On the 28th of February 2023, the European Data Protection Board (hereinafter referred to as the “EDPB”) issued its Opinion on the European Commission’s draft adequacy decision regarding the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. Whilst acknowledging the significant improvements made to the Data Privacy Framework such as the improved new redress mechanism under the Executive Order on Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities, the EDPB’s opinion also highlighted some issues of concern which had previously been raised so as to ensure that the new adequacy decision will be long-lasting. The principal issues of concern specifically relate to the data…
Following the successful uptake of a similar initiative in 2022, the European Commission has re-launched its fund to support small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”) in safeguarding their intellectual property assets. The scheme, which will run from 23 January 2023 until 8 December 2023, will enable SMEs established in the European Union to recover up to 75% of eligible fees incurred in connection with trademark and design applications, at both EU and national level, up to a maximum of €1,000. This is welcome news, since it is estimated that over 99% of all businesses in the EU are SMEs and is…
The agreement on a new EU-U.S. data privacy framework between EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and U.S. President Joe Biden had already been announced on 25 March 2022 (for background, please refer to our previous article The EU-US Privacy Shield: Third Time’s a Charm? - Mamo TCV). However, the stability and longevity of the agreement was questioned by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems who sent an open letter to stakeholders as a warning that the new framework risks being declared invalid, and consequently being struck down by the CJEU, should no reforms to U.S. law take place to…