All Legal & Institutional articles – Page 11
-
News briefs
Leather industry signs an updated version of its sustainability manifesto
Concurrently with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), held in Egypt from Nov. 6 to 18, twenty-six bodies of the leather industry signed an updated version of a manifesto on sustainability, the so-called Leather Manifesto, that was published in October 2021. The signatories urged COP27 participants to encourage the ...
-
News briefs
China relaxes Covid restrictions
The Chinese government is relaxing some of its Covid-19 restrictions after the measures were rubber-stamped by the Politburo Standing Committee. Quarantine for inbound travelers is cut to eight days from 10, resulting in five days in state isolation centers and three days at home, according to the country’s National Health ...
-
News briefs
German energy price cap effective from early 2023
German energy price caps announced by the Chancellor Olaf Scholz to mitigate the impact of inflation will go into effect in early 2023, according to a government timetable. The gas price effect is set to go into effect on Jan. 1 for large companies and on March 1 for households ...
-
News briefs
EU considering further Belarus sanctions
The European Union will examine the possibility of imposing sanctions against Belarus for its role in supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, according to Czech prime minister Petr Fiala. The Czech Republic holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. “We are currently examining…Belarus’ role and the potential need ...
-
News briefs
Amazon expands legal efforts to stop the source of fake reviews
Amazon has announced that it has filed its first criminal complaint in Italy and its first lawsuit in Spain as part of its legal efforts to shut down fake review brokers. These two unprecedented lawsuits in Europe target bad actors that attempt to orchestrate fake reviews on Amazon and other ...
-
News briefs
Skechers sues Hermès for alleged patent infringement
Skechers USA has sued Hermès International and Hermès of Paris for alleged patent infringement of its proprietary Massage Fit sole technology. The lawsuit was filed on Oct. 18 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. In 2022, Hermès introduced two footwear ...
-
News briefs
Amazon faces class action for allegedly favoring some products
Amazon faces a class action in the U.K. for allegedly favouring some products on its platform. According to estimates, the lawsuit, if successful, could result in damages of £900 million (€1,034m) for the U.S. online retailer. The legal action, which is expected to be filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal ...
-
News briefs
U.K. drops VAT-free shopping scheme
The British Finance Minister, Jeremy Hunt, announced that the government no longer plans to introduce a scheme eliminating value-added tax (VAT) for overseas tourists. Hunt was appointed Finance Minister, or Chancellor of the Exchequer, on Oct. 14, replacing Kwasi Kwarteng. Kwarteng had to step down after only 38 days in ...
-
ArticleSan Marina placed into receivership
The French footwear retailer San Marina was placed under controlled administration, or receivership, on Sept. 22 at its request by a Marseille-based commercial court. San Marina employs 673 people in 163 stores in France. The so-called observation period of the receivership is set to last until March 23, 2023, ...
-
News briefs
U.K. to introduce VAT-free shopping for foreigners
During the presentation of new budgetary measures, Kwasi Kwarteng, the U.K.’s newly appointed finance minister, officially referred to as the chancellor of the exchequer, said that the government has decided to introduce VAT-free shopping for overseas visitors. “We will replace the old paper-based system with a modern, digital one. And ...
-
ArticleGörtz and Surf4Shoes file for bankruptcy amid uncertainty, soaring inflation
Görtz and Surf4Shoes are among the latest companies caught in a wave of bankruptcies that appears to be gathering pace in Germany. Heightened consumer uncertainty, sky-rocketing inflation and rising energy prices are seen as the main destabilizing factors, as the war in Ukraine rages and the European Union’s sanctions against ...
-
News briefs
World faces a winter of discontent - UN
The secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, warned that the world will face a difficult winter due to the effects of the multiple ongoing crises including the war in Ukraine, increasing poverty and inequality, and the impact of global warming. “These crises threaten the very future of humanity ...
-
News briefs
EU court hold ups decision to fine Google
The European Union’s General Court has upheld a decision made by the European Commission to fine the U.S. research engine Google and its parent company Alphabet for abuse of dominant position but cut the compensation to €4.125 billion from €4.340 billion. Alphabet is jointly and severally liable in the amount ...
-
News briefs
EU plans to ban products made with forced labour
The European Commission has proposed to prohibit products made with forced labour on the European Union market. The proposal covers all products, including those made in the EU for domestic consumption and exports, and imported goods, without targeting specific companies or industries. “This comprehensive approach is important because an estimated ...
-
News briefs
Diego Della Valle files document to delist Tod’s
Tod’s said that its main shareholder, Diego Della Valle, has filed documents with the Italian market regulator Consob for a public offer to delist the Italian fashion house from the Milan stock exchange. As announced earlier in August, DeVa Finance, which is controlled by DI.VI. Finanziaria di Diego Della Valle ...
-
ArticleHow the exodus out of Russia is creating opportunities for locals
Western footwear retailers that pulled out from the Russian market over the past few months in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sold products worth 51.2 billion rubles (€911m) in the country in 2021, estimated Chestny Znak, a Russian regulator supervising the labelling of fashion products on the domestic ...
-
News briefs
Manolo Blahnik wins Chinese trademark battle
Manolo Blahnik has won a 22-year dispute to use its name in China. China is a “first to file” jurisdiction, meaning that the businessman Fang Yuzhou had obtained the rights to the brand’s name in 2000 following an application made in 1999. But in December 2020, the Supreme People’s Court ...
-
News briefs
EU starts membership talks with Albania, North Macedonia
On July 19, 2022, the European Union started membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. “What a historic moment. Today, Albania and North Macedonia are opening the accession negotiations to the European Union,” said Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. “You and your citizens, you and ...
-
News briefs
Crocs wins a counterfeit case
Crocs has announced a judgment against USA Dawgs and Double Diamond Distribution stemming from the sale of counterfeit Crocs shoes by the two companies. In the case, Crocs also obtained damages of $6 million and $55,000, respectively, against the companies. The case is the culmination of years of litigation between ...
-
News briefs
EU, New Zealand conclude talks for trade agreement
After four years of talks, the EU and New Zealand concluded negotiations for a trade agreement. The deal includes sustainability commitments, including respect of the Paris Climate Agreement and core labour rights, which are enforceable through trade sanctions. The agreement is the first one to integrate the EU’s new approach ...
