Increased shareholder rights equals additional obligations for asset managers and intermediaries. On 10 July 2019, the Luxembourg parliament adopted the final text of the bill of law (the “New Law”) implementing into Luxembourg domestic law the provisions of Directive (EU) 2017/828 amending Directive 2007/36/EC as regards the encouragement of long-term shareholder engagement (the “SRD II”) and amending the Luxembourg law of 24 May 2011 on the exercise of certain rights of shareholders in listed companies (the “Shareholders Rights Law”). Whereas...

With corporations having increasingly extensive global footprints, a US-based investor, bank or alternative lender looking to reduce or manage risk by taking security over a company’s assets located outside of the US may find themselves unexpectedly navigating different legal systems and processes. In this article we look at some of the practical considerations and formalities for US lenders to be aware, with a focus on some of the cost implications and formalities that apply in relation to England and...

On July 21, 2016, WSGR partnered with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a leading digital rights nonprofit, to file a lawsuit pro bono challenging the constitutionality of the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA): Green v. DOJ.1 Nearly three years later, on June 27, 2019, the District Court for the District of Columbia issued a decision allowing portions of the lawsuit to proceed, an important first step in a case that seeks to help security researchers,...

On 2 July 2019, the Dutch State Secretary of Finance has published a legislative proposal to implement the EU Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive 2 ("ATAD 2") into Dutch domestic legislation (the "Bill"). ATAD 2 provides for minimum standards to neutralize hybrid mismatches and was adopted on 29 May 2017 (see also our Tax Alert of 1 March 2017). ATAD 2 should be implemented by all EU member states into domestic law no later than 31 December 2019 (thus becoming effective as...

Is the Corporate Services industry ready for digital disruption? Our latest Vistra 2020 study suggests not. In Vistra's research, almost eight in 10 (78%) respondents indicated that disruption would be a largely positive development for their business, while one in three thought it would only have a minimal impact on the industry. When we asked which technologies they were experimenting with, one of the top responses was “none of the above”. Some might argue that Polaroid, Blockbuster and Kodak were also...

The Luxembourg UBO Register: the end of the transition period is fast approaching (31 August 2019) Compliments of NautaDutilh - a Member of the EACCNY Monday 8 July 2019 In the firms newsletter from 24 January 2019, we informed you of the Act of 13 January 2019 establishing a Luxembourg register of ultimate beneficial owners ("UBO Register Act").  The UBO Register Act, which entered into force on 1st March 2019, provides for a six-month transition period to submit information to the UBO Register....