On April 14, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance regarding retirement plan cybersecurity in the form of best practices for retirement plan service providers, best practices for the selection of service providers with strong cybersecurity practices, and online security tips for participants. While the DOL stopped short of providing any analysis or discussion of the standards that plan fiduciaries must satisfy and did not provide any safe harbor relief to retirement plans, the guidance is a welcome...

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With the help of our members, we are creating a Thought-Leadership series on the impact of COVID-19 on Labor & Employment from the perspective of both sides of the Atlantic. Today, we present Lena Beck Rørvig, Founder & CEO of BECK GLOBAL CONSULTING, along with Len Adams, Founder & CEO of ACG RESOURCES, who will address: “What will the New Normal look like for Employees and Employers?”. | We will hopefully see the light at the end of the covid tunnel...

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Recognizing World IP Day, April 26th Most people associate the invention of the sewing machine with Isaac Singer and the Singer Corporation. In fact, an inventor named Elias Howe originally patented the design in 1846. Howe sued Singer in long running litigation which was eventually settled with both men and their companies receiving royalties from sales. Ironically, neither Howe nor Singer created the first sewing machine. That man was Walter Hunt in 1843. Hunt decided not to patent his invention because he thought...

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A month after the US Congress approved a record $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill to stimulate the US economy, the EU is taking the next step towards making its own post-COVID-19 Recovery Fund a reality. Last week, the European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn, presented the Commission’s strategy to financing the recovery plan for Europe. The NextGenerationEU Recovery Fund will provide hundreds of billions of euros in grants and low-interest loans to EU countries. In total, the Commission plans...

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Since the 1950s, international trade and travel have increasingly become a familiar part of our everyday lives, and innovations in technology have meant that borders are less of a barrier than ever. While the digitalisation of global commerce was already gathering pace, the Covid-19 pandemic has undeniably accelerated the shift from conventional brick and mortar businesses to online services. This comes as more consumers are now inclined to shop online to reduce their exposure to Covid-19. Businesses that have been...

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Just in time for Earth Day and US President Joe Biden’s global climate change summit, the European Parliament and Member States agreed on reducing greenhouse gases by at least 55%, as compared to 1990, in the EU’s first legally binding climate law. The agreement was reached in the early hours of Wednesday morning after six in-depth negotiation rounds.  Initially proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen when setting out her 5-year political objectives to the European Parliament in late 2019,...

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In part 1, we looked at the importance of setting service delivery expectations, initial risk assessments, and common service level structuring approaches in digital transformation projects. In this instalment, we examine service level measurement and reporting, change management, and service credit remedies.  Measuring service performance Once the services are up and running in a technology project, the actual performance of the service against the service levels is usually measured on a weekly or monthly basis. In long term arrangements or where the...

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The Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial designs is an effective vehicle for centralized acquisition of design patents in multiple jurisdictions and subsequent maintenance thereof. Generally, a single International Design Application (“IDA”) is filed with the International Bureau (“IB”) at the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”), designating a number of selected contracting jurisdictions, i.e., participating countries or regions, for registration.  Filing of the IDA with WIPO streamlines basic filing requirements and bibliographic data. Upon filing, the IDA is reviewed...

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On April 22, 2021, the United States Supreme Court unanimously decided the closely watched case AMG v. FTC. Petitioners argued that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had no authority to get monetary relief under Section 13(b) of the FTC Act, which by its text provides for, at most, "a permanent injunction." The decision marks the end of the FTC's broad exercise of 13(b) authority to get money back from those who violate the FTC Act—for now. Section 13(b) has been a cornerstone of...

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