All Legal & Institutional articles – Page 17
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Article
Germany plans to protect human rights in global supply chains
On March 3, the German federal government approved a bill that aims to force local companies to respect human rights in their global supply chain. Parliament is expected to pass the draft legislation, commonly referred to as the Supply Chain Act, by the middle of the year. The legislation is ...
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ArticleThree German retail associations merge to have more clout
Three German retail associations BTE (representing apparel), BDSE (footwear) and BLE (leathergoods) have decided to merge this year to form the BTE Handelsverband Textil, Schuh, Lederwaren. The combination will give the new assocation more clout in defending the interests of their members “alongside and in line with the HDE,” according ...
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ArticleThe U.K. to regulate the “buy now pay later” market
The British government announced that the increasingly popular interest-free ”buy now pay later” (BNPL) credit agreements will be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in order to protect consumers. The government noted that the volume of transactions involving BNPL solutions more than tripled in 2020 as the pandemic drove ...
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News briefs
Another legal victory for the Moon Boot
Tecnica Group has won a second court verdict in Italy to protect the intellectual property rights behind its Moon Boot, and it is now planning to carry the fight to other countries as well, starting with Germany and Italy. The Milan Tribunal ruled on Jan. 25 that the unique design ...
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ArticleItalian shoemakers seek geographical indication protection from EU
The municipality of Monte Urano, led its mayor, Moira Canigola, is seeking to obtain geographical indication protection from the European Commission for the footwear cluster located in the Fermo-Macerata area in the Marche region. The town asked the Commission to consider widening IG protection to non-food products. Canigola said that ...
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News briefs
Jimmy Choo to open a fashion academy in London
The designer Jimmy Choo announced the opening of the JCA/London Fashion Academy in September. Located in the heart of Mayfair, it aims to provide students with design and entrepreneurial skills. In a statement, he described London as a global fashion hub that “has created many of the world’s most exciting ...
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News briefs
Google probed by the EU
Google is under dual investigations in the European Union for allegedly abusive practices in its advertising business. This month, according to Reuters, anti-trust regulators for the EU have sent to a number of advertisers a 13-page questionnaire regarding the “Include Google Display Network” default setting for search campaigns on Google ...
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Article
EU Commission calls to ‘strongly discourage’ intra-EU travel
The European Commission has proposed the European Council to discourage non-essential travel between European Union member states amid high Covid-19 infection rates and concerns about new virus variants, while avoiding border closures or blanket prohibitions that would impede the functioning of the internal market and supply chains. “The Commission proposes ...
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News briefs
U.S. customs is withholding cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang
The U.S. government is increasing its pressure on Chinese interests and authorities to stop engaging in labor practices that violate basic human rights. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency has issued a third Withhold Release Order (WRO) for cotton products and tomato products produced in Xinjiang, China. ...
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News briefs
EU updates supplier/wholesaler/retailer regulations
The European Commission is sounding out companies involved in the sale and distribution of consumer goods and their trade associations to provide input for the reform of a set of guidelines governing dealings between suppliers, wholesalers and retailers. First issued in 2010 and called the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation – ...
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News briefs
U.K., Canada to restrict business with Xinjiang
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the U.K. is seeking to separate British organizations from the extra-judicial detentions and forced labor that Uyghur Muslims and other minorities are undergoing at the hands of the ruling Chinese Communist Party in the province of Xinjiang. Citing “proof from the Chinese authorities’ ...
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News briefs
Nike and Converse file lawsuit against nearly 600 websites
Nike and its Converse subsidiary have filed the biggest lawsuit of the kind, accusing the 186 operators of 589 websites as well as 676 social media accounts for allegedly infringing on various trademarks and attempting to sell “falsely labeled” counterfeit products under their own brand names and that of Nike’s ...
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News briefs
Rothy’s wins lawsuit against Giesswein on pointed-toe loafer
The San Francisco based shoe company Rothy’s has won a patent infringement lawsuit against the Austrian shoemaker Giesswein Walkwaren regarding its pointed-toe loafer-style flats. According to the High Court of Justice’s Business and Property Courts of England and Wales, Giesswein’s “Pointy Flat” shoe infringed on Rothy’s “Pointed Loafer” and can ...
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News briefs
FLA members cannot use products from the Xinjiang region
In an unprecedented move, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) has prohibited its member companies from sourcing from or producing in the Xinjiang region, in northwest China, because of growing concerns over violations of human and labor rights. The region is home to several ethnic minority groups, including the Uyghur people. ...
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ArticleEU, China reach in principle an agreement on investments
After seven years of talks, the European Union and China have agreed in principle on an investment agreement after their leaders met on a conference call on Dec. 30. The parties had set the end of 2020 as the deadline to strike a deal. The European Commission said that the ...
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ArticleU.K. signs free trade agreements with Turkey, EU
The U.K. and Turkey have signed tariff-free trading arrangements and are committed to reach a ”more ambitious” agreement in the future, according to the British Department for International Trade . The free trade agreement was signed by the U.K.’s International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss and Turkey’s Minister for Trade, Ruhsar ...
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News briefs
China launches an anti-trust probe against Alibaba
The Chinese government’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has launched an anti-trust investigation against the Alibaba Group to verify charges that its marketplaces require merchants to sign exclusive agreements that prevent them from offering products on other internet platforms. Separately, the People’s Bank of China said that Ant, Alibaba’s ...
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News briefs
Mexico hikes minimum wage by 15%
The Mexican government increased of the minimum daily wage by 15 percent for 2021 to 141.70 pesos (€5.80-$7.10) from 123.22 pesos (€5.05-$6.18) currently. Conasami, the commission in charge of the minimum wage, noted that the wage had already been risen by 16 percent in 2019 and 20 percent in 2020 ...
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ArticleKering investigated by French financial prosecutor
Kering said that the French financial public prosecutor (Parquet National Financier) has opened a preliminary inquiry concerning the company in February 2019. The French luxury goods group added that it had not previously been informed of the inquiry. The comments come following media reports about the prosecutor investigating the company ...
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ArticleClarks’ landlords criticize the rescue plan’s terms
The British shoe maker Clarks has been accused of freezing landlords out of discussions over its £100 million (€110.9m-$130.0m) bailout by Hong Kong-based private equity firm LionRock Capital. Landlords are furious that despite facing large losses on rent write-offs, they will only represent 25 percent of a vote to approve ...
