The Middle East’s rapidly advancing space sector has seen a slew of landmark achievements in the last few years. By Alexander Hendry In 2014, the UAE established the UAE Space Agency to oversee and grow its space sector, and it has since successfully completed numerous projects. In July 2020, it became the fifth country in … Continue Reading
Navigating the impact of the pandemic on technology contracting in preparation for a post-COVID-19 world. By Brian Meenagh and Alexander Hendry* A recent Latham.London blog post recommended five steps that customers should take when procuring technology and related services in light of COVID-19 and future pandemics. This blog post examines five additional considerations for customers … Continue Reading
Four of Latham & Watkins’ leading emerging company partners in Silicon Valley, Luke Bergstrom, Tad Freese, Jim Morrone and JD Marple, recently hosted a webinar titled “Achieving Successful Outcomes as a Non-US Company Investing in or Acquiring Technology Companies in Silicon Valley”. The webinar can be viewed here. In this blog we have sought to … Continue Reading
The compliance world will change dramatically for a number of GCC organizations on 25 May 2018. In just over one year’s time GCC organizations that: have a branch, subsidiary or single representative in the European Union (“EU”); do not have a physical presence in the EU, but offer goods or services to data subjects in … Continue Reading
The use of “unmanned aerial systems” or “drones” for commercial, government and consumer purposes has significantly increased in recent years across the globe. In the UAE, the office of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, introduced the Drones for Good Award at the Government Summit held in Dubai … Continue Reading
This is the first in a series of articles considering legal issues relating to bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and blockchain in the UAE. In this article we focus on the legal status of bitcoin and address the question of whether bitcoin is banned in the UAE. In part two we will consider the case for regulating bitcoin … Continue Reading
New Regulations balance innovation in the payments sector with safety, security and maintaining the public’s trust in the UAE payment ecosystem. After a long period of consultation, on 1 January 2017 the Central Bank in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued the Regulatory Framework for Stored Values and Electronic Payment Systems (Electronic Payment Regulation). The … Continue Reading
Telemedicine is a product of 20th century information and communication technologies. It is generally defined as the provision of healthcare services from a healthcare professional to a patient from a remote location using a telephone or the internet. International and local health providers are increasingly looking to provide telemedicine services in the region, specifically in … Continue Reading
Outsourcing has historically not been a major pillar in Middle East public and private sector organisation’s strategic architecture. While the benefits of outsourcing are understood and recognised, organisations have sought to engage with major outsourced service providers through managed service agreements and joint ventures. This approach has generally worked well. It has enabled local organisations … Continue Reading
By Brian Meenagh On October 26, 2015, Raja Al Mazrouei, the Commissioner for Data Protection for the Dubai International Financial Centre (the DIFC), issued guidance on the adequacy of US Safe Harbor for the purpose of exporting personal data from the DIFC. The guidance is significant for organisations that transfer personal data from the DIFC to the … Continue Reading
The recent showdown over renewal of certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act (often called simply the Patriot Act) and the subsequent enactment of the USA Freedom Act have raised a number of questions about the ongoing impact of these laws on data traversing or being stored in the United States. While the new law … Continue Reading
An unexpected surge in production coupled with weakened global demand has resulted in a 50 percent drop in the price of crude oil since June 2014 and currently averaging US$50 a barrel. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced it would leave market forces to determine crude oil price and would not cut … Continue Reading
The virtual currency market has emerged in the United Arab Emirates with Dubai’s first Bitcoin ATM introduced in April 2014. Middle East entrepreneurs have begun launching Bitcoin payment products and SMEs are beginning to realise the potential of such technology, with The Pizza Guys becoming the first restaurant in the UAE to accept Bitcoin payments. … Continue Reading
Global cyber-attack threats stand at the highest ever recorded level, jumping 14 percent from 2012 to 2013 (Cisco 2014 Annual Security Report). Furthermore, a recent Microsoft Security Intelligence Report found that operating system infection rates in the GCC countries were almost twice the worldwide average, with up to 13 computers out of every 1,000 being … Continue Reading
The European Union (EU) enacted Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 (the Regulation), which contains ‘Stage 3’ sanctions against Russia. These sanctions resemble – but in other ways are different – from the latest US sanctions, and they amount to the stiffest anti-Russian actions taken by Europe since the end of the Cold War. Perhaps most … Continue Reading
Digital Identity Dominates Having a digital identity for online browsing, transactions and interactions has become necessary to operate in this information age. As more and more lifestyle and business services shift to the digital platform, there has been an explosive growth in personal data capture. The “Big Data” phenomenon has the potential to transform, innovate … Continue Reading
Latham & Watkins’ Middle East Technology, IP and Sourcing team has just published the sixth edition of Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus. This edition includes a white paper on preparing a statement of work for a technology or sourcing transaction, guidance on US Trade Controls for companies operating in Qatar, Saudi … Continue Reading
Although some surveys of privacy law suggest otherwise, privacy requirements do in fact exist in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)and are very relevant to companies operating there or seeking to provide services to customers in KSA. Background The paramount body of law in KSA is the Sharīʿah. The Sharīʿah is comprised of a collection … Continue Reading
Latham & Watkins’ Middle East Technology, IP and Sourcing team has just published the fifth edition of Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus. This edition includes articles on the running of a competitive RFP process, a note on the use of warranties, indemnities and undertakings in English, South African and UAE law and a Middle East Regional Telecommunications update. Please contact Justin Cornish, … Continue Reading
Latham & Watkins’ Middle East Technology, IP and Sourcing team has just published the fourth edition of Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus. This edition includes articles on the importance of due diligence in an outsourcing transaction and on maintaining competitive pricing in a long-term services arrangement and updates on the amendments … Continue Reading
The April edition of Middle East and Africa Technology, IP and Sourcing Focus, a newsletter from Latham’s Middle East Technology, IP, and Sourcing team, is now available. The new issue considers several topics, including the challenges that organisations looking to implement an outsourcing strategy must consider in their outsourcing agreements, updates on the eGovernment strategy … Continue Reading
