Beware: unprinted e-mail could prompt stamp duty in Austria | Wolf Theiss

Legal Briefing

A peculiarity in austrian law is the Austrian Stamp Duty Act (GebG). The Act contains a list of agreements, such as suretyships, settlement agreements, assignments of rights and rental agreements, which are subject to stamp duty if a ‘written deed’ is executed in Austria, or if any link to Austria exists. However, the Act itself …

ISDA Master Agreement – “probably the most important standard market agreement used in the financial world” | Macfarlanes

Legal Briefing

In the recent Lomas & Ors v JFB Firth Rixson Inc & ors [2010], the joint administrators (the administrators) of Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (LBIE) applied for directions as to the true meaning and effect of certain terms under interest rate swap agreements (the swaps), governed by the International Swaps & Derivatives Association (ISDA) Master …

Make no mistake: High Court refuses to rectify erroneous contract | Edwards Wildman Palmer UK LLP

Legal Briefing

Where a contract is formed on the basis of a mistake as to the law or certain facts, the contract can potentially be deemed void from its inception. In certain circumstances, however, the court has the authority to remedy the mistakes, by construing the contract in a way that will correct the mistakes, or by …

BSkyB / News Corp and Ryanair / Aer Lingus: The Long-Reach of UK Merger Control | Charles Russell Speechlys

Legal Briefing

Two recent high-profile cases involving BSkyB/News Corporation and Ryanair/Aer Lingus have highlighted the importance of the merger control rules. These cases have also demonstrated the extensive scope and potential flexibility of the UK merger control regime and why anyone considering the acquisition of even a minority stake in a business may need to consider competition …

UAE investment funds: proposed regulations | Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla

Legal Briefing

On 6 January 2011 The Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (ESCA) released a new draft regulation on investment funds in the UAE (the Regulation) for public consultation. The deadline for submitting comments or responses to ESCA is now closed, and it is expected that the Regulation will soon be discussed and approved by ESCA. It …