Dentons (JD Supra France)
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Competition Newsletter - May 2021
This month we invite you to Russia, where the competition authority is announcing a new competition law compliance system that may result in less fines.
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Evolution of IP protection for artificial intelligence in France
Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to transform many aspects of our lives, including our home and health. AI is already widely used in internet searches, and home devices with speech recognition, but in the near future we will see AI become even more widespread. This will have significant repercussions as AI performs many tasks that until now could only be undertaken by humans. AI will remove...
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Competition Newsletter - March 2021
Turkey has amended its Competition Act: how does it affect you? Winston Churchill once said “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often”. Being a year of change, 2020 featured a substantive makeover of the Turkish Competition Act (“Act”), which has been in discussion since 2008 and accepted as of June 16, 2020.
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The collateral effect of the merger of the AGIRC-ARRCO schemes on the complementary social protection (death & disability and health insurance) and supplementary pension schemes
The November 17, 2017 national interprofessional agreement (ANI) establishing the AGIRC-ARRCO complementary pension scheme that was intended to harmonize the complementary pension schemes of all employees, resulted in the merger of the AGIRC-ARRCO schemes as of January 1, 2019.
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On the proper use of videoconferencing in your dismissal procedures
Articles L.1232-2 and following of the French Labor Code do not specify the form that a pre-dismissal meeting must take but a literal interpretation of these Articles (whose wording has not evolved since 1973) seems to only provide for a physical meeting (it mentions the “place” to which the convocation letter must refer or the “attendance” of the advisor).
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Retroactive cuts for French solar feed-in tariffs
The French National Assembly has adopted, in the first reading of the finance bill for 2021, an amendment tabled by the government that leads to the "retroactive" reduction of the electricity purchase tariff for certain installations, so that the return on capital does not exceed a "reasonable" level. The energy ministry "expects (...) savings of around €350 million to €400 million per year, i.e.
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New French Foreign Investments Screening Scheme
France has established a foreign direct investment (“FDI”) screening regime under which any foreign investor (either from EU/EEA or outside of EU/EEA) who wants to invest in sensitive business sectors in France must obtain the FDI prior approval of the French Ministry of Economy and Finance (“Minefi”). Over the last years and even recently, the scope of the FDI regulation in France has been...
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Update on the partial employment scheme
As a derogation from the usually collective nature of the partial activity scheme, to maintain business activity or support a more rapid recovery, the employer can now, through an agreement or a unilateral decision subject to the Economic and Social Committee’s (CSE) approval.
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French tax and social measures in response to the COVID 19 epidemic: Specific measures for the hospitality and leisure industry
Companies in the hospitality, leisure and entertainment industries can benefit from special measures such as the cancellation of certain tax and social charges. Some of these measures have already been specified in a government press release dated April 24, 2020, which targets professionals in hotels, cafes and restaurants, sport, culture, tourism and leisure.
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Companies that benefit from French state aid during the COVID-19 crisis cannot distribute dividends or redeem their shares in 2020
France’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, stated on March 27, 2020 that large companies benefiting from state aid must undertake not to pay dividends (in France or abroad) or redeem shares in 2020. On March 29, 2020, the AFEP (French Private Companies Association) asked “the companies concerned to apply the government’s decision to prohibit the payment of dividends in 2020 for...
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French Tax Measures in response to the COVID19 Epidemic
In order to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, the French government has set out some exceptional measures to allow enterprises in difficulty to benefit from the deferral of certain tax payments and certain reliefs. The Emergency Act (No. 2020-290) to face the COVID-19 epidemic dated March 23, 2020 has empowered the French Government to legislate by means of ordinances in...
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The double paradox of the French “StopCovid” application
The French Government presents its “StopCovid” mobile application project as a tool to accompany the end of the lockdown while respecting fundamental freedoms. When examined more in-depth, StopCovid is not as “painless” from a privacy point of view as announced, and runs the risk of having limited efficiency.
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COVID-19: The adaptation of French bankruptcy law to the crisis
To help protect companies, employees and managers from the cash flow consequences of the current health crisis, the French Government, in an order dated March 27, 2020 (No. 2020-341), made temporary changes to its bankruptcy law.
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COVID-19 Force majeure, « fait du prince » (mandatory act of government), hardship and non-performance defence
Today, the risk of not being able to perform one’s contractual obligations or to suffer the other party’s failure to perform its contractual obligations is one of the main concerns of many business partners. This is why we will by discussing some practical insights under French contractual law applicable to business partners (to the exclusion of administrative law).
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How can the employer respond to the COVID-19 outbreak?
1. Employer protection responsibilities - Employers have a safety obligation towards their employees; Article L 4121-1 of the Labour Code provides that they must take the necessary measures to protect the physical health of workers, including risk prevention measures, information and training for employees and the establishment of an appropriate organisation.
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Latest FRAND-related decision issued by Paris Court: France to become a major forum for licensing determination on SEP related to ETSI’s standards?
An important ruling was issued in a FRAND-related dispute by the case management judge of Paris Court of first instance (Tribunal judiciaire de Paris) on 6 February 2020.
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Competition Newsletter January 2020
The French Competition Authority severely punishes meal voucher issuers for unlawful agreement - On December 18, 2019, the French Competition Authority fined the four main meal voucher issuers €415 million for unlawfully agreeing to limit competition between them and foreclosing the market by limiting the access of new players. The issuers contest these allegations and have all lodged an...
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Competition Newsletter November 2019
The French Competition Authority sanctions a grouping of road hauliers for customer allocation - On October 28, 2019, the French Competition Authority fined the first European grouping for transport and logistics Astre €3.8 million for having implemented since 1997, i.e. over twenty years, an unlawful agreement between its members, aimed as allocating customers, on the grounds of a non-competi
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Employment Alert – November 2019 - An elected CSE member, whether incumbent or substitute, cannot be appointed as trade union representative on the CSE
In a decision dated September 11, 2019 (Cass. soc., September 11, 2019, No. 18-23.764), the French Supreme Court ruled that an employee cannot, in a same body and at the same time, hold the deliberative duties of his mandate as CSE member and the advisory duties of his mandate as trade union representative.
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Competition Newsletter October 2019
The General Court of the European Union validates the principle of the Commission’s approach in the fight against tax advantages to multinationals but orders it to be rigorous - By two decisions, Starbucks and Fiat, of September 24, 2019, the General Court of the European Union has validated the principle of the Commission’s approach in its fight against the tax advantages granted to...
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Draft French Finance Bill For 2020
The French Parliament began to debate the Draft on 13th October 2019. You will find below a summary of some of the more notable provisions of the Draft.
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Competition Newsletter August 2019
New sanction by the French Competition Authority of a market-partitioning practice - On July 8, 2019, the French Competition Authority fined the cooperative Back Europ France €1.7 million for having implemented since 1989, i.e. for 30 years, a horizontal agreement between its members, whose purpose was to share the market territorially.
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New civil penalty to errors in the annual percentage rate of charge (Taux Effectif Global)
Pursuant to article L. 313-1 and seq. of the French consumer Code, banks (more generally professional lenders) are required to include an annual percentage rate of charge (Taux Effectif Global or “TEG”) in loans offered to their consumers (more generally non-professional borrowers).
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Employment Alert – July 2019
Focus on workplace harassment: new decision and reminder of of the previous case law - 1. The prohibition of workplace harassment applies to an employee exempted from working - In a decision published on June 26, 2019, the Social Chamber of the French Supreme Court laid down the principle according to which...
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The Bikeurope Case: Final Sprint on Online Sales Restrictions?
On July 1st, 2019, the French Competition Authority (FCA) imposed a €250,000 fine on Bikeurope B.V. (hereafter, Bikeurope) and its parent company Trek Bicycle Corporation for implementing a de facto ban on online sales to its distributors in France.
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Tax Alert: French Digital Services Tax (“DST”)
On July 11th, the French Senate gave its final approval on the implementation of a new Digital Services Tax (the “DST”) that has been in discussion at parliamentary level since March. This tax (new FTC article 299) will be effective immediately. France is a “Lone Rider” in this domain, as DST has been voted in anticipation for a worldwide solution at OECD and EU levels, which could take a few...
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The conclusion of a mutual contractual termination with an employee declared unfit for work following a work-related accident is possible
The French Supreme Court has accepted, for the first time, the possibility of concluding an approved mutual contractual termination with an employee declared unfit for work by the occupational doctor, even though this unfitness results from a work-related accident or occupational illness.
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Competition Newsletter June 2019
The European Commission fines AB InBev €200 million for restricting cross-border sales - On May 13, 2019, the Commission fined Anheuser-Busch InBev NV/SA (“AB InBev”), a Belgian beer company, nearly €200 million for abuse of its dominant position between 2009 and 2016 on the Belgian beer market by hindering the cross-border sales of its beer (Jupiler). However, AB InBev benefited from a 15%...
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Competition Newsletter May 2019
Reform of the French Commercial Code on commercial relationships - On April 25, 2019, the order No. 2019-359 of April 24, 2019 on the revision of Title IV, Book IV of the French Commercial Code on transparency, anti-competitive practices and other prohibited practices, as well as the order No. 2019-358 of April 24, 2019 on liability actions for abusively low prices, adopted pursuant to the...
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Employment Alert - May 2019
On January 1, 2020, the personnel delegates (DP), the works council (CE), the health, safety and working conditions committee (CHSCT) or the sole personnel delegation (DUP) will be replaced by a single institution: the Social and Economic Committee (CSE), as provided by the Macron order No. 2017-1386 of September 22, 2017.