Resource Library

According to the Canadian Patent Act, to be granted a patent, an invention must not have been “available to the public” before the patent application was filed with the Canadian Patent Office. This is known as “novelty.” However, every rule has its exceptions.

On December 30, 2014, the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, enacted the Decree N° 1.583 (the Decree) in the Official Gazette that establishes special protection against employment dismissal, also called “inamovilidad.”

Under Mexico’s law, employees are entitled to a share in the company’s profits, currently calculated on the basis of 10 percent of the company’s pre-tax income. However, new companies are exempted from this requirement during their first year of operation. In addition, the highest-ranking officer of a company is not entitled to this benefit.

Working as an in-house counsel gave me not only the opportunity to be recognized as an attorney, but it also allowed me to make great relationships and open the door to where I am today.

I begin my term as ACC chair with great excitement. I am honored to follow in the footsteps of exceptional leaders and even more grateful to work with a board of directors, president and team so dedicated to the success of the global in-house bar.

A day in the life of Diego Martinotti General Counsel at Holcim (Argentina) S.A. in Cordoba, Argentina.

Russia is a civil law country, influenced by the German and Dutch legal concepts, but also has unique specifics. Although it is a civil law country, court precedents (especially recent decisions of the higher courts) are important and can influence the decision of the panel of judges.

We all live busy lives, but when we can clear our minds even for just a little while, it makes for healthier lives and healthier work.

This was going to be a column about discretion and judgment, and my perception that we need to reinvigorate those skills in the modern workplace, but that topic has thus far defied my attempts to wrestle it into the confines of this page.

If you were asked to do so, how would you go about quantifying your company’s compliance and ethics risk tolerance in terms that would provide actionable intelligence to your leadership team?