On 28 February 2020, Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) announced that it had closed its investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices in the "bagged cement sector".
EU, Competition & ProcurementESMA on Sustainable Finance, ESMA TRV report, SFTR reporting obligations for non-EU AIFs,consultation on third country firms, AIFMD MoUs, ESRB issues with the AIFMD framework, ESMA's product intervention powers, Brexit, AML/CTF
Asset Management & Investment FundsLiquidity, CBI review of PRISM, Property Funds, CBI Review of Stakeholder Engagement and Key frameworks, Diversity, Market Conduct and Market Abuse and CBI Markets Update.
Asset Management & Investment FundsWhat's relevant in 2020 in ESG legislation and policy for UCITS managers and AIFMs?
Asset Management & Investment Funds
The Irish Revenue Commissioners have published the Betting Duty and Betting Intermediary Duty (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (the Regulations), offering relief to small independent bookmakers from the 2% betting duty levied on every bet entered into with persons in the State. The relief applies to bookmakers that hold an Irish bookmaker, remote bookmaker or remote betting intermediary's licence.
Betting, Gaming & Licensing
The 'Rule in Battle' (the Rule) states that corporate entities may be represented only by lawyers who have a formal right of audience in court proceedings and not by non-lawyer directors or shareholders.
Disputes
In Malone v Fenlon & Ors [2019] IEHC 934, the High Court found that a plea of absolute privilege as a defence to a claim in defamation was insufficiently clearly made out to justify striking out the claim.
Disputes
On 21 February 2020, the European Commission imposed a fine of €6,678,000 on the Spanish hotel group Meliá for its contracts with four tour operators which discriminated between customers within the EU's internal market by reference to the customer's country of residence. Dr Vincent J G Power examines the case.
EU, Competition & Procurement
In this three part series we review wider considerations for employers which, whilst falling outside the ambit of routine employment law issues, are worth noting. This article addresses inventions created by employees.
Belfast
The Central Bank issued a Dear CEO letter on Securities Markets Conduct Risk which addresses the findings from its wholesale market conduct supervisory work in 2019. The letter notes areas for improvements and sets out the Central Bank's expectations of firms in relation to managing market conduct risk and outlines the Central Bank's areas of focus for market conduct supervision in 2020.
Financial Regulation
In Part 1, we looked at judgments from the Crown Court and High Court in Northern Ireland dealing with a source disclosure order and an interim application concerning Facebook. In Part 2, we consider the Court of Appeal's judgment involving reporting restriction orders and Sir John Gillen's report into the law on serious sexual offences.
Disputes
It was a relatively quiet year, with only three published judgments from the Northern Ireland courts (the same as in 2018). There was one Court of Appeal case, involving reporting restriction orders, with the Crown Court and High Court delivering judgments dealing with a source disclosure order and 'revenge porn' images.
Disputes
