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Belgian Code of Economics Law | time.lex
Contracts

Over the past year the Belgian parliament has been especially busy in the field of economic law and has created a new Code of Economic Law. On 31 May 2014 some important parts of this Code entered into force. This article briefly discusses the changes brought to Belgian consumer rights and protection legislation and to the pre-contractual information in commercial cooperation agreements legislation.

Belgian Economic Code | time.lex
Contracts

In February 2014, the Belgian Parliament adopted the Draft Act as part of a legislative process consolidating all national commercial law provisions into one Belgian Economic Code. While much of the existing national legislation has simply been transposed into the Draft Act, the national legislature has taken the opportunity to make certain amendments.

Cloud Computing and EU Financial Services | time.lex
Privacy & data protection

For some time now the EU’s financial services sector has sought clarification upon when and to what extent it may use public cloud computing.  Recent developments in the Netherlands and the UK may shed a little light on the issue.

3d printing technology | time.lex
Intellectual property

While the existence and potential impact of 3D printing technology is becoming more widely-known, the technology itself continues to develop and spread at an ever-faster rate. With the prospect of this potentially-disruptive technology’s transition from niche to more mainstream usage, a number of legal and regulatory issues are appearing on the horizon. 

Cybercrime Europe | time.lex
Cybercrime

At the European level, various attempts have been made to harmonize cybercrime legislation. In 2001 the Council of Europe’s Cybercrime Convention represented a first foray into this policy area and was followed by the 2005 EU Framework Decision on Attacks against Information Systems. As cybercrime has evolved, a revised framework has been needed and now a new EU Directive on Attacks against Information Systems replaces the Framework Decision and updates the rules.

WP29 Apps on Smart Devices | time.lex
Privacy & data protection

The publication of the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party’s opinion “Apps on Smart Devices” has provided clarification on the legal framework relating to the processing of personal data on different smart, especially mobile, devices. The opinion is a must-read comprehensive guide for all stakeholders in the apps “eco-system”.

The lawyer's deed in Belgian law | time.lex
E-commerce

Belgian contract law is in principle relatively flexible, and allows private parties to conclude contracts using whatever means they deem appropriate (notwithstanding a series of formal restrictions for certain formal types of contracts). However, this flexibility also has its downsides: private parties are not always fully informed of the legal consequences of their agreements, and certain key information (including basic data such as the date of signing, entry into force, or even the exact identification of the parties) is sometimes missing, leading to needless discussions.

BOYD smartphone | time.lex
Privacy & data protection

“Bring your own device” or “BYOD”, meaning that employees use their own laptop or smartphone and software for professional purposes, is an increasing trend. A lot of companies simply tolerate it or even ignore it and believe that it doesn’t concern them. This raises legal concerns. Who is liable for data breaches, viruses and breach of company’s confidential information? Is the company, as employer, allowed to enforce its IT-policies on those privately owned devices? What about the employee’s privacy?

Belgian legislation on e-invoice & e-archiving | time.lex
E-commerce

The federal Belgian council of minsters recently approved a draft proposal that will be submitted to the Parliament in September. It aims at further simplifying electronic invoicing and archiving for paper and electronic invoices. The draft law implements the European Directive 2010/45/EC of 13 July 2010 amending Directive 2006/112/EC on the common system of value added tax as regards the rules on invoicing. The goal is to have the new rules in place as from 1st January 2013.

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