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Kinstellar advised The Associated Press in the production of the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Days in Mariupol
Kinstellar is honoured to have provided intellectual property and privacy-related advice to The Associated Press (AP) during the production of 20 Days in Mariupol, a feature-length documentary about the brutal Russian invasion and devastation of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in 2022. The documentary was recently honoured with an Academy Award for Best Documentary, adding to a growing list of accolades for 20 Days in Mariupol, including from Pulitzer, Sundance, BAFTA and the Directors Guild of America. The Oscar is a first for producer Mstyslav Chernov, a Ukrainian AP video journalist, the AP itself (as a 178-year-old news organization), and is also Ukraine’s first ever Oscar win! Ukrainian IP and privacy law advice
EUIPO offers SMEs trade mark and design grants of up to EUR 1,350 again in 2024, available also for Ukrainian SMEs
The European Commission and European Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”) have once again launched a small and medium-sized business fund (“SME Fund”) to provide reimbursement for trade mark and design application fees and pre-diagnostic services. The 2024 SME Fund is the third and last call of this initiative, following the 2022 and 2023 SME Funds. The grant scheme, designed to encourage SMEs to expand their intellectual property (“IP”) portfolios, has a budget of more than EUR 21 million, available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The submission period for applications runs from 22 January to 6 December 2024. Read more in the brochure below: DOWNLOAD IN ENGLISH In case of
Google ends geofence warrants
Location data has become an integral part of everyday digital life, providing easier navigation through various digital tools, such as maps. Despite the importance of making navigation easier, the need to preserve data privacy, such as location data, has been cast to the shadows. In light of this misuse of our private data, Google is finally set to implement a ground-breaking update for its widely used mapping service, Google Maps. The update relates to a change in the way Google stores data: instead of on the cloud, data will be stored on users’ devices. The anticipated update aims to prevent authorities from accessing users’ location history data through geofence warrants, which have long been considered controversial
The AI Act – EU’s First Artificial Intelligence Regulation
In a ground-breaking move, on 8 December 2023, the European Parliament officially reached a provisional agreement with the Council on the AI act. With this agreement, the European Union has implemented the world's first comprehensive regulation on artificial intelligence, known as the AI Act. This landmark regulation is now in it’s final stage of implementation, as it still needs to be formally adopted by the Parliament and the Council. The AI Act aims to safeguard the well-being and fundamental rights of EU citizens, setting a precedent for global AI governance. In April 2021, the European Commission proposed the first European Union ("EU") regulatory framework for artificial intelligence ("AI"). The main objective
Update on the Advertising Regulatory Landscape in Ukraine
Amendments to Law of Ukraine on Advertising No. 270/96-ВР of 3 July 1996 have recently come into force. The amendments update obsolete regulations on advertising in Ukraine, thus ensuring advertising standards correspond to current technological developments. Click on one of the images below or click on the following links to read the overview in English or in Ukrainian. Download in English: Download in Ukrainian:
Kinstellar announces new promotions to Partner and Counsel
Kinstellar is delighted and proud to announce the promotions to Partner of Tomáš Melišek (Bratislava), Levente Hegedűs (Budapest), Bulut Girgin (Istanbul), Anastasiya Bolkhovitinova, Natalia Kirichenko, Oleg Matiusha, Illya Muchnyk (all in our Kyiv office), and to Counsel of Dominika Bajzáthová (Bratislava). PARTNERS Tomá š Melišek, Bratislava Tomáš is the Head of the local Banking & Finance service line. He has 15 years of experience in banking and finance, focusing on project and acquisition financing as well as on financial regulations. Tomáš has substantial experience advising clients on significant financing transactions in the areas of real estate, energy, infrastructure, automotive, media
Ukraine introduces a new law to strengthen IP rights protection
A new Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Strengthening the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights” No. 2974-IX (the “Law”), entered into force on 15 April 2023. The Law’s aim is to strengthen IP rights protection in Ukraine and harmonise Ukrainian intellectual property legislation with EU standards on the protection of IP rights. Click on one of the images below to read the overview of the main changes introduced by the law or click the following links to read in English or in Ukrainian. Download in English: Download in Ukrainian:
Impact of intellectual property on M&A transactions in Bulgaria and beyond
Unlocking the value of intellectual property (IP) Hardly anyone could argue against the constantly increasing importance of IP to companies. IP not only affects the business models of companies but also brings additional value to the table (e.g., in addition to its client list and personnel, a target offers proprietary software solutions facilitating and supplementing the company’s normal business activities). This is true not only for the “usual suspects” such as technology companies, FinTech startups, gaming studios, and pharmaceutical companies, but also for companies previously not so heavily dependent on IP assets, such as financial institutions, insurance companies, and retailers. Because of the above, in recent years
EUIPO offers SMEs trade mark and design grants of up to EUR 1,350
The European Commission and European Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”) have launched a small and medium sized business fund (SME Fund) to provide reimbursement for trademark and design application fees and pre diagnostic services. The grant scheme, designed to encourage SMEs to expand their IP portfolios, has a budget of EUR 25 million, available on a first come, first serve basis. The submission period for applications runs from 23 January to 8 December 2023. Read more in the brochure below: Download in English: In case of any questions with respect to the above, our specialists
Unpacking the European Parliament’s Recent Resolution on Online Video Games
Last week, the European Parliament (“EP”) adopted a resolution on online video games (the “Resolution”) . In essence, the Resolution calls for strong enforcement of consumer protection rules in the video game industry, requires stricter regulation of loot boxes and emphasizes the enormous potential of the gaming sector. Download in English: In case of any questions with respect to the above, our specialists are standing by to offer guidance and counsel.
Kinstellar advises Kinnevik on its USD 185 million investment into Mews Systems
Kinstellar M&A and TMT specialists in the Czech Republic have successfully advised Swedish company Kinnevik Online AB on its investment into Mews Systems as part of a USD 185 million Series C financing round, which gives the company a post-financing valuation of USD 865 million. The Series C round was co-led by Kinnevik and the growth equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management and also included new backers Revaia, Derive Ventures and Orbit Capital, as well as previous investors Battery Ventures, Notion Capital, Thayer Ventures and henQ. Based in Prague and Amsterdam, Mews operates a leading property management and payments system designed to simplify and automate operations for modern hotels and
Žurić i Partneri (ŽiP) Kinstellar advises on the acquisition of Insite by Halcom
Our team in Croatia has advised former shareholders of Insite on the sale of shares to Halcom, a leading provider of innovative solutions for payment systems. Insite is an experienced and innovative supplier of CRM systems to the banking, insurance, and retail sectors. Their CRM solution has been successfully recognised for ten years by some of the largest European banks and retailers. Halcom, as a division of Juniper Group, is part of the multinational group Constellation Software Inc. Halcom plays a leading role in developing payment systems in Central and South-Eastern Europe and ranks among the top providers of innovative and secure payment and financial services. The Kinstellar team in Zagreb