The European Commission (“Commission”) has launched an antitrust sector inquiry into the Internet of Things (“IoT”) sector for consumer-related products and services within the European Union. The Commission is looking to develop a better understanding of how this fast-moving sector works and some of the potential issues that may arise from a competition law perspective. The regulator intends imminently to send requests for information to a range of players in this sector and already plans…

On June 6, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants, Inc., et al., settling an issue that has lingered over litigation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) for the past several years. In a badly fractured opinion featuring multiple concurrences and dissents, a majority of the Court held that the TCPA’s federal-debts exemption, which immunizes from liability “calls made solely to collect a debt…

The United States Supreme Court holds that adding a top-level domain, like “.com”, to an otherwise generic term does not automatically result in a generic composite, and that a genericness determination must consider the significance of the term to consumers. The case is U.S. Patent & Trademark Office v. Booking.com B.V., U.S., No. 19-46 (2020). Booking.com – an online travel company that provides hotel and other reservation services – filed four trademark applications for…

Doing business with governments – winning opportunities, negotiating successfully, and delivering profitability – is an art and a science. At a time of unprecedented government intervention, it has never been more important to ensure effective engagement, whether to win new contracts or secure investments, grants, or loans. You know how to succeed in the United States. In this webinar, we want to equip you to navigate the UK government environment by: Highlighting similarities and differences between the UK…

In the context of their return-to-work policies companies are seeking solutions to detect individuals with fever at the entrance of their premises with the aim of preventing further contamination within the buildings. This can be achieved by means of conventional thermometers, digital fever scanners directed at the forehead of the person, or sophisticated thermal camera systems. The Belgian Data Protection Authority has issued a guidance in which it adopts a strict position regarding the implications…

In May 2020, the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs took the initiative and published a draft report with recommendations to the Commission on a civil liability regime for artificial intelligence (AI) (the Draft Report). The Draft Report provides an outlook on some of the legal concepts that will be subject to discussion in a future legislative process. Directive 85/374/EEC (PL Directive) and the Draft Report are considered by the Committee as two pillars of…

In a decision (French only) dated 27 February 2020, the French Administrative Court of Marseille invalidated the deliberation of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Council which allowed to set up, on an experimental basis, a facial recognition mechanism in two high schools in order to (i) better control and speed up entry of students into the high schools and (ii) control access to premises of occasional visitors. This decision is important as this is the first…