Client Alerts
Trade mark offensive 2017 – Amendments to the Austrian trade mark protection act
New regulations to the EU's Trade Mark Law were established with Regulation EU 2015/2424 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive EU 2015/2436 of the European Parliament and of the Council from 16.12.2015, which entered into force as of 1 October 2017. By implementing the Trade Mark Directive, the Austrian legislators have adapted the Austrian Trade Mark Protection Act (MSchG) to the European requirements within the amendment BGBl I Nr. 124/2017 from 1.8.2017 comprehensively. The amendment to the Trade Mark Protection Act has been in effect since 1 September 2017 for the most part and facilitates the application process in a number of ways....
Watch out: Fee to be introduced for the registration and annual maintenance of “.ro” domains
In December 2016, the Board of Directors of the National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics ("ICI") issued a decision for the introduction, (as of July 1st 2017), of a fee for registering ".ro" domains and for the annual maintenance of such domains (the "Decision"). The Decision was in line with the general approach of the European Member States, where such fees have already been implemented....
Arbitration courts will not hear consumer disputes
On 27 January 2017 a new bill amending the Bulgarian Civil Procedure Code entered into force (the “Bill”). Among others, the Bill (i) reduces the scope of the competences of the arbitration courts and (ii) sets new requirements for the organisation of those courts' activity. Apart from the Civil Procedure Code, the Bill also amends and supplements the International Commercial Arbitration Act and the Consumers Protection Act....
Legal provisions regarding the acquisition of farmland in certain countries in CEE
The large-scale acquisition of farmland in CEE countries has been a highly debated topic for some time. This is mainly due to the relatively low price of land in comparison to that in other parts of Europe as well as the good quality of the soil. However, there has also been a constant tendency to restrict farmland acquisition to an individual country's nationals (legal entities and individuals), and to put up limitations to the acquisition of farmland by EU/European Economic Area individuals or companies....
New mandatory register for companies in Austria
The EU Commission, further incited by the Paris terrorist attacks, has declared the fight against tax avoidance, money laundering and terrorist financing a top priority; in 2018 stricter rules will enter into force also in Austria – legal entities should prepare themselves in good time....
GDPR Update: DPO Now Included in Romanian Classification of Occupations
In preparation for the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), which comes into force in May 2018, Romania has updated its Classification of Occupations (COR) to include data protection officers (DPOs)....
Austrian competition authority issues guidance on dawn raids
Austria's Federal Competition Authority ("FCA") has issued its first comprehensive guidance on inspections of undertakings carried out by the FCA....
E-Vergabe – Langsam wird es ernst
Verplichtung zur E-Vergabe wird teilweise zum Stolperstein Die Richtlinie 2014/24/EU bringt maßgebliche Änderungen für Vergabeverfahren. Diese betreffen u. a. die e-Vergabe, die grundsätzlich verpflichtend wird. Die Umsetzung durch das neue Bundesvergabegesetz erfolgt voraussichtlich im ersten Halbjahr 2018. Die bisherige Praxis zeigt bereits, dass die richtlinienkonforme vollelektronische Abwicklung von Vergabeverfahren auch neue Probleme mit sich bringen kann:...
Wolf Theiss adds three partners to Warsaw Office, strengthening real estate, banking and corporate practice groups
Poland becomes top market for expansion in emerging Europe In response to the growing demand for legal advisory services in Poland, Wolf Theiss has continued its rapid expansion in central Europe's largest economy this year, bringing on three new Partners in the Warsaw office. As one of the leading law firms in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Wolf Theiss plans further additions to its team in Poland, providing best-in-class services for local and international firms in the most promising industries....
Abolishment of stamp duties on residential lease agreements
A peculiarity of Austrian laws has - partially - been abolished Stamp duties on certain legal transactions were introduced nearly 300 years ago to enable the illiterate to enter into legal agreements. Even after the decrease in illiteracy, these stamp duties have never been abolished....
A happy new year with the amendments to the Hungarian competition act?
The end of October brought new amendments to the Hungarian Competition Act. Most changes focus on administrative and procedural issues which are less relevant for businesses. Some of the amendments, however, directly affect the day-to-day operation of businesses in Hungary. They take effect as of 1 January 2018....
New data protection guidelines on GDPR
Important news in the data privacy field after the Article 29 Working Party Plenary held in October 2017: the drafts of two new guidelines were finalized and a final form of a third one was adopted. The guidelines are aimed at ensuring a harmonized application of the GDPR, after 25 May 2018....