On November 19, 2012, 40 German advertising associations launched the “German Data Protection Council for Online Advertising,” a new initiative to coordinate and enforce self-regulation in the German online behavioral advertising (“OBA”) sector. The initiative is linked to the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (“EDAA”), which manages the self-regulation efforts of the European online advertising industry ...
The rapid growth of the hospice industry has attracted the attention of Congress and federal and state healthcare regulatory and enforcement agencies. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”), signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010, included several provisions aimed at hospice providers ...
On November 15, 2012, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) issued a report titled “Personal Care Services: Trends, Vulnerabilities, and Recommendations for Improvement,” which included a response from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ...
Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) billed one-quarter of all claims in error in 2009 – resulting in $1.5 billionin inappropriate Medicare payments – according to a report released by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) on November 9, 2012. The OIG noted that the majority of the inappropriate claims were upcoded, and many involved claims for so-called “ultrahigh therapy ...
According to a group of women who filed a lawsuit last week, Maybelline should pay up for making false claims about its “Super Stay” lipstick products. Filed in federal court in Manhattan, the complaint seeks declaratory relief and damages under several states’ consumer protection laws. From the defense perspective, this is the latest attempt at a “no injury” class action where no actual injuries or damages exist ...
In an increasingly online world, international businesses can no longer rely on discrete legal advice relevant to only one jurisdiction. It is crucial to know where best to bring (or threaten) legal proceedings to achieve maximum impact globally. Two recent, high profile cases have thrown the spotlight on what can be achieved by courts of different jurisdictions to defend online reputations ...
The General Medical Council has issued definitive guidance on doctors' duties when they fear a child in their care is suffering from abuse. The GMC's 2012 Guidance on Child Protection came into effect on 3 September 2012 after a two-year working group - chaired by a senior family court Judge, the Right Honourable Lord Justice Thorpe - listened to evidence given by child protection experts ...
On 15 October 2012, the Federal Government announced the appointment of an expert panel to review pharmaceutical patents in Australia (Review). The Review will focus particularly on the extension of term provisions in Chapter 6, Part 3 of the Patents Act 1990 (Cth). Those provisions currently allow the extension of pharmaceutical patents up to five years beyond their standard 20-year term ...
Currently a large part of politicians, economists and lawyers are working hard to ensure that a recent Lithuania’s bank bankruptcy story would not repeat itself. Sometimes people still associate the term “bank” with instability, possibility to lose something or lack of transparent governing. Maybe this is the reason why there are no biobanks in Lithuanian which are widespread in the EU and other countries of the world ...
On September 17, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced a $1.5 million settlement with the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Associates Inc. (“MEEI”) for potential violations of the HIPAA Security Rule ...
The papers are reporting that Northhampton rugby player, Brett Sharman, is subject to a disciplinary enquiry from his racist tweet abou Mo Farah ...
The Federal Trade Commission’s increased focus on the antitrust implications of healthcare mergers and acquisitions has been widely publicized. While scrutiny has largely been directed toward hospital and health system transactions, a recent case in Nevada indicates that the FTC is now taking an interest in relatively small provider combinations in highly concentrated markets ...
The film industry in the Dominican Republic has substantially expanded in large measure because the country has different and diverse natural scenery, from beaches to mountains, and buildings that were constructed in colonial times as well as more recently. Costs to film and produce movies are lower in the Dominican Republic than in many other places, too ...
On January 24, 2011 the Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Brazil signed a document restricting the powers of ANVISA (Brazil’s regulatorybody) in the examination of pharmaceutical applications, giving the rights to the Brazilian PTO to do so without any interference of ANVISA. The dispute between ANVISA and the Brazilian PTO in the examination of pharmaceutical applications had apparently been solved ...
New amendments to the Regulation on Health Conformity of Dietetic Products have entered into force on 28 May 2012. Here are some of the most significant changes that are prescribed by these amendments to the Regulation. As a reminder, this is a regulation that introduced the obligation of the registration of dietetic products (including supplements) in July 2010, and is a regulation that regulates the issues of labelling and the composition of these products in details ...
The provision of gifts and hospitality to public officials has recently been the subject of a number of news stories in the Serbian media, covering not only the official reports on the variety of protocol gifts received by the high ranking officials from the leaders of other countries, but also the alleged corruption affairs involving the potential bribing of various lower-level officials by companies and individuals seeking an unfair advantage in the market ...
Serbia Karanovic and Nikolic IP Regional Partner to attend 134th International Trademark Association’s (INTA) Annual Meeting in Washington DC IP Regional Partner in the Karanovic and Nikolic Law Office, Mr. Dragomir Kojic, along with Mrs. Mirna Lalic from our Sarajevo office, attended the 134th Annual INTA Meeting held in Washington DC. The Conference was very successful ...
Three recent decisions bolster a generic manufacturer’s ability to challenge Orange Book listings and obtain ANDA approval through section viii “carve-outs.” In Caraco v. Novo Nordisk1 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held Caraco could use the Hatch-Waxman’s counterclaim provision to correct Novo’s overbroad use code. In AstraZeneca v. Apotex, the U.S ...
Financial Information Units (FIUs) are agencies created according to FATF-GAFI recommendations that receive reports of suspicious transactions from financial institutions and other persons and entities, analyze them, and disseminate the ensuing intelligence to local law-enforcement agencies and foreign FIUs in order to fight against money laundering and terrorism. The Argentine FIU is controlled by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights ...
Rrecently more than US$ 44 billion was invested in advertising campaigns in Brazil, a period during which CONAR, the Brazilian Advertising Self Regulation Council, rendered approximately 380 decisions, restricting, in some way, 221 advertising campaigns (2010). In 2011, this increased to almost US$ 52 billion, but the number of decisions issued by CONAR dropped to 325, limiting 215 commercials, mostly those broadcasted on television ...
The Olympic Games is a huge "brand", commanding global media attention; for adertisers, it represents a golden opportunity for a marketing boost. However, it is also one of the most fiercely protected brands in the world, with complex legal protection ...
In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from Zeus to give to mankind. It seems that Zeus is now reclaiming some of that fire in the guise of Mayo Collaborative Servs. v. Prometheus Labs., Inc., No. 10-1150 (U.S. Mar. 20, 2012), the Supreme Court’s latest decision addressing patent-eligible subject matter. But a practical analysis of Prometheus reveals strategies one can use in drafting patent claims to keep those claims burning ...
The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a $44 million judgment against Tuomey Hospital in Sumter, South Carolina that arose from Tuomey’s employment arrangements with physicians that allegedly violated the federal Stark Law.1 The Stark Law prohibits hospitals from submitting claims to Medicare for designated health services that were referred by physicians with whom the hospital has a financial relationship, unless the relationship fits within an exception ...
After three days of historic oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the momentous 2010 health reform law, is uncertain, given robust questioning of the ability of Congress to force individuals to purchase health insurance ...
Law no.11/2012 of 8 March establishes new rules for prescription and dispensing of medicines. Prescriptions for medicines must now include the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) of the active substance,its pharmaceutical form, the dosage, the presentation and the posology. The prescription may also include a trade name by brand or indication of the name of the holder of the marketing authorisation ...
