Publication
Singapore: Competition law fact sheet
Overview of the main provisions of the Competition Act, and discussion of the enforcement regime and recent enforcement trends.
What a Privilege for Innovation!
Global | Publication | June 2016
Privilege extended to communications between patent and trade-mark agents, and their clients
On June 24, 2016, amendments to the Patent Act and Trade-marks Act extending privilege to certain confidential communications between registered patent or trade-mark agents and their clients went into force. The protections will extend to existing communications that are not already part of a trial. These provisions were part of Bill C-59, as part of the 2015 budget.
Unlike “merely” confidential communications, privileged communications are generally protected from being compelled as evidence at trial. Such protections already existed in certain communications between lawyers and their clients, but did not extend to patent or trade-mark agents. This created situations of ambiguity where lawyers, who were also agents, communicate with their clients regarding patents or trade-marks. By now extending privilege to patent and trade-mark agents, these provisions provide recognition of the importance of intellectual property protection and, in particular, the need for frank and candid discussions between agents and their clients.
Recent publications
Publication
Pensions Dashboards: DWP publishes its long-awaited staged timetable for schemes’ dashboard connection
All occupational schemes, along with personal pension providers, must connect to pensions dashboards by October 31, 2026, at the latest. The DWP has now published guidance setting out a staged timetable, starting with the largest schemes. This phased connection aims to smooth the process of connecting the approximately 3,000 pension schemes and providers in scope by the 2026 connection deadline.
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