One of the biggest problems lies in the intellectual property ownership in joint ventures. The commercial reality is that where there is no agreement in place any intellectual property resulting from the joint venture may be jointly owned. This rule applies even if this is not what the parties intended.
IP Joint Ventures
On 3 December 2020, the UK Government (HM Treasury) issued a consultation paper (the Consultation) setting out a proposal to implement a new “special administration regime” (the SAR) which it is proposed would apply to any insolvency of an authorised payment institution (a PI) or electronic money institution (an EMI).
Syedur Rahman of Rahman Ravelli examines a case that ruled on whether a Warning Notice can be issued while there is a liquidation stay on action and proceedings.
As the saga continues following the collapse of the facilities management and construction services group Carillion, so does the legal fall-out regarding the company and its regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Welcome to the latest in the series of blogs from Fenchurch Law: 100 cases every policyholder needs to know. An opinionated and practical guide to the most important insurance decisions relating to the London / English insurance markets, all looked at from a pro-policyholder perspective.
Some cases are correctly decided and positive for policyholders. We celebrate those cases as The Good.
Some cases are, in our view, bad for policyholders, wrongly decided, and in need of being overturned. We highlight those decisions as The Bad.
In addition to new legislation mentioned elsewhere in this round-up (see links to other sections), commercial and tech businesses and in-house counsel should note:
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act
Disputes between directors often arise because of, and/or result in, disputes about company money. Directors need to be alert to how they are required to act, particularly in times of conflict. Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 imposes a broad duty on directors to promote the success of the company however the term “success” is unhelpfully uncertain, especially where the company is in difficulty and/or where the company is wound up.
Speed read: Rachel Clark considers whether draft new regulations requiring scrutiny of pre-pack sales to connected parties will be enough to prevent fraud and restore confidence in the process.
Once likened to sustaining ‘Frankenstein monsters’, the use of ‘pre-packs’ is controversial.
Whilst not defined by statute, the term ‘pre-pack’ is commonly used to mean an arrangement to sell all or a substantial part of a business prior to the company entering administration, with the administrator then completing the sale.
The case of Arlington Infrastructure Ltd (In Administration) v Woolrych [2020] EWHC 3123 (Ch) is a cautionary reminder to qualifying floating charge holders (and their advisors) to review the terms of all security documents, before seeking to appoint an administrator.
COVID PROTECTIONS EXTENDED TO GIVE BUSINESSES A LAST CHANCE TO PLAN RECOVERY. TIME TO CONSIDER A COVID-19 CVA?
If the announcements last week on the lack of downward tier revisions for many areas is the bad news, the silver lining for the struggling and affected businesses came in the reinstatement of the temporary suspension on the use of statutory demands and winding up petitions until 31 March 2021.
Hot on the heels of the landmark changes to the insolvency landscape brought by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA) (see our previous article on CIGA), the Government recently announced reforms relating to pre-packaged administration sales to connected parties.