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On 23 January 2025, the US Supreme Court granted the US government’s application to end the nationwide preliminary injunction against enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) issued by the District Court in Top Cop Shop on 3 December 2024. This injunction is currently on appeal with the Fifth Circuit. However, a separate nationwide order that also stayed the CTA beneficial owner reporting deadline remains in place. This order was issued by a different federal judge in Smith v. US on 7 January 2025.

The Corporate Transparency Act requires “reporting companies” to file “beneficial owner” information and “company applicants” with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as early as 1 January 2025. In a “last minute” 3 December 2024 decision, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Top Cop Shop, Inc., et al. v. Garland, issued an order temporarily enjoining the US government from enforcing the CTA and CTA regulations

The proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection Act Regulations in South Africa aim to enhance consumer privacy by regulating direct marketing practices. Open for public comment until 15 January 2025, these changes focus on creating an opt-out registry managed by the National Consumer Commission, allowing consumers to block unsolicited electronic communications. Direct marketers will be required to register, renew annually, and cleanse their databases regularly to comply with the new rules. The amendments also introduce enforcement mechanisms for non-compliance and align with the Protection of Personal Information Act, ensuring comprehensive consumer protection against unwanted marketing.

US employers can expect material changes to employment laws under the Trump administration, with impacts felt across their business operations. President-elect Trump’s first term, his campaign platform, and the typical shifts in a Democratic to Republican transition provide clues about what’s to come: federal agencies, policies and rules will become more business-centered and many of the Biden-era worker-focused protections will be rolled back.

On 17 September 2024, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), an EU body that prosecutes among others financial crimes that affect the EU budget, announced that it is seeking criminal penalties from two companies and five of their directors of more than 8 years imprisonment along with a fine of over EUR 25 million. Over 30 properties linked to the defendants were seized to ensure that the defendants can meet their financial liabilities.

On 5 August 2024, Ministerial Resolution No. 435-2024-MTC/01.02 was published, approving the new Regulations on Aeronautical Infractions and Sanctions. The Regulations establish the classification of infractions related to Law No. 27,261, the Peruvian Civil Aeronautics Law. The Regulations incorporate Subchapter XV of the Peruvian Aeronautical Regulation on violations of environmental protection, aircraft noise reduction and the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.

In its “Make Work Pay” manifesto, the Labour government pledged to bring in the “right to switch off” for workers. The government is reportedly considering a Code of Practice on such right, which may operate in a similar way to the Codes of Practice on disciplinary and grievance matters, and fire and rehire, with the potential for uplifts in compensation for specified types of claims where there has been non-compliance. Full details of the proposals are awaited but employers may wish to examine their hybrid and remote working arrangements now in order to ensure that they can react swiftly to future developments.

On 3 June 2024, the Regulations on hazardous substances for domestic, industrial and/or public health use (Supreme Decree No. 031-2023-SA) became effective. The purpose of the Regulations is to regulate and supervise the sanitary control of hazardous substances for domestic, industrial and/or public health use established in Chapter VI of Title II of Law No. 26842, General Health Law. The Regulations will be enforced by the General Directorate of Environmental Health and Food Safety (DIGESA) of the Ministry of Health.

In a landmark decision rendered on 20 November 2023, the Antwerp Labour Court of Appeals ruled that no Belgian employee social security contributions are due in relation to equity-based compensation (RSUs in the case at hand) granted by a US parent company to employees of its Belgian subsidiary. In essence, the Court concluded that the RSUs under review were not granted in return for services provided by employees under their employment contract with and were neither borne by the Belgian subsidiary. Rather, the Court found that the RSUs were granted on the basis of an obligation undertaken by the US parent company towards the Belgian employee-beneficiaries with a view to binding these employees to the group on a long-term basis, with the US parent company also taking full financial and legal responsibility.