Facial recognition system is considered an artificial intelligence solution empowered by a camera system, which can identify persons viewed based on image data stored in a related data base. Such systems have already been implemented around the globe in many countries and generally faced severe criticism, especially in Western democracies. Naturally, facial recognition systems have the capability of helping to prevent terrorist attacks and similar severe crimes an detect suspects and other persons of interest. In practice, however, such systems often provide inaccurate or biased results.
New Employment Provisions Arising from EU Directives
In 2019, two EU directives were adopted which must be transposed into Hungarian labour law within a short deadline. In order to comply with EU Directive 2019/1152 on transparent and predictable working conditions and EU Directive 2019/1158 on work-life balance for parents and carers, the modifications of the Labour Code should be adopted by the beginning of August 2022. According to the current information, no substantive work has been started by the Hungarian legislator to modify the Labour Code in order to ensure the compliance with the provisions of the EU Directives.
Dora Petranyi Appointed Global Co-Head of CMS' Technology, Media, and Communications Group
CMS Budapest Partner and CEE Managing Director Dora Petranyi has been appointed as Global Co-Head of the firm's Technology, Media, and Communications Group, alongside CMS Germany's Pietro Fringuelli.
Administrative Burden to be Eased for Employers in Hungary
Small and medium-sized enterprises could save tens of billions of forints a year by reducing employment administration, according to the latest proposal by the Ministry of Finance.
Mihaly Harcos Joins Bird & Bird as Head of Budapest Tax Practice
Mihaly Harcos, former Deloitte Partner and Tax Litigation Head, has joined the Budapest office of Bird & Bird as the new Head of the firm's Tax practice.
White Collar Crime Laws and Regulations in Hungary
Contributed by KNP Law.
Price Labelling Rules are Changing - Watch Out!
Good news for the consumers, but extra work for businesses. From the end of May, shops and webshops are no longer able to round up their discounts by inflating their prices for a short period before the sale. From now on, when announcing discounts, they always have to indicate the previous price of the products, which can only be the lowest price within at least 30 days before the price cut.
Freshfields, Wolf Theiss, Savoric & Partners, and Filip & Company Advise on Agrofert’s Binding Offer for Borealis’ Nitrogen Business
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Savoric & Partners, and Filip & Company have advised Borealis on a binding offer for its nitrogen business from the Agrofert group. Wolf Theiss advised Agrofert. Oppenheim, Boyanov & Co, and PRK Partners reportedly advised Borealis as well.
Hungary: Not Every Fairy Tale Has a Happy Ending: The Story of the Gomboc 3D Trademark Application
Once upon a time, two eminent Hungarian scientists made a mathematical breakthrough. They developed the first convex, homogeneous, mono-monostatic object, which they named the "Gomboc" after the famous Hungarian folk character. The Gomboc always returns to its single stable equilibrium point no matter how you put it down, without using any weights. The Gomboc also has one unstable equilibrium. It is possible to balance the body in this position, but the slightest disturbance makes it fall.
New Legislation also Affects Consumers
At the beginning of the year, several legislative changes came into force that affect both our daily lives and general administration procedures. For example, when purchasing movables or digital goods, the implied warranty period has increased from 6 months to one year. Besides, the concept of residence and place of residence has also changed, and thanks to video-assisted procedures, we will soon no longer have to visit government offices in person. The temporary rules on remote work, though not as of January, will be laid down in legislation in an act upon the termination of the state of emergency.
New Special Taxes in Hungary To Improve the State’s Income
On 4 June 2022 the Hungarian government issued a decree introducing special taxes affecting several sectors, among others banking, insurance, energy, telecommunications and airlines.
Dentons Appoints New European Practice and Sector Group Leaders
Dentons has recently announced its practice and sector group leadership appointments for the European Region, for the term ending December 2024. Partners Gulistan Baltaci, Piotr Dulewicz, Rob Irving, Arkadiusz Krasnodebski, Karol Laskowski, Evan Lazar, Tamsyn Mileham, Ewa Rutkowska-Subocz, and David Syed were among the appointees.
Update on ESG-Related Regulations at EU Level and in Hungary
In 2019, the EU introduced the European Green Deal with clear sustainability goals to become climate neutral by 2050. Across industries, investors increasingly accept the high value of more sustainable business practices. ESG sustainability is a central consideration in business decisions in almost all economic areas. ESG covers corporate governance, environment and climate change, social and human rights, and sustainable finance. The question for companies is how they can or even must implement this and use legal instruments. However, the lack of binding law provisions, greenwashing, and the alleged sustainability of investments have undermined the importance of this topic.
The Hungarian Competition Authority Case Against Facebook and Beyond
In recent years, the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has been extremely active in tackling highly interesting and novel issues in the digital world. The GVH commissioned a pioneer study on the importance of data in e-commerce and brought several decisions against major international players such as booking.com (for using so-classed “dark patterns”) or Apple (for using misleading terms and conditions about its Wi-Fi assistant on iPhones) as well as significant CEE players such as eMag (for misleading promotions on its online marketplace) or Alza (for aggressive commercial practices on its online site). Most of the decisions – especially where large fines were involved – have been challenged before courts, with the most recent high-level judgment coming out in the Facebook case. What happened exactly?
Know Your Lawyer: Tamas Bereczki of Provaris Varga & Partners
An in-depth look at Tamas Bereczki of Provaris Varga & Partners covering his career path, education, and top projects as a lawyer as well as a few insights about him as a manager at work and as a person outside the office.
Walking a Fine Line: Merger Control in Hungary
In the past few years, Hungary has witnessed accelerated merger trends in the fields of TMT, healthcare, and energy, among others. We reached out to several competition lawyers and spoke about Hungarian merger control regulations and the role of the Hungarian Competition Authority (HCA).
Trends and Challenges for Hungarian Solar Projects
All over the world, we feel the effects of global warming and a sense of urgency to take action against it. It is, therefore, a relief that Hungarian solar projects are coming online in an ever-increasing number. In order to ensure that this trend continues, we ought to take account of the challenges of the sector, not just of its opportunities.
Keyword Advertising as Trademark Infringement
Keyword advertising is one of the most important and most common tools in online advertising. Google Ads is the biggest platform for keyword advertising, where companies pay to have their advertisement appear above or below the natural (non-paid) results of a Google search for a certain term. Choosing the right keywords is therefore crucial for businesses to reach as many potential customers as possible.