Legal overviews
Links not so unimportant? Approach of Russian Supreme Court to chain of contractors in tax disputes: positive trends
- Services: Commercial Arbitration and out-of-court dispute resolution, Tax Law
- Date: 18.03.2016
Russian Supreme Court confirmed that bad faith of first and second tier contractors cannot serve as grounds for denying VAT deductions.
New rules for commercial arbitration
- Service: Commercial Arbitration and out-of-court dispute resolution
- Date: 16.03.2016
Focus on reduction of the court’s workload – new rules for examining disputes through arbitration
Foreign rating agencies could leave the Russian market in 2016-2017
- Service: Project financing / Public-Private Partnership
- Date: 14.03.2016
Restrictions provided by the law and a capability of the Bank of Russia to directly control many internal processes in rating agencies most likely will not suit foreign rating agencies.
Import substitution in operation
- Services: Health Care and Pharmaceutical Industry, Corporate Law / Mergers and Acquisitions
- Date: 10.03.2016
2016 began for the pharmaceutical sector with introduction of new state support measures for Russian pharmaceutical companies and with additional requirements for pharmaceuticals produced by foreign companies
Will your shareholders' agreements need to be revised?
- Service: Corporate Law / Mergers and Acquisitions
- Date: 04.03.2016
On December 29, 2015, Russia passed a piece of legislation according to which all disputes connected with corporate governance in a Russian company may only be submitted to an arbitration court (as opposed to the state commercial court), except for the following disputes:
- Convening of general meetings of shareholders;
- All corporate disputes in respect of the companies with strategic importance;
- Buy-out of shares in joint stock companies;
- Expulsion of shareholders from the company.
Sanctions for not using agricultural land can be toughened
- Service: Real Estate and Construction
- Date: 03.03.2016
Draft law submitted to Russian Duma provides tougher measures to combat improper use of agricultural land
Antistress changes in the legislation on controlled foreign companies
- Date: 01.03.2016
On February 15, 2016, Federal Law No.32-FZ became effective, specifying current legal regulations on taxation of profits of controlled foreign companies
Self-regulatory organizations on the financial market and requirements of the Competition Law
- Service: Antitrust Law
- Date: 26.02.2016
In the beginning of 2016, the law on self-regulatory organizations regulating establishment and activity of SROs on the financial market entered into force.
The Law can create additional administrative barriers for new and existing participants of the financial market. It has also created a field for potential violations of antitrust law by an SRO and its members.
Special features of using trademarks and their protection in Russia
- Service: Intellectual Property (IP)
- Date: 16.02.2016
The general rule of Russian law is that any use of a trademark is prohibited without the permission of the rightholder, which is in line with international IP standards.
European Court of Human Rights ruled that employers can monitor online communication of their employees
- Service: Labor and Migration Law
- Date: 12.02.2016
On January 12, 2016 ECHR made a decision on the Barbulescu v. Romania case No.61496/08 allowing to monitor employees’ private correspondence and recognized an employee’s dismissal due to private messaging using company devices during working hours as lawful and not violating personal rights of the employee.