Member News

SIKA | CHF 10 Million in Financial Support for SIKA’s Innovative Concrete Recycling Technology

Sika’s innovative reCO2ver® technology is now receiving targeted support as part of a climate protection program. The technology involves a novel concrete recycling process that allows old concrete to be entirely reused while facilitating the sequestration of CO2. To support the use of the technology, Switzerland’s Climate Cent Foundation is guaranteeing the purchase of CO2 certificates from the program for an initial amount of CHF 10 million. Almost 40% of global CO2 emissions are attributable to the construction and building sector. Around 30...

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Member News

Steptoe | 100% AI-Generated Works Cannot Receive A Copyright (But Works Created Jointly By Humans And AI May Be Copyrightable)

A Federal Court ruled that works that are entirely created by artificial intelligence (“AI”) systems cannot receive a copyright under United States law. Contrary to how this decision has been reported in news summaries, the case was decided on a relatively narrow issue, and kept the door open for future decisions to expand on this new area of the law. The plaintiff used an AI system called the “Creativity Machine” to generate a piece of visual art called “A Recent Entrance...

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Member News

PwC | Proposed regulations on information reporting for digital assets

Treasury and the IRS on August 25 released proposed regulations on information reporting (Forms 1099, etc.) and calculation of gain or loss for digital assets. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expanded the rules regarding how digital assets should be reported by brokers. The proposed regulations provide guidance for how brokers and payors are to comply and provide rules to determine the amount realized for purposes of computing gain or loss upon the sale, exchange, or other disposition of digital...

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Chapter News

IMF | The High Cost of Global Economic Fragmentation

Growing trade restrictions may reverse economic integration and undermine the cooperation needed to protect against new shocks and address global challenges. In a shock-prone world, economies must be more resilient—individually and collectively. Cooperation is critical, but greater protectionism could lead to fragmentation, and even split nations into rival blocs just as fresh shocks expose the global economy's fragility. While estimates of the cost of fragmentation vary, greater international trade restrictions could reduce global economic output by as much as 7 percent...

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Chapter News

EU Commission | Detailed reporting rules adapted for the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism’s transitional phase

The European Commission adopted today the rules governing the implementation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) during its transitional phase, which starts on 1 October of this year and runs until the end of 2025. The Implementing Regulation published today details the transitional reporting obligations for EU importers of CBAM goods, as well as the transitional methodology for calculating embedded emissions released during the production process of CBAM goods. In the CBAM's transitional phase, traders will only have to report...

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Member News

Littler | Changes in the New Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification

On August 1, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a revised version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, which may be used now but must be used for all new hires and rehires starting November 1, 2023. The new form is a major change from the last iteration in that it has returned to a one-page version, which had been used from 1986 until 2013. This one-page version, however, has two Supplements, A and B....

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Member News

Arendt & Medernach | Luxembourg Financial Regulator’s Thematic Review on the Implementation of Sustainability-related Provisions in the Investment Fund Industry

On 3 August 2023, the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), Luxembourg’s financial regulator, published a report of its Thematic Review on the implementation of sustainability-related provisions in the investment fund industry (CSSF Thematic Review). 1. Background After the entry into force of key sustainable finance regulations, such as the SFDR and TR, and the revision of the AIFMD and UCITS Directive frameworks, all imposing new disclosure obligations on financial market participants, the CSSF has recently reviewed how successfully these...

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Member News

PwC | Replacement of NAFTA addressed for certain income tax treaties; Russia suspends US-Russia income tax treaty

The IRS published, on July 31, competent authority agreements with Denmark, Luxembourg, Mexico, and Malta, effective July 1, 2020, pursuant to which, on a bilateral basis, references in the respective tax treaty with the United States to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will be treated as references to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which entered into effect on July 1, 2020. Background In July 2020, the USMCA replaced NAFTA. As detailed in our insight, this created uncertainty for some...

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Member News

CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) | IRS Shuts Down ERC “Supply Chain” Shutdown Theory

The employee retention credit (ERC) provided many employers a tax savings opportunity to help keep employees on their payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many organizations claimed the credit based on a supplier shutdown provision. Now, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has clarified what criteria an organization must meet to be able to claim the credit — and in many cases, employers who previously claimed the credit may not be eligible. Let’s dig into details to understand how your ERC eligibility...

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Chapter News

EU Circular economy: New law on more sustainable, circular and safe batteries enters into force

A new law to ensure that batteries are collected, reused and recycled in Europe is entering into force today. The new Batteries Regulation will ensure that, in the future, batteries have a low carbon footprint, use minimal harmful substances, need less raw materials from non-EU countries, and are collected, reused and recycled to a high degree in Europe. This will support the shift to a circular economy, increase security of supply for raw materials and energy, and enhance the EU’s strategic...

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