Katarzyna Sulimierska has joined the Warsaw office of Schoenherr as a Partner and the new Head of the firm's local Real Estate practice.

According to a recently published ruling, the German Federal Labour Court says you can. Here is how.

Linklaters has advised LeadCrest Capital Partners on the EUR 45 million acquisition of a four-asset Polish industrial portfolio from Panattoni. Schoenherr advised the seller.

Wolf Theiss has advised Kommunalkredit Austria on its EUR 250 million issuance of 0.01% covered bank bonds. Schoenherr has advised the joint lead managers DZ Bank, Erste Group Bank, Landesbank Hessen-Thuringen Girozentrale, and Raiffeisen Bank International.

In its judgment on 14 July 2021 in Case T-399/20, the General Court assessed whether there is likelihood of confusion between figurative trademarks that depict two letters from different foreign alphabets.

In summer 2021 the European Banking Authority (EBA) published Draft Guidelines on the limited network exemption (LNE) under the Payment Service Directive 2 (PSD2) for consultation. The Draft Guidelines are meant to foster supervisory convergence amongst the EU's national competent regulators (NCAs).

On 2 September 2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued the much awaited judgement in the Komstroy vs Moldova case (C-741/19).

Schoenherr has advised P&I Personal & Informatik on its acquisition of Austria-based VRZ Informatik Gesellschaft and its Switzerland-based sister company ThinkCreateAct.

Schoenherr has advised Berlin-based electric scooter rental startup Tier on its entrance into Hungary.

The recent implementation of the AML V Directive to the Polish Act on Counteracting Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing will have a significant impact on business and the approach taken by state bodies to certain transactions. The main changes are as follows:

The NFT market is still relatively new and volatile, but its potential is huge. Christie's managed to auction an NFT linked to an artwork for over USD 69 million this March, proving that NFTs are a new asset class that can carry significant value. A value, that needs protection just like any other asset class.

The Austrian Cartel and Competition Law Amendment Act 2021 (KaWeRÄG 2021) will introduce – in part substantial – amendments to the Austrian merger control regime as of 1 January 2022. The amendment originated in the context of the implementation of the ECN+ Directive. However, the Austrian legislator seized the opportunity to, among other things, refine the Austrian merger control regime by introducing a second domestic turnover threshold and implementing the SIEC test, as well as to strengthen the FDI screening mechanism.

Schoenherr has successfully represented Adler Real Estate AG in proceedings before the European Court of Justice in a matter relating to the Austrian Takeover Commission.

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, on 6 August 2021 the Hungarian Government issued Decree No. 474/2021 on the different application of the Patent Act (Act XXXIII of 1995). According to the decree, patent applications filed after the entry into force of this decree will not be subject to a maintenance fee for the first three years of patent protection. The decree was promulgated on 6 August 2021 and will remain in force until the end of the state of emergency related to COVID-19.

In general, the Serbian Agricultural Land Act ("ALA") envisages granting the use of agricultural land, free of charge, to state-owned subjects, or, in instances where particular plots have not been leased for three or more agricultural years, agricultural land may be tendered for to be used by registered agricultural holdings.

Schoenherr has advised Vienna-based Wienerberger on the EUR 81.25 million treasury shares placement with institutional investors. Clifford Chance advised the joint bookrunners J.P. Morgan, Erste Group, and UniCredit on the deal. 

BPV Grigorescu Stefanica has advised Black Sea Fund I on the acquisition of a 70% stake in D-Toys. Schoenherr advised D-Toys founding shareholder Tibor Fustos as the seller.

An unregistered community design is established merely by the disclosure of a design and triggers protection for three years from the date of disclosure. This informal right was created to satisfy the demands of the industry and creatives for a design protection right providing broad-ranging territorial protection and safety for short-lived products without an elaborate and costly registration procedure.