Following our previous newsletter, on 21 August 2023, the Royal Decree on the Operation of Digital Platforms, which are Subject to Prior Notification B.E. 2565, came into full effect. Existing business operators are required to comply with certain obligations.
On 17 August 2023, the Ministry of Health published the draft decree, and related technical regulations, on the “Transparent Healthcare” public register and launched a public consultation to gather comments and contributions from stakeholders, including manufacturers of health products, healthcare professionals and organizations.
Following the promulgation of the Law on Protection of Consumers’ Rights (amended) (“New LPCR”), the Ministry of Industry and Trade has released for public consultation the draft decree detailing and guiding several articles of the New LPCR (“Draft Decree”).
The Draft Decree is due to come into effect on 1 July 2024, which is also the effective date of the New LPCR. The draft includes eight chapters and 30 articles, enclosed with 14 regulatory forms that will be used in different procedures under the New LPCR.
This is the 20th anniversary edition of the Global Post-Acquisition Integration Handbook, which since its first publication in 2003 has served as a practical reference tool for any company contemplating, or currently executing, a multinational business acquisition and integration. Key topics such as tax, corporate and employment law are considered, and regional comparison tables summarize the main aspects of integrations in more than 30 jurisdictions. Since our last update in 2017, there has been a great deal of change in the global legal and business landscape, hence this current edition includes new content on recent legal developments in the areas of compliance and risk management (including antitrust, bribery, sanctions and customs), foreign investment review, privacy and data protection.
Australian business communications have been modernized with effect from 15 September 2023 by amendments to the Corporations Act which allow all documents under the Act to be signed electronically and most documents to be sent electronically. This is a welcome development building upon gradual progress in this area since mid 2020.
The laws for electronic execution of documents by companies, settled in early 2022, are not changing.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) (together “Agencies”) each have recently taken enforcement actions that demonstrate renewed attention on interlocking directorates (in which individuals simultaneously serve as directors on the boards of competing companies). Interlocking directorates are prohibited under Section 8 of the Clayton Act unless one of its de minimis exceptions applies. Those exceptions are dependent upon the volume of revenues derived from products sold by the operative companies in competition with one another.
Important amendments to the Companies Act, No. 71 of 2008, which came into effect on 1 April 2023 and the Companies Regulations, 2011, which came into effect on 24 May 2023, have implications for companies registered and incorporated in accordance with the laws of South Africa.
It has been three years since Section 17A of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 came into effect, with the first charge under the provision made in 2021. The recent array of actions by the MACC coupled with the “zero tolerance for corruption” policy launched by the Madani Government provide a timely reminder of the importance of businesses in (i) reviewing their existing procedures and (ii) ensuring adequate procedures are in place to prevent bribery as they afford the only defense against liability under Section 17A.
Off the Shelf, the Global Consumer Goods & Retail Industry Video Podcast, provides short practical legal insights into the key issues affecting consumer goods and retail (CG&R) businesses. Season 3 looks at how artificial intelligence is impacting the CG&R industry.
Baker McKenzie is proud to present a series of webinars aimed at helping regulators, legal practitioners and business leaders develop a deeper understanding of law and ESG issues in the Asia Pacific region.