By Robert Rosenblum, with contributions from Susan Gault-Brown, Greg Broome, Todd Carpenter, Amy Caiazza, John Sullivan, and Tyler Kirk. WSGR Initial coin offerings (ICOs), token pre-sales, and similar sales of blockchain-based coins and tokens are quickly becoming an important fundraising option, and an important method of attempting to seed a token-based platform with sufficient "currency" (that is, tokens) to permit the platform to function as intended. With the end of 2017 in sight, it is useful to catalog what we...

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By Eric Fort | Bruno Gasparotto | Alain Goebel  |Thierry Lesage | Jan Neugebauer | Arendt & Medernach LLC On 11 October 2017, and the last time before next year’s parliamentary elections, the current Luxembourg Finance Minister presented the budget law for 2018 to the Parliament (Chambre des Députés).The main tax-related provisions of the Bill of Law N° 7200 (“Bill”) as laid out below in more detail include inter alia: Changes to the capital gains tax treatment of business restructurings; Improvements...

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By Jeffrey Mordaunt | Joshua Swedlow | Stout  Stout's Trends in Trade Secret Litigation Report details the latest findings from our continual monitoring of the federal trade secret litigation landscape. The report also features the conclusions derived from our quantitative study on federal trade secret cases in which a verdict was derived or settlement information was publically available, over a 26-year period from 1990 to 2015. Our in-depth research and analysis focuses on: The impact of the Defend Trade Secrets Act...

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By Philip A.S. Shepherd (Atlanta), Sara E. Herbek (Atlanta)  Ogletree Deakins | Following an announcement issued on October 2, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin offering foreign nationals in certain categories the option to simultaneously file for work authorization and a social security number by filing a single form with USCIS. The new option, coming as a result of an interagency partnership between USCIS and the Social Security Administration (SSA), is effective immediately.  Applicants looking to take...

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By Greet Wilkenhuysen | Romain Sabatier | Yoanna Stefanova| Nauta Dutilh   Modernisation of Luxembourg Company Law:  General Meetings of Shareholders in an S.A. and an S.à r.l. The Act of 10 August 2016 modernising Luxembourg company law and amending the Act of 10 August 1915 on commercial companies (the "Act") modifies certain rules with respect to the calling and holding of general meetings of shareholders of an S.A. and an S.à r.l.  The new rules are intended to facilitate the calling...

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By World Ventures What’s better than being your own boss, setting your own hours, determining your own salary and having an office wherever you happen to be? It’s a Utopian idea that is reality for tens of thousands of people working independently in direct sales worldwide. But getting there isn’t easy. It takes grit to abandon the familiar grind and build a business — especially in direct sales. Just ask Wayne Nugent, founder and chief visionary officer of WorldVentures(TM), the leading...

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By JUDr. Ing. Jaroslav Tajbr | jaroslav.tajbrnoerr.com| +420 233112142 | Noerr LLP The Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic published a bill in September to replace the current Act No. 101/2000 Coll., on the Protection of Personal Data. This Act is particularly interesting because it is a “Czech reaction” to GDPR in matters where the regulation allows for national derogations or specifications. However, the bill is not just a response to GDPR. On the contrary, the larger part on its content implements...

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By Dr Mansur Pour Rafsendjani | Mansur.PourRafsendjaninoerr.com | +49 89 28628490 | Noerr LLP On 12 September 2017 the European Parliament passed a resolution on the functioning of franchising in retail (2016/2244(INI)). In the resolution, the European Parliament takes the view that franchising regulation should be harmonised across Europe. I. Content of the European Parliament resolution The Parliament states that many Member States have enacted legislation, but that this is inconsistent and its focus has often been only on certain aspects, such as...

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