On Wednesday, the European Commission formally adopted the proposed regulation on harmonised rules on fair access to and use of data, otherwise known as the Data Act. The Data Act forms a key cornerstone of the European strategy for data, and is expected to make a crucial contribution to the digital transformation objective of the “Digital Decade”. Through the Act, the European Union aims to kick-start innovation across all member states by pushing companies across all sectors of Europe’s economy to...

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On February 4, 2022, the United States Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) issued a report titled, "Study of the Facilitation of Money Laundering and Terror Finance Through the Trade in Works of Art." The report discusses how the high-value art market, including certain non-fungible tokens (NFTs), is vulnerable to financial crime and susceptible to abuse by illicit actors. The report concludes with recommendations that would require certain art market participants to implement and maintain anti-money laundering / countering...

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With Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, the “Theatre of Operations” has already included the Cyber Domain, with cyber-attacks launched in recent days against Ukrainian government websites, banks, corporations, and other organizations. Given the interconnected and open nature of the Internet, it is therefore prudent to consider the possibility that either direct or collateral cyber-damages could affect businesses around the world, among them those in Europe and the United States.  In light of recent events, therefore, we recommend reviewing the following...

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The following is a summary of updates regarding travel restrictions as of February 22, 2022 and applicable health regulations for Canada and the United States. End of negative PCR testing for COVID-19 upon arrival in Canada Effective February 28, 2022, properly vaccinated travellers entering Canada by air or land will be exempt from presenting a negative PCR test to Canadian Customs. They will only need to present a negative antigen test within 24 hours of their scheduled flight or arrival at...

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Businesses will have a key part to play in driving forwards the UK government's sustainability agenda In the aftermath of COP26, attention has turned to how employers can help meet the UK's ambitious environmental net zero commitments from a workforce perspective, through the transition to "green jobs" and "green HR". But what is green HR and how can it help drive the green job transition? In the aftermath of COP26, attention has turned to how employers can help meet the UK's...

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Patent owners and trademark registrants soon will be able to protect their intellectual property more quickly and efficiently thanks to proposed changes to the way the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) operates. On Dec. 10, 2021, the USPTO announced that it intends to transition away from mailing paper certificates of issued patents and trademark registrations. Under the proposed change, the USPTO would no longer physically deliver a patent by mailing it to the correspondence address. Instead, it would...

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