By Francoise Gilbert & Dr. Viola Bensinger |  Greenberg Traurig LLP On Oct. 3, 2017, the Irish High Court ruled that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) should decide whether Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) used to legitimize the transfer of personal data of residents of the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) to the United States are valid for that purpose. In its ruling, the Irish High Court stated that the decision regarding the validity of the SCC raises “very...

By Mason Hayes & Curran Hate speech, and the role played by internet services providers, such as social media companies, in its regulation, has been the subject of much discussion. We examine the heightened regulatory activity concerning hate speech online and potential encroachment on the traditional immunities of online intermediaries regarding user-generated content.   Immunity for user-generated content Internet services providers, as ‘mere conduits’ and ‘hosts’ of information generally have legal immunity for user-generated content posted on their sites. This qualified guarantee of...

By Richard Jeanneret |Vice Chair, Northeast Region Managing Partner | EY For the past number of months I have been on a road show of sorts, visiting with the local offices throughout the Northeast. I met with the area leaders on a number of important topics and collaborate with them on cascading our vision, strategy and culture to the EY professionals in their respective offices. One of my biggest mantras is to encourage an environment of what I like to call a...

By Mark H. Moore  | Reavis Parent LLP On September 5, 2017, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Justice issued a decision of signal importance in the field of employee privacy. The Chamber condemned without sufficient justification an employer’s monitoring of an employee’s communications, leaving European employers with only vague guidance as to when such monitoring may be warranted. The employee at issue, Bogdan Mihai Bărbulescu, was employed as a sales engineer from August 2004 through August 2007 in the Bucharest...

By Vision Impact Institute | Essilor International Dear Friends, This month we’re honored to partner with vision advocates and organizations around the world for World Sight Day, an opportunity to lend our collective voice to reduce visual impairment and blindness. Held on the second Thursday of October each year, World Sight Day was first initiated by Lions Club International, and is currently coordinated by the International Agency to Prevent Blindness (IAPB) in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO).   It’s on days...

By Rick Torczon and Sonja Gerrard | Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati On October 4, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued an en banc decision in Aqua Products, Inc., v. Matal, finding that the petitioner has the burden of proving the unpatentability of claims—even amended claims—entered in an inter partes review (IPR). This decision overrules earlier Federal Circuit decisions finding that the burden rested on the patent owner to prove patentability of amended claims and will...

By Loyens & Loeff Today, 4 October 2017, the EU Commission set out a process to come to a new VAT regime for cross-border trade expected to enter into force in 2022. The cornerstone of the proposal is the ‘destination’-principle  according to which  transactions will be taxed with VAT in the Member State of destination rather than in the Member State of the supplier or origin. To improve the functioning of the current system, the Commission has announced some ‘quick fixes’...

By the Delegation of the Basque Country to the United States The Learning Tour 2017 initiative, promoted by the Basque Government, aimed to showcase the most outstanding and remarkable aspects of the Basque Country and to promote the Basque sustainable development model. The delegation was made up of a group of seven US institutional, economic, and academic representatives, who were accompanied by the General Secretary for External Action, Marian Elorza, the Director of Foreign Affairs, Leyre Madariaga, and the Basque Country's Delegate to...