With the increasing EU emphasis on regulating digital financial services and a growing market for them in the Czech Republic, CEE Legal Matters spoke to Noerr Attorneys-at-Law Filip Murar and Ludek Chvosta about the local regulatory framework, the pace of its development, and the ways in which the market has responded.
Hot Practice in the Czech Republic: Vladimir Cizek on Schoenherr’s Corporate/M&A Practice
Schoenherr’s busiest practice, according to Partner Vladimir Cizek, has been Corporate/M&A, with a lot of activity involving banking and financial services, technology targets, and healthcare and life sciences in the last 12-plus months. Cizek explains that technological advancement, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasing demand for businesses to grow have contributed to increased activities in these sectors.
Ludvik Juricka Rejoins Deloitte Legal as Partner
Former Havel & Partners Partner Ludvik Juricka has rejoined Deloitte Legal as a Partner and leader of the firm's commercial team as well as its offices in Brno and Ostrava.
Piercing the Safe Harbor? Czech Supreme Court Issues Unique Judgment on Intermediary Liability for “Free Riding” on Copyrighted Content Shared by Users
In August 2021, the Czech Supreme Court issued a ruling in which it found a provider of a file-sharing service liable for infringement of Czech laws against unfair competition. The decision takes a somewhat unorthodox approach to unfair competition, as it recognizes that particular business models benefitting from “free riding” may in themselves constitute an unlawful practice. For a European audience, it may also be interesting to learn how the court disapplied the safe harbor liability exception for hosting services and how the CJEU’s case law influenced the judgment.
Petr Bratsky Joins Kinstellar as Head of TMT
Petr Bratsky has joined Kinstellar’s Prague office as Head of the firm’s local TMT sector and service line.
DLA Piper and KSB Advise on Karlin’s Joint Residential Investment with PPF
DLA Piper has advised the Karlin Group on a joint residential investment in Prague with PPF Real Estate. Kocian Solc Balastik advised PPF.
Czech Republic: Investment Incentives in 2022
Generally, in the Czech Republic investment incentives are provided by the state to support businesses in regions other than Prague. They are approved by the government in cooperation with the respective ministries and processed by the state agency CzechInvest.
Dentons Advises CPI Property Group on EUR 1.25 Billion Financing of Takeover Offer Over S IMMO AG
Dentons has advised the CPI Property Group on the EUR 1.25 billion bridge loan facility to help finance its takeover offer for all outstanding shares for S IMMO.
In Search of a New Energy Normal (Part 1)
In the past twelve months, energy prices seem to have taken a life of their own. Their continued and, at times, shocking growth has raised concerns across the region and prompted differing responses and policy changes in each country. To get a more accurate picture of recent developments, we reached out to experts in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, and Turkey and asked them about the current energy prices, their impact on local economies, the drivers behind their growth, and whether any plans were in place to address the issue.
DLA Piper Advises Aareal Bank on Pradera European Retail Parks Portfolio Financing
DLA Piper has advised the Aareal Bank on providing EUR 360 million senior facility for Pradera European Retail Parks’ international retail property portfolio financing.
KSB Advises Alkohol.cz on Investment from Rockaway
Kocian Solc Balastik has advised Alkohol.cz on receiving an investment from the Rockaway Capital group.
Allen & Overy Advises on (Another) Disposal of CZG Shares
Allen & Overy has advised Jan Drahota, Lubomir Kovarik, and Ceska Zbrojovka Partners on the sale of part of their shares in CZG through an accelerated book-building process.
On a New Adventure: Patricia Gannon Announces Platforum 9
CEE Legal Matters readers will likely be familiar with Patricia Gannon as one of the founders of Karanovic & Partners. Since her withdrawal from the firm (reported by CEE Legal Matters on September 21, 2020), Gannon ran her own "holistic strategic advisory business" (as reported on October 12, 2020) and, recently, she announced she is working on a new social media app for lawyers – Platforum 9. We caught up with her to learn more about her new project.
The Buzz in the Czech Republic: Interview with Jan Frey of Rowan Legal
The Russian aggression in Ukraine, raging for more than two months now, has affected the Czech Republic to a significant extent, impacting the prices of energy across all sectors. Coupled with the rising levels of inflation, the country finds itself out of balance, according to Rowan Legal Partner Jan Frey, who says it is quite hard to predict what the rest of the year will bring.
Hana Gawlasova Joins Deloitte Legal as Head of Digital and TMT Czech Republic
Former Squire Patton Boggs Partner Hana Gawlasova has joined Deloitte Legal as a Partner and Head of the firm's Digital and TMT team in the Czech Republic.
Ivan Telecky Rejoins Allen & Overy
Former Deloitte Partner Ivan Telecky has rejoined Allen & Overy in Prague as Counsel.
Deal 5: Commerz Real Senior Legal Counsel Dirk Schilo on Disposal of Charles Square Center
On February 25, 2022, CEE Legal Matters reported that Clifford Chance had advised Commerz Real on its sale of Charles Square Center to a closed-end European real estate fund represented by KGAL Investment Management. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Dirk Schilo, Senior Legal Counsel at Commerz Real to learn more about the deal.
Closing: KKR and Global Infrastructure Partners’ Acquisition of CyrusOne Now Closed
On March 30, 2022, Dentons announced that KKR and Global Infrastructure Partners’ acquisition of CyrusOne (reported by CEE Legal Matters on November 22, 2021) has now closed.