We have prepared a selection of recommendations to help businesses and their senior in-house advisors navigate the challenges arising from a rollback of COVID-19 restrictions and, equally, to identify potential opportunities presented by this rapidly changing legal landscape. ...

As Privacy Awareness Week this year called for individuals to #rebootyourprivacy and debate continues over the privacy protections for the COVIDSafe application, another step has been taken in the Australian Information Commissioner's (Commissioner) landmark case against Facebook, Inc and Facebook Ireland Ltd (together, Facebook) which will have major implications for the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and digital businesses operating from offshore entities. ...

The RBA has announced changes aimed at kick-starting demand for corporate bonds in the COVID-19 environment. To take advantage of the RBA's support, corporate treasurers and their financial advisers should consider applying to have their securities eligible for purchase by the RBA, bearing in mind the eligibility criteria we have summarised in this note. ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many aspects of international commerce, and will continue do so for some time. In this Insight, we discuss three critical trade-related impacts of the pandemic on Australian businesses. ...

In WA, the development of distributed energy resources (DER) technologies and new business models that weren’t contemplated by the current regulatory regime can pose safety and security issues to the South West Interconnected System. The WA Government has addressed these and other issues through various work streams delivered (and anticipated) in 2020, paving the way for a new-look energy future. ...

In recent days, the economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic has proved the catalyst for the introduction of two long-debated changes to Australia's class action and continuous disclosure regimes. ...

The recent Federal Court decision in ASIC v AGM Markets has provided some much needed clarification of what it means to provide financial services 'fairly' in the context of the 'efficiently, honestly and fairly' obligation. ...

On 15 April 2020, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) released updated INFO 230 Exchange traded products: Admission guidelines (INFO 230) which outlines ASIC's view of good practices to help ensure that admission and monitoring standards for exchange traded products (ETPs) continue to support fair, orderly and transparent markets. ...

We are currently at a fascinating time in Australia, where the data space has seen an enormous amount of new regulation over the last few years and faces significant potential regulation on the horizon. The likely impact of these changes on the way in which we deal with data and, in turn, the way in which we might deal with ethics raises a number of compelling (and complicated) questions - particularly as they relate to AI. Technology, Media & Telecommunications Partner Michael Park sat down with Dr Maria Rosario Todao, Deputy Director of the Digital Ethics Lab at Oxford University, to discuss the intersection of these themes and the emerging trends around the world. ...

Trade mark registration is intended to protect the brand of one trader's goods or services from that of another trader. Despite this, businesses in the food industry have increasingly sought trade mark registration for signs that inherently describe the food for which trade mark registration is sought. ...