An International Litigation Draws Attention From China and Europe - Danone-Wahaha Feud: The Cornerstone of World EqualityHANGZHOU, China - Following the successful completion of the China-EU high-level economic and trade dialogue, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently went to Prague for the China-EU summit, marking that Sino-EU cooperation has returned to the right place after suffering a temporary setback last year. Amsterdam Court of Appeals Declares Shell Settlement BindingTHE HAGUE, The Netherlands - The Hague - Today, the Amsterdam Court of Appeals has declared the Non-U.S. Settlement Agreement concerning the recategorisation by Shell of certain of its oil and gas reserves binding. The agreement provides relief in the amount of US$352.6 million to qualifying non-U.S. shareholders who bought Shell shares on any stock exchange outside the United States from 8 April 1999 through 18 March 2004. The settlement amount includes a US$12.5 million payment which is to be distributed equally to all shareholders who submit a valid claim for relief, regardless of the number of shares held by the person or entity submitting a claim. Dutch Appeals Court Orders Royal Dutch Shell to Begin Paying US$381 Million Settlement to Pan-European/Global Investor GroupAMSTERDAM - Binding declaration covers largest securities fraud settlement on record in Europe - Shell to pay foundation representing 150+ institutional investors in nineteen countries stemming from company’s prior misstatements of proven oil & gas reserves; US law firm Grant & Eisenhofer represents international investor group In a “David Against Goliath” Move, Cult Anti-Ageing Skincare Brand, SKIN.NY(R), Takes on Boots The Chemist for Misleading the Public by Making False Claims About Their No.7 Protect & Perfect ProductsLONDON - Cult skincare brand SKIN.NY(R) have issued legal proceedings against beauty giant, Boots the Chemist, for misleading the public. In a recent blaze of publicity, Boots the Chemist claimed that their much-lauded Boots No.7 Protect and Perfect was the first anti-wrinkle cream to be proven to be effective in clinical trials. This is untrue. In fact, SKIN.NY Radical Restructure Complex(R) containing QAL-100(R) was the first complex skin cream with proven clinical trials published in the BJD over 6 years earlier in October 2003. MACH Warns Lack of Roaming Fraud Protection Could Equal Losses of $5 Billion GloballyLUXEMBOURG - MACH, the leading provider of solutions to simplify and accelerate the creation and operation of the mobility supply chain, warned today that it expects roaming fraud to cost mobile operators $5 billion globally in 2009 as many operators around the world have yet to comply with NRTRDE recommendations. Consequently, fraud will shift to those who are less well protected. TerreStar Europe Seeks Annulment of European Commission DecisionLONDON - TerreStar Europe Limited, an indirect, majority-owned subsidiary of TerreStar Corporation (Nasdaq: TSTR), announced that it has brought an action against the European Commission before the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg, seeking the annulment of the Decision of 13 May 2009 selecting two operators of pan-European mobile satellite services (MSS) in the EU. L’Oréal Welcomes the UK High Court of Justice’s Guiding Comments on Measures to Prevent Trade Mark Infringement on eBay’s UK PlatformCLICHY, France - In a decision passed today by the UK High Court of Justice, the court agreed with the view held from the outset by L’Oréal, that eBay could do more to prevent trade mark infringement and suggested 10 measures: Request for Classification of a Legal Claim as a Class Action Against Oil Refineries’ and Carmel OlefinsHAIFA, Israel - Oil Refineries Ltd. (TASE: ORL.TA) (the “Company”), Israel’s largest oil refiner, announced that on May 17, 2009 a request for the classification of a legal claim as a class action claim, as defined in Action Law - 2006 (hereinafter: the “Request”), was filed with the Haifa District Court against the Company and Carmel Olefins Ltd. (hereinafter: the “Responders”). New Online Courses Cut Education Costs for Patent ProfessionalsALEXANDRIA, Virginia - Patent Resources Group (PRG), the nation’s leading patent educator, has launched a Video on Demand program that allows legal and business professionals to access patent courses and earn continuing legal education (CLE) or continuing professional development (CPD) credits online. Liaoning Provincial High Court Dismisses Danone’s Appeal, Wahaha Defeats Danone 24:0HANGZHOU, China - Since the claim against Zong Qinghou, Chairman of Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co, Ltd., brought by two subsidiaries of Danone, Myen Pte. Ltd. and Festine Pte. Ltd., was rejected by the Henan Provincial High Court on April 10, 2009, the Liaoning Provincial High Court, on April 27, delivered its final judgment on the “non-compete” obligation case brought by Singapore Novalc Pte Ltd, another subsidiary of Danone, against Zong, in which the claim was rejected and the original judgment was sustained. So far, Danone has been defeated by Wahaha three times consecutively in a single month, with all the 24 ruled cases between the two parties ending against Danone. Hudson Highland Group Receives Wells Notice From SECNEW YORK - Hudson Highland Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: HHGP) today announced that the company and its chief financial officer have been notified that the Staff of the Enforcement Division of the SEC intends to recommend that the SEC bring an injunctive action for alleged failures to properly disclose the company’s North American state sales tax liability in various SEC filings for periods from June 30, 2006 through March 31, 2007. The total amount of the company’s past due sales tax liabilities for the seven-year period from 2001 to 2007 was less than US$3.9 million. Company clients reimbursed the company for approximately US$450,000 of such liabilities. All taxes due to the various states have been paid. The company and its chief financial officer disagree with the SEC Staff’s recommendation, but continue to cooperate with the SEC Staff with respect to its investigation. Arbitration Tribunal Order Favors Perenco in Ecuador DisputeLONDON - Perenco Ecuador Limited (”Perenco”) announced today that on May 8, 2009, a three member international arbitration tribunal constituted under the auspices of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment disputes (”ICSID”) unanimously ordered that the Republic of Ecuador and Empresa Estatal Petroleos del Ecuador (”Petroecuador”) were restrained from instituting or further pursuing any action to collect from Perenco any payments they claim are owed pursuant to Law 42. Cyprus Turkish Airlines Lawsuit Against UK Government Begins in High Court This Monday May 18LONDON - The legal action brought by Cyprus Turkish Airlines (CTA) to challenge the ban on direct flights to Northern Cyprus will be heard this Monday, 18 May in the Administrative Division of the High Court. Court of Appeal Upholds Landmark Ruling on Age Discrimination Against Rolls RoyceLONDON - Unite the Union, Britain’s biggest union, has today (14 May 2009) succeeded in securing a landmark judgment from the Court of Appeal against Rolls Royce in one of the first cases on age discrimination to be considered by the higher courts. Safenames Unites Top English Premier League Clubs in Successful UDRP Joint FilingMILTON KEYNES, England - Safenames, an online brand protection services company and global domain name registrar, successfully recovered multiple domain names for five revered members of the English Premier League. In the fiercely contested English Premier League, it is rare if not unimaginable that the clubs would unite, but in order to address the shared problem of online trademark infringement cases that illegally profit from famous and beloved brands; the decision to form an alliance was simple. CPA Global Delivers New Standard in Document Review Services With DiscoveryMetrics Analytics TechnologyST HELIER, Jersey - CPA Global, one of the world’s leading providers of legal outsourcing services, has partnered with Casewerx Development, LLC (Casewerx) to provide corporate legal departments and law firms with a new industry standard for managed document review services. Computer Weekly Investigation Reveals Postmasters Under Stress Over AccountsLONDON - LONDON, May 11 /PRNewswire/ – - At Least 7 Postmasters Bankrupted, Prosecuted, or had Livelihoods Disrupted - we Investigate why CPA Global Named Among World’s Top Providers in IAOP 2009 Global Outsourcing 100 RankingsSAINT HELIER, Jersey - Achieves the Highest Position of any Pure-Play Legal Process Outsourcer Huntsman Defeats Six Bank Motions in Fraud CaseTHE WOODLANDS, Texas - Judge Decides Huntsman Claims Will Proceed to Trial Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) today announced that Judge Fred Edwards of the 9th District Court of Montgomery County, Texas, ruled in favor of Huntsman on six motions, clearing the way for Huntsman to proceed to trial on the core claims of its multi-billion dollar damage suit against Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank on June 8, 2009. The Court Supports Bavarian Nordic’s Decision to Start Patent Infringement Case Against Oxford BioMedicaKVISTGARD, Denmark - Oxford Biomedica’s second attempt to dismiss Bavarian Nordic’s patent infringement suit in the United States has failed. Instead of denying infringement, Oxford Biomedica made yet another attempt to dismiss the suit arguing that it was premature because TroVax(R) was still evaluated in clinical trials. The court ruled against Oxford Biomedica and the case will thus continue, based on the substance of the patents. EuroGas to Initiate Legal Action Against V.S.K. Mining and Affiliates in the United States and AustriaNEW YORK - EuroGas, Inc. (Other OTC:EUGS; Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EUG.F; XETRA: EUG.DE; Hamburg: Stock Exchange: EUG.H; and, Stuttgart Stock Exchange: EUG.SG) today announced that it has instructed its legal counsel in the United States and Austria to undertake legal action for industrial espionage and fraud against VSK Mining s.r.o., its shareholders VSK Mining Limited Cyprus andSchmid Industrieholding Austria GmbH, as well asVSK Mining’s employee and Project Manager Peter Corej and his wife Zdenka Corejeva (the VSK Group) in relation to their involvement with the illegal cancellation of Rozmin s.r.o.’s valid mining concession at the Gemerska Poloma talc deposit in the Slovak Republic. Rozmin is a Slovak mining company which is 90% owned directly by EuroGas, Inc. or its affiliates (the EuroGas Group). Statement From Michael Hansen, CEO of Elsevier’s Health Sciences Division, Regarding Australia Based Sponsored Journal Practices Between 2000 and 2005PHILADELPHIA, Pennysylvania - Elsevier, one of the world’s leading publishers of scientific, technical, and medical (STM) information products and services, announced today that Michael Hansen, CEO of Elsevier’s Health Sciences Division, issued the following statement in light of recent allegations of improper Australia based sponsored journal publication practices between 2000 and 2005: Fractus S.A. Sues Ten Cell Phone Manufacturers for Patent Infringement on Nine Different PatentsHOUSTON and BARCELONA, Spain - On Tuesday, May 5, 2009, Fractus S.A. of Barcelona, Spain sued cell phone manufacturers Samsung, LG, RIM, Pantech, Kyocera, Palm, HTC, Sharp, UTStarcom, and Sanyo for infringing nine different patents held by Fractus. Disciplinary Committee Accepts 18-Month Undertakings From NE Lincs VetLONDON - Following two postponed hearings and a stayed Judicial Review, the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons last week [1 May 2009] accepted a wide-ranging 18-month programme of undertakings from a veterinary surgeon found guilty of serious professional conduct, to address his “serious deficiencies” and “practice failings”. Recession Causing fed up Couples to Divorce on the CheapSWINDON, England - Evidence is emerging that the recession is indeed causing couples to split up and this is nowhere more evident than in the figures produced today by one of the UK’s leading proponents of cheap divorce - Divorce-Online.co.uk. Crowell & Moring’s London Office Gains Three Senior LawyersWASHINGTON - Corporate Partner Timothy Leeson Returns to Crowell & Moring Crowell & Moring LLP has added three senior lawyers to its London office, expanding its corporate practice and boosting its regulatory and corporate crime capability. Timothy Leeson, who is a former Crowell & Moring counsel, rejoins the firm from Lawrence Graham LLP to become a partner in the Corporate Group. The new hires also include senior counsel Anne Davies and counsel Fiona Simpson, who join from the law firm Vizards Wyeth and will strengthen the office’s international regulatory, fraud, and corporate crime practice. Henan Provincial High Court Dismisses Danone’s AppealHANGZHOU, China - Wahaha Defeats Danone by 23:0 On 10 April 2009, the Henan Provincial High Court in the second instance decision rejected the claim against Zong Qinghou, Chairman of Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co, Ltd., brought by two subsidiaries of Danone, Myen Pte. Ltd. and Festine Pte. Ltd. So far, Wahaha has defeated Danone 23:0 in their three-year legal dispute. Important Deadline Extended in Google Book Search Copyright SettlementNEW YORK - The federal court overseeing the Google Book Search Copyright Settlement today extended the Opt-Out Deadline in the case from May 5, 2009 to September 4, 2009 (the “Extended Opt-Out Deadline”). The Extended Opt-Out Deadline is the new date by which class members must decide whether to remain in the Settlement Class and receive the benefits of the Settlement, object to the Settlement, or opt out of the Settlement. Qualcomm and Broadcom Reach Settlement and Patent AgreementSAN DIEGO and IRVINE, California - Agreement Ends Litigation Between the Companies Worldwide - Maersk Alabama Crew Member Files Lawsuit Against Employer for Failing to Protect Him from PiratesHOUSTON - Royal Palm Beach, Florida resident Richard E. Hicks is filing a lawsuit today against his employer, Waterman Steamship Corporation and Maersk Line, Ltd. for knowingly sending him into pirate-infested waters near Somalia without adequate protection. Dubai Customs Celebrates World IP DayDUBAI, UAE - Ahmed Butti: Dubai Enjoys Reliance of Major Worldwide Manufacturers and Brand Owners Oeneo Successfully Defends Super-Critical ChallengeLONDON - Oeneo, manufacturer of technical closure DIAM, has today (22nd April) successfully defended a challenge to its patented super-critical technology in the European Office of the Patent in München. ASA Concludes Pfizer’s Hard Hitting Counterfeit Medicines Advert ‘Did Not Breach Code’LONDON - The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) today ruled that Pfizer’s groundbreaking cinema advertising in which a man is seen coughing-up a dead rat did not breach the industry advertising code.(1) Law Firms to Battle TescoLONDON - Following Tesco’s announcement of record GBP3.1 billion profits, UK law firms have gone on the offensive against the retail giant. 100 law firms across the country have joined together to form a unique alliance - QualitySolicitors.com (www.qualitysolicitors.com ) - an initiative specifically designed to head off the threat posed by a predicted future move by Tesco to offer legal services alongside its current financial ones. Gunther Von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS and KORPERWELTEN - Not Affiliated With Paris Copycat DisplayHEIDELBERG, Germany - The Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg, Germany and its Scientific Director, anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens - creators of the world renowned anatomical exhibitions: BODY WORLDS and KORPERWELTEN - categorically state that their exhibitions are NOT in any way associated with or affiliated to OUR BODY, the display in Paris which has been ordered by the French court to close its doors to the public. |
