- Home
- News & Insights
Search by
Latest
The AI Act is adopted, what to do now?
On March 13th the EU Parliament adopted the AI Act, marking a significant milestone in shaping the region's AI landscape. The Act will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, and 20 days after publication, the AI Act will enter into force. Although it will take two full years until the grace period passes and almost all provisions will be applicable, AI providers should be aware of the detailed schedule of applicability. In addition, as the AI Act has extraterritorial scope, it does not only concern the 27 Member States of the European Union, but any AI provider worldwide whose AI systems are placed on the market or put into service in the EU. The first deadline expires in six months, as the rules
Google ends geofence warrants
Location data has become an integral part of everyday digital life, providing easier navigation through various digital tools, such as maps. Despite the importance of making navigation easier, the need to preserve data privacy, such as location data, has been cast to the shadows. In light of this misuse of our private data, Google is finally set to implement a ground-breaking update for its widely used mapping service, Google Maps. The update relates to a change in the way Google stores data: instead of on the cloud, data will be stored on users’ devices. The anticipated update aims to prevent authorities from accessing users’ location history data through geofence warrants, which have long been considered controversial
Kinstellar advises banking consortium on Telekom Srbija’s tower deal
Kinstellar’s team in Serbia, together with global law firm Paul Hastings, has successfully advised Deutsche Bank, Alpha Bank, UniCredit, and UniCredit Bank Serbia on a EUR 205 million financing for global investment firm Actis in relation to their acquisition of a carved-out tower portfolio from Telekom Srbija, a leading telecommunications operator in the Central and Eastern European (“CEE”) region. The carved-out portfolio is comprised of approximately 1,800 macro towers across Serbia, Bosnia & Hercegovina, and Montenegro. Kinstellar’s team, led by Petar Kojdić (Partner) and Mina Srećković (Managing Associate), played a pivotal role advising on the financing aspects of this transaction. Our
Recent regulatory developments regarding the use of body cameras in Hungary
The use of body cameras by law enforcement (both police forces and local government) and private security services started almost two decades ago and has been becoming more and more ubiquitous globally. It is of course a challenge in terms of privacy, as it is not only a relatively new technology where the social discourse has not had the time to form a common societal position, but it is also very invasive as in most cases people interacting with the wearer do not have the choice to use or not use the camera system. National and international authorities are just starting to form their opinion and issue guidelines on the use of body cameras, that is why it is notable that the Hungarian data protection authority
The AI Act – EU’s First Artificial Intelligence Regulation
In a ground-breaking move, on 8 December 2023, the European Parliament officially reached a provisional agreement with the Council on the AI act. With this agreement, the European Union has implemented the world's first comprehensive regulation on artificial intelligence, known as the AI Act. This landmark regulation is now in it’s final stage of implementation, as it still needs to be formally adopted by the Parliament and the Council. The AI Act aims to safeguard the well-being and fundamental rights of EU citizens, setting a precedent for global AI governance. In April 2021, the European Commission proposed the first European Union ("EU") regulatory framework for artificial intelligence ("AI"). The main objective
Heads up: Overview of the proposed amendments to Bulgaria's Electronic Communications Act
A draft law amending the Electronic Communications Act was published for public consultation on 15 December 2023. As the Digital Services Act will start to apply for all providers of intermediary services from 17 February 2024, the Proposal aims to provide the national implementing measures – to designate the competent authority to be responsible for the supervision of those providers (the so-called Digital Services Coordinator) and to establish specific procedures for the exercise of its powers. What’s more - the Proposal is used as an instrument to introduce additional measures facilitating the construction of network infrastructure. The Proposal may have escaped the attention of many stakeholders, not only because
Kinstellar, Gen & Temizer | Özer advise Property Finder and Zingat on the sale of 100% of Zingat to hepsiemlak, and on Property Finder’s subsequent share subscription into hepsiemlak
Kinstellar Gen & Temizer | Özer have successfully advised Property Finder and Zingat on the sale of 100% of Zingat to hepsiemlak, and Property Finder’s subsequent share subscription into hepsiemlak. The transaction is expected to close after the approval of the Turkish Competition Authority. Property Finder is the Middle East's largest property portal and was the 100% shareholder of Zingat. Established in 2015, Zingat is one of the largest property portals in Turkey with a wide range of residential and commercial properties listed for rent and sale. Hepsiemlak is one of Turkey's major real estate buying, selling, renting and advertising platforms, under the umbrella of Doğan Holding. The team was
Kinstellar advises Total Specific Solutions on the acquisition of AS Systems Ltd. in Bulgaria
Kinstellar has advised Total Specific Solutions (TSS), an international Vertical Market Software group, on its entry in the Bulgarian market by the acquisition of AS Systems Ltd., a Bulgarian software company with ERP solutions for medium and large manufacturing and trading companies and pharmacies / pharmacy associations. The acquisition helps TSS strengthen its foothold in the CEE region, especially in the healthcare sector. As a global provider of IT business solutions, TSS consists of independent business units that deliver products and services to their specific vertical market segments. AS Systems Ltd. has two main product lines: Atlas, a modular ERP solution for managing business processes in a manufacturing
Kinstellar advises YouGov on the acquisition of GfK's consumer panel business
Kinstellar, in conjunction with DLA Piper, has advised international online research data and analytics technology group YouGov plc on the acquisition of the European Consumer Panel Business of GfK, a German market research firm, for EUR 315 million. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, YouGov has one of the world's largest research networks. Its products and services draw upon a detailed understanding of more than 24+ million registered individuals to deliver accurate, actionable consumer insights. GfK CP compasses over 100,000 households with panels across 16 European countries collecting and providing data on household purchases and insights intо the FMCG sector. The acquisition is subject to customary closing
Kinstellar advises Yanolja Cloud on its acquisition of a leading B2B travel solution provider
Kinstellar, together with a lead counsel Watson Farley & Williams, have successfully advised Yanolja Cloud, a leading global provider of AI-based SaaS solutions for the hospitality and leisure industries, on the multi-jurisdictional acquisition of Go Global Travel (GGT), a B2B travel technology company that distributes its inventory of more than one million hotels and other travel products from 200 countries to over 20,000 client partners. The acquisition of GGT from AMI Opportunities Fund will give Yanolja Cloud unparalleled distribution capabilities, making it a one-of-a-kind company and allowing properties of all types, sizes, and budget ranges – and in every corner of the world – to digitize property operations.
Kinstellar advises IT start-up Localazy on new venture capital investment
Kinstellar has successfully advised the founder of Localazy, a Czech start-up developing a technology-agnostic platform for translation management, on significant venture capital investment and the entry of new shareholders. The transaction marks a major milestone for Localazy and highlights the growing interest in the company's innovative approach to localisation. Kinstellar advised the founder throughout the investment, including advising on the shareholder relationship arrangements. The Kinstellar team in Prague was led by Jan Juroška (Partner) working with Matěj Večeřa (Senior Associate).
Kinstellar advises global HR and workforce management solutions provider UKG on its acquisition of Immedis
Kinstellar advised UKG Inc., one of the world’s leading HCM cloud companies, on the Bulgarian law aspects of its agreement to acquire Immedis, a global payroll provider. The acquisition, subject to closing conditions, will utilise the strengths of both organisations to transform the traditionally fragmented global payroll model. Тhe Kinstellar team in Sofia was led by Corporate & M&A lawyers Diana Dimova (Managing Partner) and Denitsa Kuzeva (Senior Associate), and included Georgi Kanev (Managing Associate, IP & IT, Data Privacy), Anita Borisova (Senior Associate, Employment), Yasen Toshev (Junior Associate, Corporate and M&A), Antonia Mavrova (Partner, Real Estate) and Simeon Vachev (Senior Associate