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The European Accessibility Act: Compliance or consequences? Is your business prepared?
The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) (“EAA”) represents a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for private sector businesses across the European Union. Introduced to harmonise accessibility requirements for key products and services, the EAA is designed to improve access for persons with disabilities and foster a more inclusive internal market. With its full application date set for 28 June 2025, business entities that have not yet assessed their compliance posture face growing legal, operational, and reputational risks. The EAA expands beyond earlier public sector-focused legislation and applies to a wide range of industries—from tech to banking, telecoms, and e-commerce—making timely
The tariff war has crossed over to the film industry – what now?
The recent announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump authorising the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% tariff on any and all movies produced outside the United States has the potential to shake the global film industry to its core. It is almost reminiscent of a war movie, where a U.S. soldier—a paratrooper—misses the planned landing zone and falls into unknown territory. While the newly announced tariff appears to be part of its broader strategy to revive domestic production and the implications could be far-reaching, the actual details of the tariff in question are not yet known. Trump’s decision could have a major impact on
Kinstellar advises Paradox Interactive on the acquisition of Haemimont Games
Kinstellar’s Sofia office successfully advised Paradox Interactive, one of the premier developers and publishers of strategy and management games, on the acquisition of Haemimont Games, one of the first video game development studios in Bulgaria. The renowned video games publisher enters the Bulgarian market in the first video game transaction in Bulgaria for 2025, part of Paradox’ strategy to grow the management games genre and a good news for the entire video games industry in Bulgariа. The Kinstellar team, comprising Georgi Kanev (Managing Associate, Head of Interactive Entertainment & Gaming), Diana Dimova (Partner, Corporate/M&A), Denitsa Kuzeva (Senior Associate, Corporate/M&A) and Atanas
Kinstellar and KST Law assist Balderton Capital in leading the USD 30M Series A financing round for Grand Games
Kinstellar and KST Law are excited to have assisted Balderton Capital in leading the USD 30M Series A financing round for Grand Games, a visionary mobile gaming company focused on delivering genre-defining experiences. This significant milestone underscores Balderton's continued commitment to supporting innovative companies that push the boundaries of mobile entertainment. A special thanks to the KST Law team—our partner Emre Özer and associates Helin Akbulut and Nihal Dilan Cantürk—for their crucial support and expertise in completing this transaction successfully. Kinstellar operates in Turkey in cooperation with KST Law, a full-service corporate law firm based in Istanbul.
TMT Legal Update
Our TMT Legal Update provides insights from our law experts and aims to keep you regularly up to date with sector news, trends and legislation in the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions. This issue covers key updates from our jurisdictions from the past few months. REGIONAL Implementation status of certain EU regulations Technology 01. New development regarding NIS 2 Directive implementation in various Kinstellar jurisdictions The EU's NIS2 Directive is a cybersecurity act aimed at improving overall cybersecurity in the EU. Member States must implement it by 17 October 2024. Below we provide
Czech Republic is preparing a new incentive scheme for the video games industry
The Czech Republic will soon join a group of European countries that offer incentives to the video games industry. The video games industry has been one of the fastest growing sectors in the Czech Republic in recent years, and enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide – despite the lack of any kind of state support. However, this will likely soon change with the adoption of an amendment to the Czech Act on Audiovision (the “Amendment”). Some of the most significant new changes introduced by the Amendment are the transformation of the current Czech Film Fund into the Czech Audiovisual Fund (the “Fund”) and the extension of the state incentive system to include the video games industry. According to the Amendment
Loot boxes – still a mystery in CEE?
The recent resolution of the European Parliament on video games calls on the European Commission to take the necessary steps to bring about a European approach to loot boxes which could lead to more restrictive regulation. Kinstellar’s TMT team looked into the national framework for loot boxes in Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine to conclude that, while no specific local laws exist, the developments around gambling regulation should be monitored, as loot boxes have already been discussed in the context of national rules on gambling in some countries. Click on this link or the image below to read an overview prepared by our TMT experts in each jurisdiction.
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.