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Impact of intellectual property on M&A transactions in Bulgaria and beyond
Unlocking the value of intellectual property (IP) Hardly anyone could argue against the constantly increasing importance of IP to companies. IP not only affects the business models of companies but also brings additional value to the table (e.g., in addition to its client list and personnel, a target offers proprietary software solutions facilitating and supplementing the company’s normal business activities). This is true not only for the “usual suspects” such as technology companies, FinTech startups, gaming studios, and pharmaceutical companies, but also for companies previously not so heavily dependent on IP assets, such as financial institutions, insurance companies, and retailers. Because of the above, in recent years
EUIPO offers SMEs trade mark and design grants of up to EUR 1,350
The European Commission and European Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”) have launched a small and medium sized business fund (SME Fund) to provide reimbursement for trademark and design application fees and pre diagnostic services. The grant scheme, designed to encourage SMEs to expand their IP portfolios, has a budget of EUR 25 million, available on a first come, first serve basis. The submission period for applications runs from 23 January to 8 December 2023. Read more in the brochure below: Download in English: In case of any questions with respect to the above, our specialists
Unpacking the European Parliament’s Recent Resolution on Online Video Games
Last week, the European Parliament (“EP”) adopted a resolution on online video games (the “Resolution”) . In essence, the Resolution calls for strong enforcement of consumer protection rules in the video game industry, requires stricter regulation of loot boxes and emphasizes the enormous potential of the gaming sector. Download in English: In case of any questions with respect to the above, our specialists are standing by to offer guidance and counsel.
NIS 2 Directive – What you need to know
On 27 December 2022, the Directive on “measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union”, repealing Directive (EU) 2016/1148 (the “NIS 2 Directive”), was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The NIS 2 Directive builds on a previous NIS Directive adopted in 2016 expanding its scope to other entities. Due to a rising number of cybersecurity incidents as well as ongoing increased digitalization, the aim of the NIS 2 Directive is to cover more economic sectors and to introduce additional security and reporting requirements across all EU Member States. Member States will have until 17 October 2024 to transpose the NIS 2 Directive into their national laws. Our specialists
The regulation and management of Personal Data Breaches
The most fundamental factor in the successful protection of personal data is data security. Without an adequate level of data security, it is impossible to create the conditions under which the processing of personal data can be carried out responsibly. One of the most important provisions of the European General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679/EU – abbreviated as GDPR) is the requirement that the data controller and the data processor ensure a level of data security that is proportional to the level of risk involved. And the reason for this is simple: preventing a personal data breach. A personal data breach is the most dangerous situation from a data protection point of view, as not only does it presuppose an infringement
Kinstellar partners Csilla Andrékó, Diana Dimova, Nina Tsifudina named among IFLR1000 Women Leaders in 2022
Kinstellar is delighted to announce that Csilla Andrékó (Partner in the Budapest office, and head of the firm-wide Banking & Finance service), Diana Dimova (Managing Partner of the Sofia office), and Nina Tsifudina (Partner in the Sofia office) have been recognised among the most prominent women lawyers across the world by the prestigious IFLR1000 “Women Leaders” 2022 ranking. Csilla, Diana and Nina were selected for their outstanding reputations within their markets, impressive track records working on complex deals, the quality of their advice and service, and their leadership roles with their practices. It is the third consecutive year for Diana, the fifth for Csilla, and the first that Nina has received this
Kinstellar wins three “Deals of the Year” at CEE Legal Matters Awards
Kinstellar is honoured to have received three “Deal of the Year” awards at the 2021 CEE Legal Matters Deal of the Year Awards. CEE Legal Matters has recognised the outstanding work of our teams advising on: ⭐ Bulgaria: KBC Bank’s acquisition of Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria.⭐ Hungary: MVM Energia’s acquisition of companies and assets from E.ON Hungary.⭐ Montenegro: 4iG’s acquisit ion of Telenor Montenegro (a transaction coordinated by our Budapest and Belgrade teams with local counsel in Montenegro).Kinstellar was also shortlisted for advising on:⭐ Bulgaria: DZI-Life Insurance’s acquisition of NN Group’s Bulgarian pension and life insurance businesses.⭐ Turkey: Trendyol financing, creating
Public statement on Kinstellar's policy to work for ‘Russian clients’
29 March 2022 – We remain shocked by and deeply condemn the Russian military aggression in Ukraine and the resulting war and human suffering. One of our largest offices is in Kyiv and our thoughts are with our colleagues, their families, and the Ukrainian people. We continue standing with the people of Ukraine and are united with those in governments and the business community calling for an immediate cessation of the acts of war, a withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine and the restoration of peace with no further delay. We support the efforts for peace through international sanctions and informal boycotts to bring pressure to bear on the Russian authorities to cease the aggression and stop the war in Ukraine. We ensure
Open Banking in Europe in Light of PSD2 Review
Open banking is changing the way people use banking services in the modern world. Europe prides itself on being the cradle of the open banking revolution, with the EU’s Payment Services Directive[1] (PSD2) being one of the first regulatory initiatives to open up bank-held account data. PSD2 has been in force now for more than four years and has already reshaped the European payments sector. The ongoing review of PSD2 brings an opportunity to assess the current status of open banking in Europe as well as the impact of the directive on the sector. Open banking is the practice of enabling secure interoperability in the banking industry by allowing third-party providers (TPPs) to access payment transactions and other data
European Commission adopts new data protection-related standard contractual clauses
On 4 June 2021, the European Commission updated its standard contractual clauses for transfers of personal data to third countries and also released new standard clauses for controller-to-processor relationships. As data transfer standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”) can easily be incorporated into data processing agreements, they represent a widely sought-out mechanism for businesses to ensure data protection compliance when exporting data to third countries. Those businesses that rely on SCCs should now make plans to update their existing agreements to accommodate the recent changes. SCCs for data transfers to third countries Under Article 46, GDPR, in order to transfer personal data outside the EU/EEA, data
Kinstellar scores five Deals of the Year at CEE Legal Matters Awards
Kinstellar is honoured to have received five Deal of the Year awards—for the Czech Republic, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine—at the 2020 CEE Legal Matters Deal of the Year Awards. Finalists for the peer-selected CEE Deal of the Year Awards were chosen by a panel of legal experts in each country, with winners determined by a second group of experts with widely-recognised regional expertise and experience. Deals submitted for consideration were signed in the 2020 calendar year. CEE Legal Matters recognises the excellent work of our teams advising in: Czech Republic: PPP Project for the D4 Expressway Serbia: Nova Ljubljanska Banka's Acquisition of Komercijalna Banka Slovakia: KBC Group's
Peter Kováč contributes to a study on the EU Member States’ rules on health data in the light of GDPR
Peter Kováč, Of Counsel in the Bratislava office, has contributed to a study on the EU Member States’ rules on health data in the light of GDPR. A series of workshops was held in the first half of 2020 with the participation of representatives from Ministries of Health, Data Protection Authorities, stakeholders’ representatives and independent experts, and complemented by legal analysis carried out by national legal experts, as well as online consultations to wider stakeholder audiences. The European Commission, DG Health and Food Safety, has recently published the results of this study. Please, click on the picture below to read more. For more information, please contact