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Keith Nuthall
SHOE, fashion footwear and accessory designs are to receive uniform legal protection across the European Union in the future because of the agreement by the EU Council of Ministers of a new Regulation on the subject; it accords designers legal protection from the theft of their ideas, short of patent or copyright protection, but significant enough to deter plagiarists.…

Keith Nuthall
EUROPEAN Union ministers have approved a new ‘solvency margin’ directive that increases by 50 per cent the minimum financial reserves that must be retained by EU-registered insurance companies writing aviation industry policies, as these are deemed by Brussels as ‘volatile-risk’.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice has ruled that the imposition by France of heavier duties on light-tobacco cigarettes, (which are mostly imported), than for dark-tobacco cigarettes, (which are almost exclusively home produced), breaks EU law. Ordering the French government to harmonise the taxes, the court dismissed France’s arguments that light and dark tobacco are essentially different products and liable to different tax regimes.…

Keith Nuthall
WINES of SA, a non-profit organisation responsible for the promotion of South African wines, has reported that South African wine exporters are to begin targeting east Asian markets as a key to future growth.

The recent move will build on the industry’s existing successful penetration of the European markets coupled with the signing of the wine and spirits agreement between South African and the EU.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
THE EUROPEAN Court of Justice has ruled that the Netherlands, and by precedent other Member States, has the right to prevent lawyers entering into multi-disciplinary partnerships with accountants, even though it accepts that this may restrict competition in legal services.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
BINDING EU legislation to curb noise pollution – in particular the noise from rail, road and air traffic and building sites – is to be proposed within four years under an agreement reached by the European Parliament and EU government ministers regarding the proposed new noise directive.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A CHALLENGE to the extension of copyright protection after an author’s death in the United States, from 50 to 70 years, is to be heard by the US Supreme Court this year, with a decision being issued from October onwards.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
ITALY is being taken to the European Court of Justice by the European Commission for insisting that special sports foods be authorised for sale by its national health authorities, even if they are legally sold elsewhere in the EU.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROPEAN Union companies alerting European Commission investigators about cartels of which they form a part, will find it easier to escape scot-free from their crimes in future, because of a new so-called “leniency policy” launched by Brussels to promote whistle-blowing.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
A NETWORK of noise experts funded by the European Union’s fifth framework programme for research is drawing up a plan for future noise research, to support the preparation of a new European Commission directive on the assessment and management of environmental noise.…