Regional News Alert: Extra Severance Pay and More Benefits for Employees in Thailand in Early 2019

Reading Time: 5 minutesChanges to Thailand’s Labor Protection Act – What do you need to know? On 13 December 2018, the draft amendment to the Labor Protection Act (LPA) was approved by the National Legislative Assembly and is expected to come into force soon. The legislation was changed to become more favorable for employees throughout 2018 and is […]

Hong Kong: Court orders boiler room fraudsters to compensate investors

Reading Time: 4 minutesIntroduction On 21 December 2018, the Securities and Futures Commission (the “SFC”) succeeded in its actions against boiler room fraudsters, where the Court of First Instance (the “CFI”) ordered such fraudsters to compensate investors who fell victim to the scams, in accordance with section 213 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (the “SFO”). Background Boiler […]

Guide to transfer shares in a Singapore Private Company

Reading Time: 5 minutesThere may be multiple reasons why people may wish to transfer their shares. They may wish to realise the value of their investment or raise funds for expansion. Nevertheless, it is important to ensure that proper procedures are adhered to so that the transfer will be upheld. In this guide, we will run you through […]

A Practical Guide: How do I wind up a company limited by shares?

Reading Time: 10 minutesSometimes winding up your company is the only solution There are any number of reasons why a company may need to or will be compelled to dissolve and wind up its operations.  The company could have ceased its business activities, or it could have been the subject of a corporate restructuring exercise or it is […]

Singapore Trade Marks – United U-Li Projects Pte Ltd Succeeds on 2 out of 4 Invalidation Grounds – United U-Li Projects Pte Ltd V Tan Buck Hai [2018] SGIPOS 19

Reading Time: 10 minutesIn a decision rendered by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (“IPOS”), it was held that United U-Li Projects Pte Ltd’s application for invalidation succeeded on two out of four grounds pleaded in their case whilst cross-invalidation by Tan Buck Hai was previously dismissed. (A) Who are the parties involved in this case? (a) United […]

Hong Kong Legal Update: What happens when a creditor petitions to wind up a company already subject to an unfair prejudice petition?

Reading Time: 5 minutesIntroduction In a recent Court of First Instance case Li Fu Hua (also known as Denise Li) v Chen Ching Chih (陳清治) and another HCMP 1374/2018, [2018] HKCFI 2786, the court has to deal with the situation where a creditor filed a winding up petition (on ground of insolvency) against a company in respect of which a […]

Myanmar Legal Update: CBM Allows 35% Foreign Equity Investment in Local Private Banks

Reading Time: 2 minutesIn a recent order of the Central Bank of Myanmar (“CBM”), it was announced that foreign banks and financial institutions would be allowed to have 35% equity investment in local private banks. As a corollary, local banks having a foreign equity injection up to the above mentioned limit would now be allowed to operate in […]

The cost of litigation: Is it worth it?

Reading Time: 4 minutesWith globalization, more and more small to medium sized companies (“SMEs”) in developing companies have proven to be worthy opponents to the larger, more established MNCs (“multi-national corporations”). How so? With the spirit of entrepreneurship, these SMEs are now producing similar goods and services at much lower costs than those offered by the MNCs. From […]

An Intellectual Property Law perspective on Open Source Software Licences

Reading Time: 4 minutesIntroduction Open source software generally describes software with publicly available source codes, which third parties can access, modify and re-distribute. In comparison, the source codes of closed source software are not disclosed to the public or disclosed only in limited circumstances, and on strict obligations of confidentiality. By being freely available and constantly tested by […]

Commentary: Trade Marks in Singapore [Samsonite IP Holdings Sarl v An Sheng Trading Pte Ltd [2017] SGHC 18 ]

Reading Time: 5 minutesMost trade mark owners get frustrated when, legally, it is not possible to stop a parallel importer from importing and selling genuine goods in Singapore. Parallel importers are protected by the defence of exhaustion of rights under section 29(1) of the Trade Marks Act (“TMA”). Earlier this year, a case dealing with this very issue […]

What does equity crowdfunding look like in Australia?

Reading Time: 3 minutesFollowing the Federal Government’s announcement in September 2018 regarding changes to the equity crowdfunding legislation there has been a lot of hype within the startup community about the positive impact this will have. Equity crowdfunding is still a largely misunderstood concept. Whilst it can be a great way to put your business in the spotlight […]

Myanmar Legal Alert: Foreign Insurance Providers Now Allowed to Operate in Myanmar

Reading Time: 3 minutesA recent development in the insurance sector has allowed foreign insurance providers to finally operate in the Myanmar insurance sector. Through Announcement No. 1/2019, the Ministry of Planning and Finance (“MOPF”) now permits foreign companies “to operate the business of insurance, underwriting agency or insurance broking with foreign investment” in Myanmar. This announcement follows Notification […]