The English Court of Appeal recently considered whether a contract contained a general duty of good faith. The court's decision contrasted with previous case law in the lower courts and it now appears the scene is set for further litigation exploiting the uncertainty as to implied duties of good faith.

Act No. 234/2013 Coll., amending the Act on Fuel and the Act on Trade Licensing, as amended, took effect in October 2013 with the main aim of preventing tax evasion in the fuel market. According to some press reports and responses from affected parties the amendment limits the fuel market and discriminates smaller fuel distributors. This can affect fuel prices and ultimately business in various sectors.

In October, the California Public Utilities Commission ("CPUC") unanimously voted in favor of adopting a program that sets energy storage targets for the three-investor owned utilities ("IOUs"), Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric. Such an action marks the first time that energy storage has been mandated (even as a target) in the United States. The decision provides for the evolution of the electrical grid and the growth of the energy storage industry. 

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology has faced many obstacles and has developed with fits and starts in the United States. Some view the technology as nothing more than a pipe dream cited by politicians in an attempt to convey support for coal, while also appearing tough on climate issues. Others view it as a vital component of a strategy to slow, and eventually reverse, global climate change. This article seeks to identify existing and future regulations likely to impact CCS deployment in the United States, while also predicting the regulatory climate likely to foster its long term development.

This article explores the Spanish Government's recently approved new measures to foster entrepreneurial activity and attract foreign investment.

By 2020, it is expected that there will be over 120,000 job openings a year requiring a computer science degree, while the number of new U.S. computer science graduates will be less than half that number.  The growing need for employees in the STEM fields (i.e. science, technology, engineering, and math), combined with a dearth of such employees among United States citizens, put the tech sector into the role of lobbyist for immigration reform.  The technology industry's goals are straightforward, and are very likely to soon be the law:  more visas for STEM workers, the creation of an entrepreneur visa to lure talent to the U.S., and an overhaul of the Green Card system to make it easier to retain that talent.

RPC's top tips for achieving IT outsourcing success and ensuring its potential benefits are realised in an increasingly competitive global economy.

This article addresses certain issues relating to foreign insurers conducting unlicensed insurance in Canada, a few years after the federal regulator issued clarifications regarding the circumstances in which federal licensing is required.

"In an unprecedented decision by the High Court of England and Wales, pop star Rihanna successfully relied on passing off to claim compensation for Topshop's unauthorised use of her image on a t-shirt."

"A recent study prepared for the European Commission concluded that harmonisation of laws dealing with trade secrets and confidential business information across the EU would bring cost savings benefits, greater cooperation and sharing of trade secrets.  However, the question remains: does one size fit all?"

Although LIBOR's pervasive effect throughout the financial market opened the floodgates for litigation, recent opinions have drastically limited claims plaintiffs will be able to pursue in LIBOR Manipulation Litigation.

"The new Australian government's claim that the nation is "open for business" is set to be tested by upcoming decisions on foreign investment."

Despite recent amendments to the income tax treaty between Canada and the United States that were intended to provide relief in respect of hybrid entities with cross-border investments and operations, the Canada Revenue Agency continues to deny - incorrectly in our view - the benefits of the reduced branch profits tax rate provided for thereunder in the case of fiscally transparent US limited liability companies with non-corporate, treaty-eligible members.  In this article, we challenge the Canada Revenue Agency's position and put forward an alternative (and, in our view, more appropriate) interpretation of the relevant treaty provisions. 

"The Internal Revenue Service recently issued a notice that includes guidance for foreign financial institutions, changes the IRS intends to make to the recently released FATCA regulations and forms, and provisions that will affect property and casualty insurance companies and brokers."

The state and local tax ramifications of digital economy transactions (buying and selling of cloud computing services, electronic payment processing, etc.) are incomplete, ambiguous, and evolving. This Article highlights a few key state and local tax issues that businesses should consider when buying or selling products in the digital economy and negotiating contracts for those transactions.

"The new Finance Lease Law introduces sale and leaseback transactions within the scope of finance leases. In line with the provisions of the Finance Lease Law; Law No.6495 provides with remarkable tax benefits for finance lease transactions. Such developments and tax benefits are of significant importance for investors."