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Briefings in English - 2008

2008 Beijing Olympics or bust

The upcoming Beijing Olympics have provided an impetus to the Chinese government to address concerns about piracy of the Olympic insignia and the 2008 Beijing Olympics mascots, given China’s record on counterfeit goods. The Chinese government has teamed up with the World Customs Organization (WCO) to launch an anti-counterfeiting operation to protect marks associated with the Olympics. (April 2008)

New German gambling regime

On 1 January 2008, a new gambling regime came into force in Germany. The new law upholds the state monopoly for gambling until 2012. All internet activities are prohibited. Advertising is restricted to providing information on gambling activities and is prohibited on TV and the internet or by telecommunication. The law was discussed controversially before coming into force. It is expected that authorities will take action against private land-based and internet operators as well as financial institutions and service providers in early 2008. (January 2008)

Briefings in English - 2007

New Dubai escrow law

This briefing explains the provisions of Dubai’s new escrow law and how to comply with it. The rules affect all property developers who sell units off-plan and receive monies before completion of the development. All those subject to the escrow law must comply with it by 28 December 2007. (August 2007)

New smoking ban in England

This briefing examines measures employers should take to ensure they comply with England’s new smoking ban, which is effective from 1 July. (July 2007)

Briefings in English - 2006

New German state treaty on gambling

The conference of the heads of the federal states (Ministerpräsidentenkonferenz) recently dealt with the draft of the new state treaty on gambling (Glücksspielstaatsvertrag) which will uphold the state monopoly on gambling until the end of 2011. 15 of the 16 federal states gave their consent.The treaty has not yet been signed but will be transferred to the European Commission for notification proceedings. (December 2006)

End of German state monopoly on sports betting?

On 28 March 2006, the German federal constitutional court ruled that the state monopoly on sports betting in Bavaria is contrary to the fundamental right of freedom of profession. (March 2006)

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