shift in the way consumers shop has given rise to new types of retail stores – small showrooms and “pop-up shops ...
