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113 New Articles

Over the past few years, the gaming sector has been thriving in CEE. Kinstellar Partner Milan Samardzic, Rowan Legal Partner Milos Olik, ACI Partners Head of Fintech and E-Payments Nicolina Turcan, and Linklaters Warsaw Associate Aleksandra Czubek explore how CEE jurisdictions are driving the industry forward and unlocking new potential.

The European Union is following its roadmap to strengthen the cybersecurity framework. After the Cybersecurity Act (Regulation (EU) 2019/881), which created a certification framework and established the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), and NIS 2 (Directive (EU) 2022/2555), which aims at enhancing the cybersecurity of essential and important services, the European Union introduced the protection of connected software and devices, in other words, the cybersecurity of the IoT. In October 2024, the European Council officially adopted the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) which is about to be published in the EU Official Journal. The Czech Republic is now intensively preparing for the adoption of the Cybersecurity Act, which transposes the NIS 2 Directive, but awareness of CRA is low, even though critical software is being developed in the Czech Republic.

With the end of the 2024 calendar year accounting period, companies must focus on key obligations associated with it. This overview, prepared by the law firm Eversheds Sutherland, summarizes the most important deadlines and obligations related to financial statements, the annual report, the related parties report, and the filing of the corporate income tax return. Proper and timely fulfillment of these obligations is essential to comply with legal requirements.

The latest DLA Piper GDPR Fines and Data Breach Survey provides a comprehensive overview of data protection enforcement trends across Europe, including the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. CEE countries are in the mid-range in terms of total GDPR fines imposed since the regulation became applicable in 2018 and for last year, but enforcement activity is steadily increasing. Here are the latest trends and legal developments in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

When discussing competition law, the Competition Authority and its powers are usually part of the business conversation, given that it is the key enforcer ensuring fair competition and penalizing those who try to distort it. However, for many undertakings, a decision by the Competition Authority isn’t always the end of their fight for justice – sometimes it’s just the beginning. Affected competitors often have to undertake significant efforts to seek compensation from those whose anti-competitive behaviour has harmed or even destroyed their business. In this article, we share our experience with the first-ever successful follow-on damages action in the Czech Republic and the challenges we encountered along the way.

CMS has advised a club of Czech banks including Ceska Sporitelna, Ceskoslovenska Obchodni Banka, Komercni Banka, and Raiffeisenbank, on financing for Smarty Brands Group. 

Clifford Chance has advised Amadeus Real Estate on the sale of a majority shareholding interest in Maj Narodni – the owner of the Maj Narodni shopping and entertainment center in Prague – to Fond Realita. BBH advised Fond Realita. White & Case reportedly advised the financing banks.

Allen Overy Shearman Sterling has advised Doosan Skoda Power on its CZK 2.53 billion initial public offering on the Prime Market of the Prague Stock Exchange. Clifford Chance advised the joint global coordinators Raiffeisen Bank and Wood & Company.

Former Metrostav in-house Counsel Hana Nevralova has joined JSK as a Partner. At the same time, the firm elevated former Managing Associate Daniel Pospisil to its partnership ranks as well.

Weinhold Legal and Cytowski & Partners have advised Czech Republic-based technology company ThreatMark on its series A financing round, securing an investment exceeding USD 23 million from London-based Octopus Ventures and The Riverside Company investment firm. Dentons' New York office reportedly advised Octopus Ventures. DLA Piper's New York office reportedly advised The Riverside Company.

Czech Republic Knowledge Partner

PRK Partners, one of the leading Central European law firms, has been helping clients achieve their business objectives almost 30 years. Our team of lawyers, based in our Prague, Ostrava, and Bratislava offices, has a unique knowledge of Czech and Slovak law and of the business environment. Our lawyers studied at top law schools in the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland and elsewhere. They also have experience working for leading international and domestic law firms in a number of jurisdictions. We speak your language, too. Our legal team is fluent in more than 15 languages, including all the key languages of the region.

PRK Partners has one of the most experienced legal teams on the market. We are consistently rated as one of the leading law firms in the region. We have received many significant honours and awards for our work. We represent the interests of international clients operating in the Czech Republic in an efficient way, combining local knowledge with an understanding of their global requirements in a business-friendly approach. We are one of the largest law firms in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Our specialised teams of lawyers and tax advisors advise major global corporations as well as local companies. We provide comprehensive legal advice drawing on our profound knowledge of local law and markets.

Our legal advice delivers tangible results – as proven by our strong track record. We are the only Czech member firm of Lex Mundi, the world's leading network of independent law firms. As one of the leading law firms in the region, we have received many national and international awards, in some cases several years in a row. Honours include the Chambers Europe Award for Excellence, The Lawyer and Czech and Slovak Law Firm of the Year. Thanks to our close cooperation with leading international law firms and strong local players, we can serve clients in multiple jurisdictions around the globe. Our strong network means that we can meet your needs, wherever you do business.

PRK Partners has been repeatedly voted among the most socially responsible firms in the category of small and mid-sized firms and was awarded the bronze certificate at the annual TOP Responsible Firm of the Year Awards.

Our work is not only “business”: we have participated on a longstanding basis in a wide variety of pro bono projects and supported our partners from the non-profit sector (Kaplicky Centre Endowment Fund, Tereza Maxová Foundation, Czech Donors Forum, etc.).

Firm's website: www.prkpartners.com

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