Brussels

July 16, 2020

BRUSSELS-- Today, the European Court of Justice (“CJEU”) issued a landmark decision striking down the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield — an agreement between EU and U.S. authorities authorizing transfers of EU personal data to the United States — but upholding the validity of standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”), another mechanism that EU-based organizations use to ...

July 6, 2020

BRUSSELS—Covington advised airBaltic on the notification to the European Commission of a €250 million recapitalization by the Latvian government. The measure was approved today under the EU’s Temporary Framework for State aid measures to support the economy in the current COVID-19 outbreak. In the second quarter of 2020, Member States and non-EU countries ...

June 25, 2020, Financial Times

Horst Henschen is quoted in the Financial Times regarding Germany’s investment into CureVac, a biopharmaceutical company attempting to find a COVID-19 vaccine. Mr. Henschen says, “Kuka was the trigger, but it’s a general policy shift. Ten years ago, Germany, an export country, was very much for globalization and no one thought of introducing hurdles. The shift ...

June 18, 2020, Global Competition Review

Horst Henschen and Peter Camesasca spoke with Global Competition Review about the European Union’s new tools to address competitive distortion. Mr. Henschen says the supervisory authority will have “very broad powers to intervene.” The idea that the commission should be the competent supervisory authority may also “lead to a lively debate.” Mr. Camesasca says ...

June 17, 2020, New York Times

Horst Henschen spoke with the New York Times about Europe’s plan to keep Chinese-backed companies from acquiring cheap assets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Henschen says the measures would give European officials “very broad powers.”

June 15, 2020, Computer Weekly

Spring 2020, Covington Guide

As businesses across Europe prepare to reopen following the COVID-19 lockdown, Covington is providing practical resources and guidance on the broad array of issues companies face as employees return to the workplace, including employment, privacy, competition, policy, environmental and regulatory considerations at the EU level, with a focus on Germany and the ...

May 6, 2020, Covington Alert

On April 29, 2020, in a webinar hosted by the European Parliament’s Responsible Business Conduct Working Group, EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders announced that the European Commission (the “Commission”) will move swiftly to introduce regulation on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence for companies, with its legislative proposal to ...

May 1, 2020, Global Competition Review

Johan Ysewyn spoke with Global Competition Review about EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager’s request to suspend European state aid rules during the coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Ysewyn says there was a similar “knee-jerk reaction during the financial crisis in 2008 from member states,” but the idea was quickly discarded. As in the financial crisis, the ...

April 22, 2020, Politico

Sebastian Vos spoke with Politico about his experience working virtually in Brussels during the COVID-19 pandemic. He says in the early stages of the crisis, things were a bit chaotic and during this adjustment period, it was hard to figure out which files were moving and which weren’t. “It wasn’t that [the Commission] wasn’t well-organized, it was that we ...

April 17, 2020, Politico

Horst Henschen and Peter Camesasca spoke with Politico about the European Commission’s push to make foreign investment screening less national and more European. However, Italy is not conforming to the idea. Mr. Henschen says, “I hope this is really due to the corona crisis and that things will go back to normality, as otherwise there will be apparent conflicts ...

March 31, 2020

LONDON—James Marshall has joined Covington’s Competition Practice in London as a partner. Mr. Marshall advises on all aspects of competition law and sector regulation and regularly counsels clients on merger control, investigations, commercial deals, abuse of dominance, and compliance. He is recommended by Legal 500 in multiple categories and is recognized as a ...

March 17, 2020, Financial Times

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in the Financial Times regarding the potential monetary losses and risk of vanishing mergers during the coronavirus crisis. Mr. Ysewyn says, “Authorities are having a gut reaction in resetting their priorities, but in the meantime businesses are losing money every day the deal doesn’t close, while also dealing with the consequences of the ...

February 27, 2020, Covington Alert

On February 19, the European Commission laid out its ambitious plans for regulating data, AI, and the digital sphere. These set the stage for the next five years’ work for President von der Leyen’s Commission in this critically important, and ever expanding, domain. Crucially, in its plans the Commission is making a concerted attempt to call on the “Brussels ...

January 23, 2020

WASHINGTON—Global Competition Review has once again named Covington to its 2019 "Global Elite," a list of the top 25 firms practicing competition law internationally, as well as including the firm in the list of top ten antitrust litigation practices globally. Now in its 20th year, GCR100 undertakes extensive analysis of antitrust and competition law groups in ...

December 19, 2019, Covington Alert

The German legislator has adopted a new Act, implementing the European Second Shareholder Rights Directive which, inter alia, sets forth increased transparency and approval requirements for related party transactions. The new Act will come into force on January 1, 2020.

December 9, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington represented Merck & Co., Inc. in its definitive agreement under which Merck, through a subsidiary, will acquire ArQule for $20 per share in cash for an approximate total equity value of $2.7 billion. ArQule is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company focused on kinase inhibitor discovery and development for the treatment of patients with ...

November 27, 2019, Law360

Atli Stannard is quoted in Law360 regarding the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s claims of European Union banks violating privacy and anti-discrimination laws when they share customer information with the IRS. EU countries may negotiate with the Treasury Department, but only if they receive larger cross-border effort against tax avoidance. Mr. Stannard says, ...

October 9, 2019, Law360

Kristof Van Quathem is quoted in Law360 regarding a European Court of Justice’s decision to increase web cookie consent measures. Mr. Van Quathem says, “It’s unfortunate that the court didn’t address that point because it’s commercially and politically a very sensitive topic, on which there is a lot of uncertainty right now, and it’s a question that could have ...

Autumn 2019, IJGlobal

September 30, 2019, Global Data Review

August 2019, Covington Alert

The ECJ ruled on 14 May 2019 (C-55/18) that Member States must take measures to ensure that employers comply with the minimum rest periods and prevent workers from working in excess of the weekly maximum working hours, including introducing an "objective, reliable and accessible system" to measure daily working time.

July 17, 2019, Covington Alert

On July 9, 2019, the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) heard oral argument in Case C-311/18, Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems (“Schrems II”). The primary question before the ECJ is whether the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”) are valid for transfers of personal data to the United States.1 Given ...

July 9, 2019

BRUSSELS—Today, a team of Covington lawyers argued before the European Court of Justice in a landmark data protection case, Case C-311/18, Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems (“Schrems II”). The case has significant ramifications for any organization that relies on the standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”) to transfer personal ...

June 2019, Pharmind

May 22, 2019, The New York Times

Peter Balas spoke with The New York Times about the effects of populism in Europe on free trade. Mr. Balas says, “The rightist parties will play a bigger role. The Greens will play a bigger role. It will be much more difficult in the Parliament to have a cohesive approach to trade.”  

April 25, 2019, Bloomberg Law

Bloomberg Law highlighted Covington's Global Problem Solving team and the efforts of the lawyers who make the capability possible.   Sebastian Vos said the group doesn’t just work on problems for clients, but tries to use its resources to anticipate what problems could arise in the future and craft resolutions for them. “We help unlock a situation where a ...

April 5, 2019

WASHINGTON—Covington advised Elbit Systems of America, LLC, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd., in its definitive agreement with Harris Corporation for the acquisition of Harris' Night Vision business for a purchase price of $350 million. The closing of the transaction is subject to receipt of regulatory approvals. Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international high ...

March 28, 2019

BRUSSELS—Sebastian Vos, partner and co-chair of Covington’s Public Policy Practice, has been named co-chair of the Global Blockchain Business Council’s Legal and Regulatory Working Group. The Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) is the leading trade association for the blockchain technology ecosystem and brings together innovative organizations and thought ...

March 28, 2019, Legal Week

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in Legal Week regarding the potential decrease in work for law firms in the UK following Brexit. He says, “A general impression is that small and medium-sized enterprises don’t have enough resources to prepare, while our clients – large worldwide pharmaceutical companies – have invested millions into this. Many have done their homework, ...

March 26, 2019, Risk

Anne Termine is quoted in Risk regarding U.S. margin rules in the event of Brexit. To ensure continued access to the full range of services, EU-based swaps counterparties may wish to move their contracts to affiliates outside of the UK, says Ms. Termine. Swaps dealers may need to move their swaps, for example, to the EU from a UK platform because there is no ...

March 25, 2019, The Law Society Gazette

Sebastian Vos, Francis Maude, and Erika Mann are quoted in The Law Society Gazette regarding Covington’s expansion of public policy work in Europe.   Mr. Vos says, “The firm’s USP is the sheer number of former senior diplomats in our midst, on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as in Asia and Africa.” He adds, what clients “value most is the combination of law ...

March 13, 2019, Law360

Carlo Kostka spoke with Law360 about Brexit’s effect on corporate contingency plans. Companies across the services and manufacturing industries have already invested enormous sums to prepare for the unknown, said Mr. Kostka. He added, “They have investment plans and, with some exceptions and caveats, the trigger has been pulled on many of those.”

March 11, 2019, CNBC

Francis Maude spoke with CNBC about Article 50 and the possibility of a Brexit extension. On the possibility of an Article 50 extension, Lord Maude says, "I think it's inevitable that we'll ask for one."

March 11, 2019, Covington Alert

This alert summarizes the major antitrust/competition developments in 2018 and offers a view on what to expect in 2019 in the U.S., EU and China.

March 7, 2019, Law360

Ian Hargreaves is quoted in Law360 regarding the U.K.’s tightened budget for investigation and prosecution of white collar crime. Mr. Hargreaves says, “The costs start to spiral out of control when you’re dealing with the sheer number of documents involved in highly complex cases. And so, if technology allows these documents to be collected, collated, reviewed ...

February 2019, Covington Alert

This International Employment Update summarises recent international employment law developments in China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

January 28, 2019, Covington Alert

The past few weeks have been chaotic for both Brexit negotiations and UK politics overall. On January 15, 2019, British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan succumbed to historic defeat in Parliament.

January 22, 2019, Covington Alert

On January 21, 2019, the French Supervisory Authority for data protection (“CNIL”) issued a fine of €50 million against Google for violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (the decision was published in French here).

January 17, 2019, Bloomberg

Francis Maude appeared on Bloomberg Daybreak Europe to discuss the future of Brexit after the no-confidence vote. Mr. Maude believes Theresa May will have to accept her country will remain in the European Customs Union among other concessions. He also told Daybreak Europe that Britain’s negotiations with the EU were constrained by the red-lines Theresa May will ...

January 14, 2019

The Concurrences Antitrust Writing Awards 2019 Editorial Committee has nominated three articles authored by Covington lawyers to its shortlist. We encourage you to share your opinion on our nominated articles: Compliance Plus? Proposed Fine Reductions for Audited, Strengthened Compliance Programmes by Kevin Coates and Andrea Zulli. Data, Innovation, and ...

January 10, 2019, Covington Alert

On January 7, 2019, EU Regulation 2019/5 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The Regulation is part of a package that makes numerous significant amendments to the EU’s regime for veterinary medicines and medicated feed, and it also made some key changes to the EU financial penalties regime.

January 2, 2019, Covington Alert

The past year was a particularly significant one for the development of Chinese privacy law. During 2018, the Chinese government systematically established the country’s regulatory requirements for cybersecurity and data privacy and continued to implement the Cybersecurity Law, which took effect on June 1, 2017.

2019, International Comparative Legal Guide to: Enforcement of Foreign Judgments 2019

2019, International Comparative Legal Guide

January 2019, GCR Insight - E-Commerce Competition Enforcement Guide

December 13, 2018, Covington Alert

The first EU-level rules on the screening of foreign direct investment (FDI) are about to be agreed. These do not provide for the direct screening of FDI by the institutions of the Union, but rather create a framework for national initiatives and the exchange of information, and impose certain obligations on Member States to ensure a certain harmonization of any ...

December 3, 2018

BRUSSELS—Alexis Lautenberg has joined Covington’s Public Policy practice as a Senior Advisor. Ambassador Lautenberg is a long-serving Swiss diplomat whose career has been focused on European financial services and trade policy. His forty years of public service included postings as Swiss Ambassador to the EU, Italy and the UK. In 2013, he co-founded the Swiss ...

October 17, 2018, Global Competition Review

Global Competition Review featured the results of a joint survey conducted by Covington and the Brussels School of Competition on immunity and leniency applications. The survey revealed the majority of competition experts questioned did not see a decline in leniency applications in the past five years, and more than 60 percent expect the overall success of the ...

October 15, 2018, Covington Alert

On August 23, 2018, the UK Government published several technical guidance notices relating to the regulation of medicines and medical devices in the event of a “no deal” or “hard” Brexit, i.e., a scenario where the EU and UK fail to conclude a withdrawal agreement and an associated transitional period and where the UK becomes a “third country” from midnight CET ...

October 2018, Privacy Laws & Business International Report

September 10, 2018, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Eric Holder and Craig Pollack are featured in Commercial Dispute Resolution regarding the firm’s ambitions to be at the forefront of international dispute resolution. Mr. Holder and Mr. Pollack discussed managing complex disputes, diplomatic solutions, culture of collaboration, Brexit, and structure and strategy of a case.   Mr. Holder said in the interview, “We ...

September 5, 2018, Irish Examiner

Maree Gallagher is quoted in the Irish Examiner regarding Brexit’s impact on Ireland’s agri-food sector. Ms. Gallagher, also Chair of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce Agri-Food Committee, says, “The agri-food sector is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry employing around 250,000 people enabling €12.6bn in exports a year.” Ireland, who is a major source of ...

August 9, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington advised Emergent BioSolutions in its $270 million acquisition of PaxVax. PaxVax is majority owned by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management. Emergent is a global life sciences company focusing on providing specialty products for civilian and military populations that address public health threats. PaxVax is a company focused on ...

July 30, 2018

SILICON VALLEY—Covington advised GlaxoSmithKline on its multi-year collaboration with and $300 million equity investment in 23andMe. GSK will become 23andMe’s exclusive collaborator for drug target discovery programs. The collaboration will focus on research and development of innovative new medicines and potential cures using human genetics as the basis for ...

July 25, 2018, Financial Times

Jean De Ruyt is quoted in the Financial Times regarding EU plans to protect its businesses investing in Iran and mitigate a new wave of U.S. sanctions. Mr. De Ruyt notes, “It’s a European policy that’s totally in contradiction to the American policy: that doesn’t happen very often.”

July 24, 2018, The Telegraph

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in The Telegraph regarding an extension of the Brexit deadline. According to Mr. Van Vooren, “For that to happen, Article 50 requires that the European Council decides unanimously on the extension in agreement with the UK.” Mr. Van Vooren added, “An extension is not likely if it will merely extend the painful process of the last 15 ...

June 26, 2018, Covington Alert

On June 21, 2018, the European Commission (“Commission”) started a new investigation to determine whether so-called destination clauses in Qatar Petroleum’s liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) supply contracts with European buyers infringe the European Union (“EU”) antitrust rules.

June 20, 2018

SILICON VALLEY—Covington was ranked sixth among “The Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys” and ranked seventh among “The Best Law Firms for Minority Partners” by Law360 for firms with more than 600 lawyers.  "While there is much progress still to be made, these results are a reflection of Covington's sustained efforts to recruit, mentor, develop, promote, and ...

June 15, 2018, BBC Two

Lord Francis Maude appeared on BBC Two's "Daily Politics" show to discuss the latest developments in Brexit negotiations in Westminster and beyond."

June 14, 2018, Financial Times

Kristof Van Quathem participated in a Financial Times podcast to discuss the impact of the General Data Protection Regulation on medical research and health technology companies. According to Van Quathem, "One of the main concerns I think that we see in the research circle is the uncertainty that is being created by the GDPR, and in particular, when it comes to ...

June 5, 2018, The Irish Times

Sir Michael Leigh and Lord Francis Maude recently participated in a roundtable with The Irish Times to discuss Brexit developments. Commenting on the status of finding a solution to the Irish Border issue, Leigh and Maude said that they do not envisage a solution to maintain an invisible border being agreed until there is a deal on the future EU-UK trading ...

May 24, 2018, The Wall Street Journal

Henriette Tielemans is quoted by The Wall Street Journal in an article regarding the upcoming deadline for companies to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation. “Companies are struggling with the concrete deliverables—the record of processing activities, the transfer agreements, the notices, the website—because of the sheer volume,” says Tielemans. ...

May 24, 2018, Chemical and Engineering News

Cándido García Molyneux is quoted in a Chemical and Engineering News article regarding the May 31 REACH regulation deadline. Many other companies won’t be done dealing with REACH on June 1 either, says García Molyneux. He anticipates ongoing disputes between REACH registrants over sharing the cost of developing chemical safety data.

May 9, 2018, Covington Alert

On May 8, 2018, President Trump announced his decision to end U.S. participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”) and re-impose sanctions against Iran that had been suspended as part of this 2015 nuclear agreement between the United States, Iran, and certain other governments. This action will have far-reaching effects for both U.S. and ...

May 9, 2018, Covington Alert

On May 8, 2018, President Trump announced his decision to end U.S. participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”) and re-impose sanctions against Iran that had been suspended as part of this 2015 nuclear agreement between the United States, Iran, and certain other governments. This action will have far-reaching effects for both U.S. and ...

April 20, 2018

LONDON—Covington advised BenevolentAI on an £80 million equity investment by new and existing investors, including Woodford Investment Management, at a pre-money valuation of £1.4 billion. The firm also recently advised BenevolentAI on its acquisition of Proximagen Limited, a Cambridge, UK-based drug discovery and development company, for an undisclosed ...

April 20, 2018

Camilla Gare and a team of Covington lawyers advised BenevolentAI on an £80 million equity investment by new and existing investors, including Woodford Investment Management, at a pre-money valuation of £1.4 billion. The firm also recently advised BenevolentAI on its acquisition of Proximagen Limited, a Cambridge, UK-based drug discovery and development company, ...

April 18, 2018, Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence

April 3, 2018, IAPP

Henriette Tielemans participated in a session at the Global Privacy Summit and is quoted in an IAPP article regarding what happens once GDPR goes into effect. "For a lead regulator for the one-stop shop, you need a mean establishment. You lose a lot of the benefits of the GDPR if you're unable to come up with what your main establishment is," Tielemans said.

March 29, 2018, Law360

Henriette Tielemans spoke at an IAPP event and is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the Irish privacy authority's focus once GDPR takes effect. According to Tielemans, while “the GDPR has 150 articles, and businesses are worried about all 150 of them,” companies are most concerned about the regulators’ ability to issue massive fines of up to 4 percent of ...

March 28, 2018

LONDON—Covington will open an office in Frankfurt, Germany on April 3 led by eight partners. Frankfurt will be the firm’s third European office and will work closely with the firm’s five offices in the United States, its three offices in Asia, and its offices in the Middle East and Africa. “Covington will offer German companies a unique capability to help them ...

March 27, 2018, IAPP

Henriette Tielemans was the recipient of the 2018 IAPP Privacy Vanguard Award, a recognition reserved for individuals who display “exceptional leadership, knowledge, and creativity in the field of privacy and data protection.”

March 27, 2018

BRUSSELS—Henriette Tielemans, co-chair of Covington’s global Data Privacy and Cybersecurity practice, has today received the IAPP Privacy Vanguard Award, the industry's top honor, for her lifelong services to the data privacy community. The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) is the world’s largest and most comprehensive global information ...

March 23, 2018, Law360

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the draft treaty signed by European Union leaders to move forward Brexit negotiations, including a 21-month transition deal. As a matter of international law, EU law will apply “in and to” the UK up to and during the transition period, says Van Vooren. But, he adds, “this is not the same as ‘equating’ the ...

March 15, 2018, The Pink Sheet

Bart Van Vooren and Peter Bogaert are quoted by The Pink Sheet in an article regarding the future relationship between the UK and the European Medicines Agency following Brexit. According to Van Vooren, the EU "considers that cherry-picking the benefits of the internal market on a sector-by-sector basis, combined with a request to be able to influence the rules, ...

March 14, 2018, Covington Alert

In our March 9 client alert we outlined the proclamations issued by President Trump announcing tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum in the United States, which will go into effect on March 23. The European Union—which is the second-largest foreign supplier of steel and aluminum to the United States, after Canada—has expressed concern about the imposition of ...

March 12, 2018, The Times

Andrea Zulli is quoted by The Times in an article regarding action taken by UPS to sue the EU's antitrust watchdog for blocking its merger with TNT Express. According to Zulli, the European Commission is “highly competent” in its merger reviews. “However, it would be a welcome move if the ECJ confirmed the General Court’s judgment in the UPS case. It is key for ...

March 6, 2018, Covington Alert

The Commercial Court in London has recently held that breach of a specific policy provision described as a warranty in a buildings insurance policy allowed an insurer to avoid coverage for a fire claim, but was not grounds for making the policy completely void from inception, as the insurer had argued. The case is BlueBon Ltd v Ageas (UK) Ltd [2017] EWHC 3301 ...

February 6, 2018

WASHINGTON—Law360 has named five Covington practice groups among its “2017 Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: Government Contracts International Trade Product Liability Sports White Collar  

February 2018, CPI Antitrust Chronicle

January 31, 2018, Covington Alert

In the EU, a sponsor can obtain an “orphan designation” for a medicinal product pursuant to Regulation 141/2000. Adopted in December 1999, the regime aims to encourage investment in R&D for treatments for rare diseases. The most important incentive is the 10-year market exclusivity for designated products. Other incentives include protocol assistance and fee ...

January 22, 2018

WASHINGTON—Covington advised Bacardi Limited in its definitive agreement to acquire Patrón Spirits International AG and its PATRÓN® brand, the world’s top-selling ultra-premium tequila, from John Paul DeJoria, a founder of Patrón. The transaction reflects an enterprise value for Patrón of $5.1 billion. The transaction follows the successful relationship the ...

January 19, 2018, Law360

Covington was named a 2017 International Trade Group of the Year by Law360. According to Peter Lichtenbaum, the Bombardier trade remedies case, which "presents very significant economic, legal, and political issues," was one of the group's biggest from the past year. "The company remains confident that the ITC will conclude that Boeing will not be harmed by the ...

January 17, 2018, Covington Alert

This article “fact-checks” the “Notice to Stakeholders” published by the European Commission on November 21, 2017 (the “Notice”). The Notice has received widespread press attention, due to its stark warnings about the risks of choosing to litigate in the English Courts post-Brexit. We consider whether the Notice is factually accurate (yes), whether it gives an ...

January 16, 2018

WASHINGTON—Global Competition Review has once again named Covington to its 2018 "Global Elite," a list of the top 25 antitrust practices worldwide, as well as including the firm in the list of top ten practices globally for both Mergers and Antitrust Litigation. Each year, GCR undertakes extensive analysis of antitrust and competition law groups in 50 ...

January 9, 2018, Covington Alert

2017 was another year of active enforcement globally—including in the U.S., despite the start of a new Presidential Administration touting an aggressive deregulatory agenda. Transactions in consolidated industries drew enforcement fire in both Europe and the United States (Dow/DuPont, ChemChina/Syngenta, Bayer/Monsanto, AT&T/TimeWarner). And, in March, the UK ...

January 1, 2018, Law360

Kristof Van Quathem and Yan Luo are quoted in a Law360 article regarding cybersecurity and privacy policies to watch in 2018. Commenting on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Van Quathem says that although one of the legislation's aims is to harmonize a splintered set of national data privacy laws within Europe, it may end up causing companies aiming ...

December 21, 2017

LONDON—Covington represented Autifony Therapeutics Limited in connection with an option and asset purchase agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), with respect to Autifony's Kv3.1/3.2 positive modulator platform. This agreement provides BI with an exclusive option to acquire Autifony’s Kv3.1/3.2 positive modulator platform, including Autifony's lead compound ...

December 15, 2017, NPR

Jean De Ruyt appeared on NPR following the decision by European leaders to allow Britain to begin negotiating its future trading relationship with the European Union. According to De Ruyt, if European negotiators push too hard, they risk toppling Prime Minister May, who's weak at home. "Honestly, they want to reinforce her. She leads encouragement. Who else ...

December 7, 2017, Covington Alert

On 6 December 2017, the Court of Justice of European Union (CJEU) issued its long-awaited Judgment in Coty Germany GmbH v Parfümerie Akzente GmbH. Taking an approach similar to that adopted by Advocate General (AG) Wahl in his Opinion in July, the CJEU found that a supplier of luxury goods may prevent its authorised retailers from using third-party platforms in ...

December 3, 2017, Financial Times

Sir Michael Leigh is quoted in a Financial Times article examining which side holds more leverage in the Brexit negotiation talks. "It is asymmetrical. The candidate country has no choice but to accept the basis for negotiations,” says Leigh. “That goes for leaving too.”

November 22, 2017, PaRR

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in a PaRR article examining whether the recent judgment in the Intel case will impact future cartel cases. While Ysewyn does not expect the Intel decision to be a “game-changer” in how cartel proceedings are conducted going forward, “it’s not bad for the Commission to be reminded what the rules are.”

November 16, 2017

WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the tenth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBTQ workplace equality. Covington is among 609 major U.S. businesses that earned a perfect ...

November 10, 2017

BRUSSELS—Politico has named Covington partner Miranda Cole to its “2017 Women Who Shape Brussels” list, a group of “20 powerhouses driving debates and influencing policy in 2017.” In its profile of Ms. Cole, the publication highlights her defense of leading technology clients, including Microsoft, Facebook, and Verizon, before the European Commission. Politico ...

October 23, 2017

BRUSSELS—Covington was named “Best Competition and Antitrust Law Firm” at the Belgian Legal Awards 2017. Covington has advised on a number of high-profile matters subject to competition issues or inquiries. These include significant matters for Belgian and international clients in a series of Belgian and European merger control, cartel defense, abuse of ...

October 18, 2017, Covington Alert

The European Commission published its Report today on the first-annual review of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield (the Report is accompanied with a Staff Working Document, Infographic, and Q&A).

October 10, 2017, EurActiv

Peter Bogaert is quoted in a EurActiv article regarding EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andruikaitis' remarks in support of drug innovation. "The incentives which are built in the pharmaceutical regime and especially the SPCs and the regulatory exclusivity aim to work as a stimulus to develop new products in order to basically continue the ...

September 26, 2017, The Pink Sheet

A blog post by Miranda Cole is referenced in a Pink Sheet article regarding the Advocate General's Opinion in Hoffmann-La Roche vs Autorità Garante della Concurrenza e del Mercato. Cole write, if the opinion was followed by the full court it could have "significant implications for market definition in relation to pharmaceutical products, and potentially for ...

September 25, 2017, Bloomberg

Sir Michael Leigh is quoted in a Bloomberg article following Theresa May's speech in which she affirmed that Britain will pay its dues to the European Union through 2020. Commenting on the Brexit negotiations, Leigh says, "Money is the most visible issue, the most sensitive, and the most likely to be the focus of disagreements."

September 18, 2017, Covington Alert

Last week, in his annual State of the European Union Address, the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker called out cybersecurity as a key priority for the European Union in the year ahead. In terms of ranking those priorities, President Juncker placed tackling cyber threats just one place below the EU leading the fight against climate change, ...

September 15, 2017

BRUSSELS—Sir Michael Leigh has joined Covington’s Global Public Policy and Government Affairs practice as a Senior Advisor. Dr. Leigh was Director-General of DG Enlargement at the European Commission from 2006 to 2011 and as such served as chief European Union negotiator with candidate countries. From 2003 to 2006, he was Deputy Director-General of External ...

September 13, 2017, Politico

Jean De Ruyt is quoted in a Politico article regarding EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s proposal to combine presidencies with Council President Donald Tusk. According to De Ruyt, it is a “logical idea” and has long been discussed in EU circles. The Council president and Commission president “already share around 80 percent of their competences,” De ...

September 11, 2017, The Lawyer

Hilary Prescott is quoted by The Lawyer in an article regarding Covington's new program in London which sends a trainee to the Brussels office for six months to work on EU competition law. According to Prescott, "We are excited to be constantly evolving the trainee programme, to keep up with the growth of our business in London and globally.”

September 6, 2017, Financial Times

Kevin Coates is quoted in a Financial Times article regarding the CJEU's judgment in the Intel case where the higher court sent the case back to the general court. According to Coates, "It is more a criticism of the general court for not looking at the whole decision but only looking at a part of it." 

September 6, 2017, Law360

Kevin Coates is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the CJEU's decision to send a €1.06 billion abuse-of-dominance fine imposed on Intel back to the lower court for another look. According to Coates, the high court’s decision was more of a criticism of the lower court’s handling of the case than of the commission’s conclusions about the rebates. “It’s really ...

September 6, 2017, PaRR

Kevin Coates is quoted in a PaRR article regarding the CJEU's decision in the Intel abuse-of-dominance case. According to Coates, “When a court says the case law needs clarifying, they are moving on a little." He adds that the CJEU is “moving the dial incrementally” in favour of more economic analysis as compared to the traditional case law of the court going ...

September 6, 2017, Politico

Kevin Coates is quoted in a Politico article regarding the CJEU's long-awaited judgment in the Intel case. According to Coates, “It seems to clarify the case law in the direction of more economic analysis."

September 6, 2017, Global Competition Review

Kevin Coates is quoted in a Global Competition Review article regarding the CJEU's judgment in the Intel abuse-of-dominance case, which now returns to the general court. According to Coates, the ruling incrementally moves the case law, requiring the enforcer to apply the AEC analysis if the defendant brings evidence forward in the administrative procedure, but ...

September 4, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in a Commercial Dispute Resolution article regarding the government's plans for post-Brexit enforcement and dispute resolution. Commenting on the Department for Exiting the European Union's position paper on the topic, Van Vooren says, it is “about much more” than just its title. He adds, “A number of suggested alternate mechanisms to ...

September 2017, Covington Alert

On March 5, 2017, the Belgian parliament enacted the Flexible and Workable Work Law, which seeks to increase flexibility for both employers and employees.

August 31, 2017, Covington Alert

On August 31, 2017, China’s National Information Security Standardization Technical Committee (“NISSTC”), a standard-setting committee jointly supervised by the Standardization Administration of China (“SAC”) and the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”), released an updated draft of the Information Security Technology - Guidelines for Data Cross-Border ...

August 24, 2017, Politico

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in Politico's "Brussels Playbook" regarding the UK's ECJ Brexit position paper. According to Van Vooren, “Although it reads like a non-committal overview of possible options, there is a clear focus on the most advanced forms of institutional integration currently in existence (other than the EU itself, of course)."

August 23, 2017, The Law Society Gazette

Bart Van Vooren is quoted by The Law Society Gazette in an article regarding the UK's position paper which dismisses the European Commission’s demand for disputes to be handled by the CJEU. According to Van Vooren, the paper "has the seeds of a compromise on the CJEU."

August 22, 2017, Bloomberg

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in Bloomberg's "Brexit Bulletin" regarding a position paper from Theresa May's government on how it sees the post-Brexit relationship with Europe. According to Van Vooren, in the August 21 paper, the UK asked for British drug manufacturers to be able to release medicines to the European market after Brexit. Yet that would only work if ...

August 21, 2017, Bloomberg

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in a Bloomberg article regarding the release of UK position papers outlining its goals of a future relationship with Europe. “Without the U.K. making a fundamental choice on its future relationship to the EU, it cannot expect to receive this depth of mutual recognition,” says Van Vooren. “Without making that choice clear now, the ...

August 15, 2017

WASHINGTON—Covington, together with Israeli-based law firm Allens and Herzog Fox & Neeman, is representing Aristocrat Leisure Limited, a leading provider of gaming solutions, in its acquisition of Plarium Global Limited and the related acquisition financing.  Aristocrat will make an upfront cash payment of $500 million plus earn-out payments based on Plarium’s ...

August 14, 2017, GCR

August 3, 2017, The Telegraph

Bart Van Vooren is quoted by The Telegraph in an article regarding the legality of Spain's veto over whether the Brexit deal will apply to Gibraltar. According to Van Vooren, "This is actually a complex question of EU constitutional law." He adds, "Could such a legal issue become an obstacle to the withdrawal agreement with the UK? That certainly cannot be ...

July 26, 2017, PaRR

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in a PaRR article regarding the UK Government's negotiating position on the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union following the completion of Brexit. According to Van Vooren, the EU was “in a slightly stronger position from an international law perspective” regarding pending cases and that the UK would likely “still be ...

July 24, 2017, Covington Alert

On Friday July 21, 2017 the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (the “CAT”) handed down its second class certification decision under the class actions regime introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (the “Act”). It dismissed the application for two reasons. First, the proposed representative failed to show that it could reasonably estimate damages in the ...

July 17, 2017, The Telegraph

Bart Van Vooren is quoted by The Telegraph in an article regarding the push by EU negotiators to impose fines on Britain for breaking European laws after Brexit. According to Van Vooren, "The way that infringement proceedings are brought is very much under the discretion of the commission…and they are extremely politicised." He adds that there would be a huge ...

July 14, 2017

BRUSSELS—Covington successfully represented the Belgian State in a state aid investigation, raising a series of previously unexplored issues. The European Commission final decision adopted a novel approach to the Market Economy Investor principle, to the establishment of the relevant market benchmark, and to calculating the comparable market price in such a ...

June 16, 2017

LONDON—Euromoney Legal Media Group has selected three Covington lawyers for its annual “Europe Women in Business Law Awards.” The awards honor women in the legal sector across Europe. The Covington lawyers recognized are: Louise Nash, Best in Mergers & Acquisitions. Ms. Nash focuses on M&A and other transactional matters for clients in the consumer brands, ...

June 1, 2017, MLex

Robin Blaney is quoted in an MLex article regarding pleas from the EMA urging UK drugmakers to relicense their products in another EU country before Brexit. According to Blaney, the transfer of authorizations is "primarily an administrative exercise," and there is no legal obstacle to using a shell company in the European Economic Area to hold marketing ...

May 19, 2017, Covington Alert

On May 19, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) invited international stakeholders to attend a seminar to discuss an updated version of the Measures on Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transfer of Personal Information and Important Data (“the Measures”). Given that the Measures have an intended effective date of June 1, 2017, it is likely ...

May 15, 2017, Covington Alert

On May 2, 2017, the European Commission published a legislative proposal for a Regulation on a Single Market Information Tool. If adopted, the proposed Regulation would empower the Commission to request information from companies and trade associations, from a wide variety of industrial, technological and services sectors, if the Commission finds that serious ...

May 11, 2017, PaRR

Bart Van Vooren is quoted in PaRR's "Brexit Club" column regarding the two-part approach to the Brexit negotiation process, following the publication of draft negotiating directives for “phase one” of the talks. According to Van Vooren, there are real legal problems with this two-part approach, regardless of the parties' up-front negotiating positions. One ...

May 10, 2017, Financial Times

Sebastian Vos is quoted by the Financial Times in an article which examines Brussels' resistance to its EU counterparts' request for the European Commission to create additional hurdles for foreign investment, particularly in China.  Vos indicates that an EU mechanism to monitor foreign investment "would be an interesting tool for the commission to have in ...

April 12, 2017, Covington Alert

On April 11, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) released a draft of the Measures on Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transfer of Personal Information and Important Data (“the Draft Measures”) for public comment (official Chinese version available here; Covington’s translation of the Draft Measures is appended at the end of this alert).

April 11, 2017, Competition Law Insight

April 7, 2017, Bloomberg

Carl Bildt was interviewed by Bloomberg to discuss the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union after it triggered Article 50. According to Bildt, “[At] the end of the day there has to be some sort of agreement…and I think we are heading towards a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement.” He adds that there will need to be an interim agreement as it’s going ...

April 7, 2017, Covington Alert

The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (the “CAT”) has handed down its first class certification judgment in relation to the class actions regime introduced by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (the “Act”). The result? The hearing has been adjourned, with the proposed representative allowed to file and serve an amended Claim Form and revised expert evidence, if so ...

March 29, 2017, CNBC

Following the triggering of Article 50, Sebastian Vos was interviewed by CNBC to discuss the Brexit negotiation process. According to Vos, “It’s a very compressed timeline.” He adds, “The aim is to achieve a mutually beneficial post-Brexit relationship between the EU and UK, but…the various member states have to take account of differing national interests.”

March 28, 2017, Covington Alert

On March 16, 2017, following a lengthy legislative process, the European Parliament approved a final regulation implementing a new due diligence and reporting regime for “conflict minerals” (i.e., tin, tantalum and tungsten, their ores, and gold) imported in the EU. The regulation will enter into force 20 days after formal approval by the Council of Ministers ...

March 2017

February 27, 2017

WASHINGTON—Law360 has named four Covington practice groups among its “Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: International Trade Life Sciences Product Liability Sports  

February 22, 2017, Covington Advisory

Selections of Covington’s Intellectual Property Rights Practice Group for the “Top Ten” most significant and interesting developments in U.S. and European copyright law during 2016.

February 14, 2017, Competition Law Insight

Andrea Zulli discusses his career, interests, and competition law in an interview with Competition Law Insight. 

February 7, 2017, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Péter Balás is quoted in a Commercial Dispute Resolution article regarding forthcoming Brexit negotiations and the impact on tax and customs duties. Commenting on Theresa May’s signal of a changed relationship with the EU’s customs union, Balás says that such a relationship made the application of customs controls “unavoidable,” with the United Kingdom aiming ...

February 2, 2017, Covington Alert

Today, the UK Government published its strategy in a White Paper regarding the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (“Brexit”). The UK Government is clear that it “will make no attempt to remain in the EU by the backdoor” nor will there be a second referendum on UK membership of the EU.

January 31, 2017, Compliance Week

Michael Fanelli and Kevin Coates are quoted in a Compliance Week article examining how companies are navigating the global enforcement landscape. Commenting on global antitrust investigations, Fanelli says, “[Cooperation] involves a real thorough investigation to show you’re doing everything you can to root out the problem.” Applying for leniency may not always ...

January 30, 2017, The Law Society Gazette

Lord Francis Maude and Carl Bildt are quoted by The Law Society Gazette in an article regarding post-Brexit mutual recognition arrangements. According to Maude, it would be “very surprising if mutual recognition arrangements” could not be sorted out relatively easily. He adds that continuation is likely because the “benefits on both sides” are now ...

January 19, 2017, The Litigation Daily

The Litigation Daily highlights a recent client alert on competition law enforcement trends by Johan Ysewyn, Thomas Barnett, and Deborah Garza. Under President Trump, Covington lawyers "expect enforcement policy to shift back to a more traditional conservative approach similar to that of the George W. Bush administration. We will also be watching the extent to ...

January 18, 2017, Covington Alert

The British Prime Minister, Theresa May, has now confirmed the government’s view that the United Kingdom must leave the European single market in order to give effect to the outcome of the EU referendum held on June 23, 2016. In light of that statement, the UK government’s promise to guarantee the status of EEA nationals already residing in the UK as soon as ...

January 17, 2017, Global Competition Review

Louise Freeman and Johan Ysewyn are quoted in a Global Competition Review article regarding Freeman’s arrival to the firm’s European Dispute Resolution practice. According to Freeman, Covington is an exciting firm to join – especially as the firm is “expanding at a phenomenal rate.” She adds, “It’s going to be great fun educating the London market on what is ...

January 17, 2017, Webinar

January 16, 2017, Medtech Insight

Cándido García Molyneux is quoted in a Medtech Insight article regarding an expected amendment to the Directive on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS2). According to García Molyneux, if proposed, non-RoHS compliance electronic medical devices, IVDs and control instruments may be further supplied in the distribution chain or resold after July 22, 2019 ...

January 16, 2017, International Devices & Diagnostics Monitor

Cándido García Molyneux is quoted in an International Devices & Diagnostics Monitor article regarding the European Commission’s plan to allow certain second-hand and refurbished devices that contain hazardous substances to continue to be marketed in the EU beyond July 22, 2019. According to García Molyneux, the ban would greatly restrict the availability of ...

January 10, 2017, Global Competition Review

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in a Global Competition Review article regarding the EU General Court’s ruling ordering the EU to pay damages to Gascogne after finding that the court breached the company’s right to adjudication within a reasonable period. According to Ysewyn, despite the “precedent-setting” verdict, the General Court “gave itself an escape route by ...

January 6, 2017, Law360

Sebastian Vos is quoted in a Law360 article regarding the launch of a Global Blockchain Business Council at this year’s World Economic Forum by Covington and The Bitfury Group. “Blockchain has the potential to be the next great technological innovation, revolutionizing areas from cross-border payments, trade finance and land registries to government records,” ...

December 21, 2016

WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the ninth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Covington is among 517 major U.S. businesses that earned a perfect score this ...

December 19, 2016, Law360

December 16, 2016, Covington Alert

After a wait of nearly 15 months from the introduction of class actions in the UK for antitrust damages claims, the first class certification hearing took place before the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (the “CAT”) between December 12 and 14.

December 14, 2016, Covington Alert

Those who track investment policy issues will have noticed an important theme emerging in recent years of Western economies evaluating their foreign investment regimes, in particular in light of the outflow from China into technology, infrastructure and natural resource assets. The UK is now considering, and is expected to adopt, a new foreign investment regime ...

December 12, 2016, The Guardian

Jean De Ruyt is quoted by The Guardian in an article regarding a proposal to allow British nationals to keep EU citizenship after Brexit. According to De Ruyt, “This proposal is absolutely not serious.” He continues, “It is very vague and for the distant future, it is not something which is made for Brexit. Maybe it can be discussed 10 years from now if member ...

December 8, 2016, Covington Alert

Last week the European Commission presented an extensive package of legislative proposals (“Clean Energy Package”) that are intended to achieve and implement the European Union’s climate change and clean energy targets for 2030: a 40 percent cut of CO2 emissions, a share of 27 percent for renewable energies, and energy savings of 30 percent.

December 7, 2016, Covington Alert

In October 2014, the Nagoya Protocol entered into force. It created a new international regulatory system affecting all life science companies that conduct R&D on biological material such as animals, seeds, flowers, viruses, fragrances, flavonoids, essential oils, enzymes, yeasts, and so on. So far, compliance by companies is progressing slowly due to ...

December 5, 2016, Law Society Gazette

December 2, 2016

LONDON—Global Competition Review has named two Covington partners to its Women in Antitrust list. Now in its fifth year, the report aims to identify and celebrate achievements of elite female antitrust professionals in private practice, as well as expert economists, in-house counsel, enforcers, and academics around the world. Miranda Cole is a partner based in ...

November 28, 2016, Politico

Cándido García Molyneux and Bart Van Vooren are quoted in a Politico article regarding the recent European Court of Justice rulings which interpreted elements of a global chemical safety protocol. According to García Molyneux, “The EU Court’s rulings of this week are not that surprising in light of the [safety protocol] Aarhus Convention and the EU’s ...

November 28, 2016, Covington Alert

Last week the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) upheld a broad interpretation of the concept of “information that relates to emissions into the environment” that EU and Member State authorities (e.g., ECHA, EFSA, Commission, national environmental agencies) must disclose to the public.

November 23, 2016, Politico

Peter Bogaert is quoted in a Politico article regarding the broader impact of a decision by the European Court of Justice in favor of disclosing confidential safety tests by pesticide companies. According to Bogaert, “There is a very serious concern about the dangerous broadening of the definition of what constitutes an emission into the environment.”

November 16, 2016, MLex

Ambassador Jean De Ruyt is quoted in an MLex article regarding the appointment of Didier Seeuws as the leader of the Council of the European Union’s taskforce on Brexit. According to De Ruyt, Seeuws is a “good technician with a political mind.” De Ruyt adds that “[Seeuws is] a fixer; he wants to find solutions.”

November 3, 2016, Covington Alert

Today, the High Court of England and Wales held that the UK Government does not have the power to trigger the process of withdrawal from the EU without first obtaining Parliamentary approval. The High Court’s decision will likely be the subject of an appeal heard by the UK Supreme Court in December this year.

October 21, 2016

WASHINGTON—Covington represented India-based Piramal Enterprises and its wholly owned Critical Care subsidiary in the UK in the acquisition of five anesthesia and pain management injectable products from Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, in an all cash deal for an upfront consideration of US$155 million, and up to an additional US$20 million. The products to be acquired ...

October 19, 2016, Covington Alert

On September 15, 2016, the European Commission published its Preliminary Report on the ongoing e-commerce sector inquiry. The report is based on the input from nearly 1,800 companies operating in e-commerce of consumer goods and digital content and has analyzed around 8,000 distribution contracts. The report confirms the fast growth of e-commerce in the EU and ...

October 18, 2016, Competition Law Insight

October 11, 2016, Webinar

October 7, 2016

LONDON—Covington advised AstraZeneca on its agreement with Cilag GmbH International, an affiliate of Johnson & Johnson, for the divestment of the rights to Rhinocort Aqua outside the U.S. Rhinocort Aqua is a nasal spray indicated for allergic and non-allergic rhinitis (inflammation of the inside of the nose), and for the treatment of nasal polyps (swelling of ...

October 3, 2016, The Guardian

Ambassador Jean de Ruyt is quoted in an article by The Guardian regarding the European Commission’s rejection of Theresa May’s call for preparatory talks on Brexit before the UK’s formal resignation from the EU. de Ruyt suggests there was a “grey area” where informal talks could happen, but governments will not start negotiations with the UK without notification ...

October 2016, Bio-Science Law Review

September 21, 2016, Covington Alert

On September 21, 2016, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) delivered its judgment in Case C-592/14 European Federation for Cosmetic Ingredients v UK Secretary of State for Business. The Court has ruled that animal tests performed outside the European Union (EU) to comply with non-EU rules should not be used for the product safety assessment to gain access to ...

September 12, 2016, Covington Alert

The General Court (the “GC” or the “Court”) delivered its judgment in the Lundbeck ‘pay-for-delay’ case last Thursday (Case T-472/13 Lundbeck v Commission). In its judgment, the GC confirms the European Commission (the “Commission”)’s decision (the “Decision”), namely that the agreements between Lundbeck and the generic producers (Merck KGaA/Generics UK (“GUK”), ...

July 26, 2016, Competition Law Insight

Kevin Coates discusses his career highlights and the legal landscape in this interview with Competition Law Insight.

July 20, 2016, Global Competition Review

Kevin Coates participated in the American Bar Association’s criminal antitrust conference and is quoted in a GCR article regarding the effects of Brexit on antitrust. According to Coates, the effects of Brexit on competition law will only be felt if the United Kingdom decides it wants an economic relationship with the European Union different from one created by ...

July 19, 2016, PaRR

Kevin Coates spoke at an American Bar Association webinar entitled “Cartel and Criminal Practice Update” and is quoted in a PaRR article regarding the significance of the European Commission’s July truck cartel decision. According to Coates, this is the first case in which the EC issued a normal procedure statement of objections (SO) to parties, and then agreed ...

July 14, 2016, Covington Alert

At a joint press conference on July 12, 2016 in Brussels, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, presented the Privacy Shield (see Press Release here, Adequacy Decision text here, Annexes here, Communication here, and Q&A factsheet here). The press conference followed the ...

July 13, 2016, Covington Alert

On July 1, 2016, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy published a proposed draft amendment to the German Act against Restraints of Competition, which would introduce a new merger control notification threshold based on transaction value. The draft (i) introduces a new merger control notification threshold based on transaction value, (ii) ...

July 11, 2016, Covington Alert

The UK recently voted to leave the European Union in an advisory referendum. The impact of Brexit on medical devices regulation in the medium-to-long term will very much depend on the form a post-Brexit UK will take, the relationship that the UK chooses to have with the EU, and indeed the relationship that the EU is willing to accept. That will not become clear ...

July 5, 2016, CDR News

Peter Camesasca and Alex Leitch are quoted in a CDR article regarding the long-term effects of Brexit on the courts, including uncertainties over enforcement. According to Camesasca, “This will not be immediate. Companies are not making any immediate decisions about litigation in the wake of the Brexit vote. Most are in ‘wait and see’ mode.” He continues, “But ...

February 2020

Since the beginning of the Brexit process more than three years ago, Covington’s Brexit Task Force–comprised of over 40 lawyers and former senior diplomats and policymakers, in London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Dublin, and Washington–has been advising clients in a wide range of industries on the challenges and opportunities created by this historic event. While a ...

July 2016, BNA’s World Data Protection Report

June 30, 2016

BRUSSELS—With the latest addition of Ambassador Péter Balás, Covington has further enhanced its global Antitrust and Competition and Public Policy and Government Affairs practices. The firm’s strategic growth in Europe includes the addition of the following professionals in recent months: Ambassador Péter Balás, the former Deputy Director-General of DG ...

June 30, 2016, Covington Alert

Last week, the UK voted to leave the European Union in an advisory referendum. The impact of Brexit on food and drink regulation in the medium-to-long term will very much depend on the form a post-Brexit UK will take, the relationship that the UK chooses to have with the EU, and indeed the relationship that the EU is willing to accept. That will not become clear ...

June 29, 2016, The Wall Street Journal

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in a Wall Street Journal article regarding the possibility that the UK could alter its tax code to entice businesses following the Brexit vote. According to Ysewyn, “The temptation will be very high to bail out of the EU state aid rules…It would be nice [for the UK] not to have to deal with the whole Brussels layer.”

June 27, 2016, Covington Alert

Last week, the UK voted in an advisory referendum to leave the European Union. The next steps are not yet clear, but the referendum may have significant implications for the pharmaceutical industry in the UK and for international companies operating in the UK. Its impact will very much depend on the form a post-Brexit UK will take, the relationship that the UK ...

June 24, 2016, Covington Alert

The UK has voted to leave the European Union in an advisory referendum. 52% leave - 48% remain. Were the UK to leave the EU, this would have significant implications for the UK and for international businesses operating in the UK. The longer term impact of the decision on the regulatory framework for the UK will depend, in part, on the relationship that the UK ...

June 6, 2016

BRUSSELS—Ambassador Péter Balás, the former Deputy Director-General of DG Trade at the European Commission between 2005 and 2014, has joined Covington as a Senior Policy Advisor. Recently Ambassador Balás also held the position of Head of the Support Group for Ukraine at the European Commission. He was previously Ambassador and Permanent Representative of ...

May 23, 2016, CDR News

Timothy Hester, Carl Bildt, and Sebastian Vos are quoted in a CDR News article regarding the arrival of Carl Bildt as a Senior Policy Advisor in the firm’s global Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. According to Vos, “In ever more complex regulatory regimes, the implementation of such regulation will often be very important. In this context, what the ...

May 19, 2016

BRUSSELS — Carl Bildt, the former Prime Minister of Sweden, has joined Covington as a Senior Policy Advisor in the firm’s global Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. Most recently, Mr. Bildt served as Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs between 2006 and 2014. As Prime Minister of Sweden, Mr. Bildt led the government that negotiated and signed ...

May 12, 2016, Webinar

May 8, 2016, Financial Times

Peter Bogaert and Grant Castle are quoted in a Financial Times article regarding the effect Brexit would have on the UK pharma industry. According to Bogaert, commenting on the important relationship between the European Medicines Agency and the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, “Brexit would be a loss for both sides.” Castle adds that ...

April 20, 2016

BRUSSELS — Sophie Bertin, a former senior official who served as Head of Unit in the “Financial Crisis” Task Force within the Directorate-General for Competition at the European Commission, has joined forces with Covington’s global antitrust and competition practice. Ms. Bertin will be working with the firm’s Brussels and London offices. At DG COMP, Ms. Bertin ...

April 6, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Global Competition Review has selected Expedia’s $1.3 billion acquisition of Orbitz Worldwide as its “Merger Control Matter of the Year - Americas” at the GCR Awards 2016. Covington partners Thomas Barnett and Anne Lee served as lead antitrust counsel to Expedia during the transaction. The acquisition triggered a U.S. Department of Justice ...

April 4, 2016

BRUSSELS — Kevin Coates, a former senior official who served as Head of one of the Cartels Units at the Directorate-General for Competition at the European Commission between 2012 and 2016, has joined Covington’s antitrust and competition practice. Over the last 16 years, Mr. Coates has held several senior positions within DG COMP and before that served as ...

April 4, 2016, Global Competition Review

Kevin Coates, Johan Ysewyn and Deborah Garza are quoted in this GCR article announcing the arrival of Coates as a partner in the firm’s European competition practice.

April 1, 2016, Covington Alert

Strict EU rules enforce compliance with the principles on access and benefit sharing under the Nagoya Protocol. The rules affect all companies doing research on genetic resources, such as plants, bacteria and viruses, and related traditional knowledge. They in particular are relevant for the pharmaceutical, medical devices, cosmetics, biocides and foods ...

March 31, 2016, Global Competition Review

Peter Camesasca discusses private cartel actions in the European Union in this interview with GCR.

March 15, 2016, Competition Law Insight

March 14, 2016, Law360

March 11, 2016, Global Competition Review

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in this GCR article covering Société Générale’s decision to drop its appeal after the European Commission agreed to reduce the penalty. According to Ysewyn, “If the reduction is substantial, the danger is that, in the future, this would be read as a precedent by other companies who settle and would try their luck in court.” 

March 8, 2016, Covington Alert

February 22, 2016, The Law Society Gazette

Johan Ysewyn is quoted by The Law Society Gazette in an article discussing changes in competition policy and enforcement, and what these changes mean for lawyers. “The commission likes its fines, but I think it takes a balanced view that it also likes companies changing their trading behaviour,” says Ysewyn. Ysewyn continues by commenting on the changing nature ...

February 18, 2016, Covington Alert

February 17, 2016, Politico

Grant Castle and Robin Blaney are quoted in this Politico article discussing the potential impact of “Brexit” on the pharmaceutical sector in the UK and Europe. According to Castle, the “only rational alternative” to EU membership is for the U.K. to become a member of the European Economic Area, as this arrangement would make it so the practical and operational ...

February 16, 2016, Competition Law Insight

Miranda Cole is showcased by Competition Law Insight in this feature. 

February 8, 2016

BRUSSELS — Erika Mann, a former Member of the European Parliament and policymaker with over 20 years of experience, has joined Covington in its Brussels office as a senior European policy advisor in the firm’s global Public Policy and Government Affairs practice. Most recently, Ms. Mann served as Managing Director of Public Policy for Facebook in Brussels from ...

February 8, 2016, Louvain University Press

February 1, 2016, The Guardian

Henriette Tielemans is quoted by The Guardian in an article discussing the missed Safe Harbor deadline. According to Tielemans, companies faced “enormous uncertainty” about what European regulators would deem adequate privacy protection.

January 28, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC - Law360 has named six Covington practice groups among its “Practice Groups of the Year.” The practice groups recognized by Law360 are as follows: Government Contracts Insurance International Trade Life Sciences Product Liability Sports

January 27, 2016, Covington Alert

January 26, 2016, The Policy Advisor

Ms. Kuschewsky was quoted in this article that discusses a new law that will allow consumer associations to sue them over perceived data protection violations in their commercial practices.

January 19, 2016, Global Competition Review

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in this GCR article discussing the recent judgments released by the European General Court, upholding penalties against Mitsubishi and Toshiba. According to Ysewyn, the case is an “illustration of the delicate and very complex fining issues facing the European Commission when companies change corporate structures in the course of a cartel.”

January 17, 2016, Covington Alert

January 15, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Global Competition Review has again named Covington to its 2016 “Global Elite,” a list of the top 25 antitrust practices worldwide. Each year, GCR undertakes extensive analysis of antitrust and competition law groups in 50 jurisdictions around the world. In its profile of the firm, GCR calls Covington’s antitrust and competition practice an ...

January 15, 2016, Law360

Henriette Tielemans is quoted in a Law360 article discussing the recent European Court of Human Rights’ decision allowing employers in the EU to monitor their employees’ online activities for business purposes. “This decision is important,” according to Tielemans. “It will bring much needed legal certainty in an area that many companies are struggling with.”

January 8, 2016, Covington Alert

January 6, 2016, Le Soir

Jean De Ruyt was interviewed for this article.

December 28, 2015, Covington Alert

December 21, 2015, Covington Alert

On December 15, the EU institutions finally agreed the text of the new EU data protection law, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), completing a process that began in January 2012. The LIBE committee has published the consolidated version of the GDPR text. The GDPR heralds a new era of data protection. It replaces the existing data protection ...

December 17, 2015

LONDON, 17 December, 2015 — Covington advised AstraZeneca on its acquisition of Takeda’s respiratory business. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will make a payment of $575 million, and approximately 200 staff will transfer to AstraZeneca upon completion. The deal will include the expansion of rights to roflumilast (marketed as Daliresp in the ...

December 17, 2015, Covington Alert

November 23, 2015

LONDON, November 23, 2015 — Covington represented Allergy Therapeutics, the AIM-listed specialty pharmaceutical company specializing in allergy vaccines, in the placement of ordinary shares raising approximately £11.5 million. The placement was conducted through an accelerated bookbuilding process with Panmure Gordon & Co acting as financial adviser, nominated ...

November 18, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, November 18, 2015 - The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has awarded Covington a perfect score of 100 percent for the eighth consecutive year on its Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Covington is among 400 major US businesses that ...

November 11, 2015, Global Competition Review

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in a Global Competition Review article discussing Belgium’s Competition Authority’s draft leniency guidelines that have been launched for public consultation. Ysewyn, who welcomed the guidelines, said the new draft policy is “definitely workable.” “Awarding natural persons being granted immunity regardless of the position in which they ...

November 5, 2015, Global Competition Review

Johan Ysewyn is quoted in a Global Competition Review article assessing Margrethe Vestager’s first year as European commissioner for competition. According to Ysewyn, “For the first time in quite a long while, [Europe has had] a combination of a commissioner who, I believe, understands the political nuances of competition law, and a director general who actually ...

October 13, 2015, Bloomberg BNA

Henriette Tielemans is quoted in this BNA article that explores the idea of finding alternative means for the transfer of data with the elimination of Safe Harbor. Countries that require national data protection authority approval may find even more issues arise when trying to formulate new ways to navigate data transfer laws. Tielemans notes that the process ...

October 6, 2015, Fortune

Brussels-based partner Henriette Tielemans is quoted in this Fortune article that discusses the effects of the highest E.U. court eliminating the U.S.-E.U. data transfer agreement known as the Safe Harbor Act. “Hindsight is a beautiful thing,” said Tielemans. “We must all remember that in 2015 things are different than they were in 2000.”

October 6, 2015, Covington Alert

September-October 2015, CDR News

Brussels-based partner Peter Camesasca offers insight on how lawyers are advising claimants and defendants on the new UK class action regime in an article featured in the CDR News September-October 2015 issue. Camesasca says, “What we clearly do see is that there are a number of law firms who are touting this new regime very aggressively…these firms are seeing ...

October 1, 2015, Covington Alert

October 1, 2015, Covington Alert

September 30, 2015, Covington Alert

September 30, 2015

NEW YORK - Covington advised the underwriters in the $106.1 million initial public offering by Austrian-based Nabriva Therapeutics AG of 10,350,000 million American Depositary Shares, representing 1,035,000 shares of Nabriva’s common stock. This was the first U.S. initial public offering by an Austrian company. The ADSs are now listed on the NASDAQ Global Market ...

September 24, 2015, Covington Alert

September 23, 2015, InsidePrivacy Blog

September 14, 2015

BRUSSELS, September 14, 2015 — Ambassador Karel Kovanda has joined Covington’s global public policy and government affairs practice as a Senior European Policy Advisor. He will be based in the firm’s Brussels office. Ambassador Kovanda served as Deputy Director General of External Relations (now the European External Action Service) at the European Commission ...

September 3, 2015

NEW YORK, September 3, 2015 — UCB and Lannett Company, Inc. announced they have entered into a definitive agreement providing for the acquisition of UCB’s U.S. specialty generics subsidiary, Kremers Urban Pharmaceuticals Inc., by Lannett. UCB will receive upfront cash proceeds of US $1.23 billion upon closing, which is subject to regulatory approval and other ...

September 2015, Korean Journal of Competition

September 2015, Arbitration World, Co-author

August 25, 2015, Covington Alert

August 2015, Privacy Laws & Business

Article written by Covington's Lisa Peets.    

August 2015, JUVE

Quoting Adem Koyuncu on anti-corruption issues in the pharma sector.

July 27, 2015, The Daily Deal

Quoting Johan Ysewyn on the Innolux case.

July 23, 2015

LONDON, July 23, 2015 — Covington has launched a new app designed specifically for smart phones and tablets called ‘The Arbitration Handbook’. The app compiles over 90 resources (arbitral rules, treaties, national laws and guidelines) commonly used in international arbitration into one convenient electronic resource, while enabling users to bookmark and ...

July 20, 2015, Covington Alert

July 16, 2015, Politico

Quoting Peter Camesasca regarding the Innolux judgment.

July 15, 2015, Covington Alert

July 11, 2015, De Tijd

Quoting Johan Ysewyn regarding the recent win in the PSA case.

July 9, 2015, Global Competition Review

Quoting Peter Camesasca regarding the Innolux judgment.

July 9, 2015, Covington Alert

July 7, 2015, Competition Law Insight

July 6, 2015

LONDON, July 6, 2015 — Euromoney Legal Media Group selected four Covington partners Louise Nash, Lucinda Osborne, Lisa Peets and Hilary Prescott for its annual European Women in Business Law Awards. The awards honor women who are leading the field in the legal sector across Europe. Louise Nash won the award for Mergers & Acquisitions. Ms. Nash is a member of ...

July 2015, Competition Law Insight

Covington's Johan Ysewyn and Jiwon Choi wrote this Competition Law Insight piece.

July/August 2015, Legal Business

July 1, 2015

BRUSSELS, July 1, 2015 - Covington’s Brussels office is hosting Missing Children Europe’s photo exhibition: “Missing Children: Out of Focus” an important exhibition that raises awareness of missing children. The exhibition will feature work by photographer Natalie Hill, which portrays three real-life stories about runaways, parental abductions and missing ...

July 2015, E-Commerce Law and Policy

July 2015, Tijdschrift voor Belgische Mededinging/Revue de la Concurrence Belge

June 2015, Intellectual Property & Technology Journal

June 24, 2015

LONDON, June 24, 2015 — Covington advised Allergy Therapeutics plc, the AIM-listed specialty pharmaceutical company, on its recently announced acquisition of Alerpharma, S.A. a Spanish-based allergy immunotherapy company which previously spun out from Spanish biopharmaceutical company, Zeltia S.A.   Alerpharma’s principal operating subsidiary, Inmunal, markets ...

June 23, 2015, Covington Alert

June 11, 2015

BRUSSELS, June 11, 2015 — Covington has received 20 leading practice group rankings in the 2015 editions of Chambers Europe and Legal 500 EMEA. The legal guides have recognised the firm’s expertise in the following areas: CHAMBERS EUROPE  Europe-wide - Regulatory - Agro/Food Europe-wide - Regulatory - Environment Europe-wide - Regulatory - ...

June 4, 2015

NEW YORK, June 4, 2015 — Covington acted as U.S. M&A and antitrust counsel to Joy Global, Inc., a leader in high-productivity mining solutions, on its French-law governed acquisition of Montabert S.A.S. from Doosan Holding France S.A.S., an affiliate of South Korean conglomerate Doosan Global, for EUR 110 million.   Montabert specializes in the production and ...

June 1, 2015, Law360

May 15, 2015, Law360

May 6, 2015, Covington E-Alert

May 6, 2015, Covington E-Alert

April 23, 2015

BRUSSELS, April 23, 2015 — Covington’s EU Competition practice was named Best Competition and Antitrust Law Firm at the Belgian Legal Awards 2015. Covington’s team was praised for several successes, including acting for Brabomills, a flour producer, in a cartel investigation, prompting the Brussels Court of Appeal to annul the company’s fine on the basis of ...

April 23, 2015, Clinica

April 20, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, April 20, 2015  — Global Competition Review has selected matters led by Covington lawyers as winners of two 2015 GCR Awards.  Litigation of the Year, Cartel Defense was awarded for the defendants’ win in Motorola Mobility v AU Optronics, et al. Covington partners Robert Wick and Derek Ludwin in Washington, DC, and Jeffrey Davidson in San ...

April 17, 2015, 2015 Annual Conference on European Environmental Law, ERA Academy of European Law

April 1, 2015, Covington E-Alert

April 1, 2015, Covington E-Alert

March 27, 2015

LONDON, 27 March, 2015 — Covington received 56 individual mentions and 29 practice mentions in the 2015 edition of Chambers Global. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers globally by pan-regional and country practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. The Covington lawyers selected as ...

March 24, 2015, Covington E-Alert

March 6, 2015

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2015 — Covington will open a new office in Los Angeles on March 9. The office will be staffed by current firm lawyers and three new senior lawyers and will focus initially on insurance coverage, media and content distribution, patent litigation, public policy/government affairs and white collar defense. "We believe there is a strong base ...

March 2, 2015, Law360

March 2015, Life Sciences Law Review

February 25, 2015, Global Competition Review

Covington'sPeter Camesasca is quoted regarding a Düsseldorf court confirming that the funding model used by Cartel Damage Claims (CDC) in its case against cement cartelists is illegal. "Peter Camesasca, at Covington & Burling in Brussels, says while the ruling is good news for defendants in that it makes group actions in Germany more difficult, it goes against ...

February 12, 2015, Covington E-Alert

February 2, 2015, Private Equity News

January 27, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, January 27, 2015 — Covington was named one of the top 2014 “Media and Entertainment Practice Groups of the Year” by Law360.Law360 highlighted the practice for its involvement in “the most-talked-about sports media rights deals last year,” including the NFL's Sunday Ticket agreement with DirecTV, Steve Ballmer’s bid for the Los Angeles Clippers, ...

January 16, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC, January 16, 2015 — For the second consecutive year, Law360 named Covington’s antitrust and competition practice one of the top “Competition Practice Groups of the Year.”Law360 recognized Covington for securing the dismissal of separate antitrust suits against clients Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., JP Morgan Chase & Co., and Expedia, Inc. The ...

2015, Webinar, 24th Annual EU Pharmaceutical Forum

December 22, 2014

WASHINGTON, December 22, 2014 — The Global Competition Review (GCR) has named Covington & Burling to its Global Elite, a list of the top 20 competition practices worldwide, ranking it among the top practices in both Brussels and Washington, D.C. Each year, GCR undertakes extensive analysis of competition law groups in 50 jurisdictions around the world. In ...

December 9, 2014, Competition Law Insight

December 1, 2014, Covington E-Alert

November 25, 2014, Covington E-Alert

November 19, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, November 19, 2014 — For the seventh consecutive year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation has awarded Covington & Burling the top rating of 100 percent in the 2015 Corporate Equality Index. Covington’s rating reflects its support for same-sex partners of employees through health insurance, bereavement and family leave policies, as well as its ...

October 28, 2014, Law360

Andrea Zulli is featured in this article regarding his move to Covington: "Andrea Zulli, who will join Covington's EU competition group as of counsel, advises clients in all aspects of EU, international and Italian competition law, including merger control, cartels and other restrictive practices, antitrust compliance and abuses of a dominant position." “The ...

October 27, 2014

Brussels, 27 October, 2014 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that Andrea Zulli is joining the firm’s EU competition group. Mr. Zulli was previously head of the Italian antitrust and competition group at a leading international practice. Mr. Zulli will be resident in the firm’s Brussels office, and will play an important role in the firm’s EU ...

October 27, 2014, GCR

This article features Andrea Zulli, who recently joined Covington's EU competition group: Zulli, 40, will work mainly in pharmaceuticals and life sciences sectors in his new firm. He says it was a hard decision to leave Norton Rose – where he was local partner – but ultimately he wanted to return to Brussels – “the heart of antitrust in Europe”.  “Not only ...

October 20, 2014, The Washington Post

"Covington & Burling of the District appointed Ashley Bass, Robin Blaney, Krista Carver, Jeffrey Davidson, Nicole Duclos, Shankar Duraiswamy, Scott Freling, David Garr, Jason Goldberg, Andrew Lazerow, Michael Lechliter, Anne Lee, Scott Schrader, Nathan Shafroth and Ranganath Sudarshan partners."

October 9, 2014, Global Investigations Review

September 29, 2014, Luxury Legal Post

September 22, 2014, Commercial Dispute Resolution

Covington's Peter Camesasca, Johan Ysewyn, Melissa Van Schoorisse, Miranda Cole, Henriette Tielemans, Sebastian Vos, and Jean De Ruyt are mentioned in this article on the growth of Covington's Brussels office: "April was a busy month for Covington & Burling’s competition lawyers, marking, as it did, the welcome return of Peter Camesasca – who temporarily ...

August 25, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, August 25, 2014 — Covington & Burling has been named to Latinvex’s “Legal 50,” a list of top international law firms doing work in Latin America. The firm ranked seventh among the top 15 firms doing international arbitration work in Latin America and 27th overall. Latinvex evaluated more than 100 international law firms and selected the top 50 ...

July 30, 2014

LONDON, 30 July, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised AstraZeneca on its agreement to transfer to the company the rights to Almirall’s respiratory franchise for an initial consideration of $875 million on completion, and up to $1.22 billion in development, launch, and sales-related milestones. AstraZeneca has also agreed to make various sales-related payments. ...

June 16, 2014, Bloomberg

International public policy professional Sebastian Vos is joining Covington & Burling LLP to lead the European division of the firm’s global public policy and government affairs practice in Brussels. Vos, who works for Fipra International, will focus on competition and technology-related public policy issues and continue his public policy work involving emerging ...

June 12, 2014

Brussels, June 12, 2014 — Sebastian Vos, an international public policy professional, is joining Covington & Burling to lead the European division of the firm’s global public policy and government affairs practice. Mr. Vos joins the firm as a partner in its Brussels office where he will focus on competition and technology related public policy issues and ...

June 12, 2014, Politico

"The law firm Covington & Burling has brought on European public policy expert Sebastian Vos as a partner in the firm’s Brussels office. In his new role, he’ll lead the European division of the firm’s global public policy and government affairs practice. He’ll lead a team that includes former Ambassador Jean De Ruyt. “It’s a firm that has a very good reputation ...

June 12, 2014, The Lawyer

Sebastian Vos is feautured in this article regarding his recent move to Covington in the firm's Brussels office.

June 3, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, June 3, 2014 — The National Law Journal has named Covington & Burling to its 2014 “Intellectual Property Hot List,” which recognizes 20 firms that have “become leaders on the latest trends in intellectual property law.” This is the second time since 2012 that Covington has been named to the list. In naming Covington to the list, the NLJ cited the ...

May 27, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, May 27, 2014 —Covington & Burling was named the “Transfer Pricing Advisory Firm of the Year - Washington D.C.” by Corporate LiveWire, a global news resource for corporate finance professionals. The Corporate LiveWire Global Awards honor law firms, individuals and businesses who have demonstrated distinction in corporate finance, and consistently ...

May 2, 2014

LONDON, 1 May, 2014 — Euromoney Legal Media Group have shortlisted nine Covington lawyers for the annual ‘Europe Women in Business Law Awards’ 2014. Those shortlisted for “Best in” their respective practice areas are:  Competition and Antitrust - Miranda Cole Copyright - Lisa Peets Financial Regulation - Charlotte Hill Life ...

April 30, 2014, Law360

April 30, 2014, Law360

April 30, 2014, GCR

Covington partners Peter Camesasca and Johan Ysewyn are featured in the articles above regarding their move to the firm's Brussels office.

4/30/2014

Brussels, 30 April, 2014 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that Johan Ysewyn and Peter Camesasca are joining the firm's Brussels office as partners, where they will play substantial roles in the firm’s global antitrust and competition practice. The additions of Mr. Ysewyn and Dr. Camesasca will strengthen the firm’s existing EU competition team in ...

March 2014, Pharma Recht

January 22, 2014, Covington E-Alert

January 13, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, January 13, 2014 — For the second consecutive year, Law360 has named Covington & Burling’s life sciences practice as one of the top five “Life Sciences Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile of the firm, Law360 noted that Covington “delivered for drugmakers on three continents in 2013, spearheading a momentous investment by U.K.-based ...

January 7, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, January 6, 2014 — For the second consecutive year, The National Law Journal has named Covington & Burling to its “Pro Bono Hot List.” This year’s list recognizes nine firms and one corporate law department for their strong commitment to public service. In the profile of Covington, the NLJ features the pro bono efforts of the firm’s New York ...

January 6, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC, January 6, 2014 — Law360 named Covington & Burling’s energy practice as one of the top five “Energy Practice Groups of the Year.” In giving this award, Law360 recognized the breadth of Covington’s practice capabilities (including litigation, transactions, regulatory and government policy) in both the traditional and emerging energy sectors and ...

December 19, 2013

NEW YORK, December 19, 2013 — Covington & Burling advised AstraZeneca in its acquisition of Bristol-Myers Squibb's interests in the companies’ diabetes alliance for an initial consideration of $2.7 billion on completion and up to $1.4 billion in regulatory, launch and sales-related payments. AstraZeneca has also agreed to pay various sales-related royalty ...

December 19, 2013

Brussels, 19 December, 2013 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that Adem Koyuncu is joining its life sciences practice as a partner, along with associate Sabine Stute. Dr. Koyuncu and Ms. Stute will be resident in the firm’s Brussels office, and will focus on issues involving the law of the European Union and, in particular, of Germany. Dr. Koyuncu, ...

December 9, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, December 9, 2013 — For the sixth consecutive year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation has awarded Covington & Burling the top rating of 100 percent in the 2014 Corporate Equality Index. Covington’s 100 percent rating reflects its written non-discrimination policy, sexual orientation and gender identity training, and support for same-sex ...

October 25, 2013, Covington E-Alert

October 24, 2013, Covington E-Alert

October 23, 2013, Law360

October 22, 2013, Covington E-Alert

September 3, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO, September 3, 2013 — Covington & Burling is advising Microsoft Corp. in its purchase of substantially all of Nokia’s devices & services business. Under the transaction, Microsoft will also license Nokia’s patents, and license and use Nokia’s mapping services. The total transaction price is EUR 5.44 billion in cash — or more than $7 billion. The ...

August 30, 2013, Covington E-Alert

August 11, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, August 12, 2013 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce the promotion of three lawyers to special counsel, effective August 1, 2013. Michael Clancy (Brussels) focuses his practice on EU competition law, and has extensive experience advising clients in regulated industries such as life sciences (pharmaceuticals, biotech, and medical devices) ...

July 12, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, July 12, 2013 — Covington & Burling has been recognized as an honoree with two American Lawyer Global Legal Awards: Global Dispute of the Year, Investment Arbitration and Global M&A Deal of the Year, Canada. Covington’s International Arbitration Group, comprised of more than 50 lawyers, handles cases under the rules of every major arbitration ...

July 11, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, July 11, 2013 — For the third consecutive year, Covington & Burling has received a Gold Standard Certification from the Women In Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), a leading organization dedicated to assisting women in law to assume leadership roles in private law firms, corporate legal departments, and the legal community at large. The certification ...

7/11/2013

WASHINGTON, DC, July 11, 2013 — Thomson Reuters has ranked Covington & Burling among the Top 20 legal advisers worldwide in completed M&A transactions in emerging markets during the first half of 2013. Covington ranked among the top 10 for deals involving China and the Asia Pacific region, and among the top 15 for deals involving Latin America. “We have made a ...

June 28, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, June 28, 2013 — Covington & Burling’s international arbitration practice has been shortlisted for a Chambers Latin America Award for Excellence. The awards recognize notable achievements over the past year, including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth, and excellence in client service. The Chambers Latin America Awards for Excellence ...

June 26, 2013, REACH: Legal Implications and Supply Chain Strategies 2013 Conference, Brussels

June 7, 2013, Covington E-Alert

May 24, 2013, Covington E-Alert

May 3, 2013, Covington E-Alert

March 28, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, March 28, 2013 — Lanny A. Breuer, most recently the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, is returning to Covington & Burling as Vice Chair of the firm. Mr. Breuer’s practice will encompass a wide range of civil and criminal litigation matters, as well as governmental and internal investigations. ...

March 14, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, March 14, 2013 — Congressman Howard Berman, a widely respected leader in the U.S. Congress, is joining Covington & Burling’s global public policy and government affairs practice. The addition of Rep. Berman, the former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, comes a week after Sen. Jon Kyl joined Covington’s public policy and government ...

March 6, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, March 6, 2013 — Senator Jon Kyl, who recently left Congress as the second-highest ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate, is joining Covington & Burling’s global public policy and government affairs practice. “Senator Kyl’s deep knowledge and extraordinary legislative skills from his years as a senior leader in Congress make him ideally suited to ...

February 26, 2013, Covington E-Alert

February 26, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, February 26, 2013 — The BTI Consulting Group has named Covington & Burling partners David Martin and Henriette Tielemans to its 2013 “Client Service All-Stars” list. The BTI “Client Service All-Stars” were singled out by general counsel and direct reports at large and Fortune 1000 organizations in one-on-one interviews. Mr. Martin, based in ...

February 25, 2013

London, February 25, 2013 — Global Arbitration Review has named Covington & Burling to its list of the world’s top 30 international arbitration practices. In announcing the GAR 30 list, the publication notes Covington’s major arbitral victories last year, including the award for Spanish investors in Yukos Oil Company in Quasar de Valores SICAV S.A., et al. v. ...

February 5, 2013

BRUSSELS, 5 February, 2013 — The International Association of Privacy Professionals, the world’s largest association of privacy professionals, has appointed Covington & Burling’s Henriette (“Jetty”) Tielemans to its executive committee. “I am thrilled to welcome Jetty to our executive committee,” said J. Trevor Hughes, president and CEO of IAPP. “Her expertise ...

January 22, 2013

WASHINGTON, DC, January 22, 2013 — For the second straight year, Law360 named Covington & Burling’s global privacy and data security practice as one of the top five “Privacy & Consumer Protection Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile highlighting the firm’s privacy-related work, Law360 noted the group’s recent litigation win for LinkedIn Corp. In that case, ...

1/22/2013

WASHINGTON, DC, January 22, 2013 — Law360 named Covington’s life sciences practice as of one of the top five “Life Sciences Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile highlighting Covington’s life sciences practice, Law360 noted that the group has “grown to develop an increasingly global reach that has made it a go-to for complex transactions, high stakes ...

2013, Competition Law Insight

2013

December 28, 2012

BEIJING, December 28, 2012 — Chambers has named Covington & Burling as a finalist for the 2013 Chambers China Awards for Excellence in the International Trade category. The awards recognize preeminence in key practice areas and significant achievements over the past 12 months, including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth and excellence in client ...

December 11, 2012, Covington E-Alert

December 10, 2012, Covington E-Alert

November 1, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, November 1, 2012 — Covington & Burling opens its Seoul office today after securing final approval from the Korean Ministry of Justice and the Korean Bar Association. The new office will be located in the Meritz Tower, at 825-2, Yeoksamdong in the heart of Seoul’s Gangnam business district. “We are honored to be among the first U.S. law firms to ...

October 23, 2012, Covington E-Alert

October 19, 2012, Covington E-Alert

October 1, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, October 1, 2012 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that it has elected 15 new lawyers to its partnership. This group is comprised of diverse and talented individuals from five offices who have made their mark at the firm through exceptional work and the highest standards of client service. “We’re delighted to welcome these 15 lawyers to ...

September 26, 2012, Covington E-Alert

September 10, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, September 10, 2012 — Witney Schneidman, a former senior State Department official with more than 30 years of experience in Africa, is joining Covington & Burling, strengthening the firm’s ability to advise corporate clients on entering and expanding their presence in the African market. Dr. Schneidman joins the firm’s Washington office as a ...

September 2012, European Pharmaceutical Contractor

August 1, 2012, Covington E-Alert

7/26/2012

WASHINGTON, DC, July 26, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP’s international arbitration practice has been nominated for a Chambers Latin America Award for Excellence. The awards recognize notable achievements over the past year, including outstanding work, impressive strategic growth, and excellence in client service. The Chambers Latin America Awards for ...

July 5, 2012, Covington E-Alert

June 28, 2012, Covington E-Alert

June 26, 2012, REACH: Legal Implications & Supply Chain Strategies 2012

June 2012, Scrip Regulatory Affairs

May 25, 2012, Covington E-Alert

May 24, 2012

BRUSSELS, 24 May, 2012 — Best Lawyers in Belgium has named Covington & Burling partner Peter Bogaert as the 2012 Brussels “Lawyer of the Year” in the regulatory category for his “abilities, professionalism and integrity.” Best Lawyers recognises one lawyer in each practice area and region. Mr. Bogaert has a broad European life sciences practice. He has detailed ...

May 17, 2012, Covington E-Alert

May 8, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, May 8, 2012 — The National Law Journal has named Covington & Burling to its inaugural Intellectual Property Hot List, which recognizes 20 top firms that have “demonstrated creative strategies for litigation, patent prosecution, licensing and other transactional work” in the intellectual property field. In naming Covington to the list, the NLJ ...

April 23, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, April 23, 2012 — Covington & Burling advised Microsoft Corp. in negotiating a definitive agreement with Facebook that assigns the social networking company the right to purchase a portion of a patent portfolio that Microsoft recently purchased from AOL Inc. Under the agreement, announced today, Facebook will pay $550 million in cash. Covington ...

4/23/2012

NEW YORK, April 23, 2012 — Covington & Burling represented Thomson Reuters in a definitive agreement to sell its Healthcare business to an affiliate of Veritas Capital for $1.25 billion in cash. The sale, expected to close in the next few months, is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of ...

4/3/2012

BRUSSELS, 3 April, 2012 — “Industrial Policy and European Merger Control: A Reassessment” won the Best Academic Mergers Article category in connection with the inaugural Antitrust Writing Awards presented by the Institute of Competition Law and the George Washington University Law School. The article was co-authored by Damien Geradin and Ianis Girgenson, both ...

4/2/2012

LONDON, 2 April, 2012 — Global Competition Review has selected Microsoft Corp.’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype Global S.à.r.l. as the winner in the “Merger Control Matter of the Year - Europe” category of the GCR Awards 2012. Covington’s Brussels competition team, led by partners Lars Kjølbye and Miranda Cole, advised Microsoft on competition-related aspects ...

March 27, 2012, Covington E-Alert

March 23, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, March 23, 2012 — Covington & Burling has been nominated for the 2012 Chambers USA Awards for Excellence in five national practice areas. On March 20th, Chambers released its shortlist of the law firms nominated based on their pre-eminence and recent achievements in 21 distinct practice areas. Covington was one of two firms receiving team ...

March 19, 2012

LONDON, 19 March, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP received 46 individual mentions and 20 practice mentions in the Chambers Global 2012 edition. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers globally by pan-regional and country practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. The Covington lawyers ...

March 12, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, March 12, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP has applied to open a new office in Seoul and tapped William H.Y. Park, a veteran corporate lawyer based in Korea, to help oversee the expansion. Mr. Park will work closely with former Ambassador to the United Nations Daniel Spiegel, senior of counsel at Covington, who will be the Foreign Legal Consultant ...

March 7, 2012

LONDON, 07 March, 2012 — Global Competition Review has selected Covington & Burling LLP to its shortlist for the “Merger Control Matter of the Year Award - Europe” for the firm’s work advising Microsoft Corp. in its $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype Global S.à.r.l. The Brussels competition team, led by partners Lars Kjølbye and Miranda Cole, advised on the ...

March 1, 2012, Law Society Gazette

February 13, 2012, Covington E-Alert

February 9, 2012, Covington E-Alert

February 6, 2012

BRUSSELS, 6 February, 2012 — The Global Competition Review has named Covington & Burling to the Global Elite, a list of the top 20 competition practices worldwide recognised in its annual GCR 100 rankings. The 2012 edition of the publication’s GCR 100 provides extensive analysis of antitrust groups in 41 jurisdictions around the world. In honoring Covington, ...

January 27, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, January 27, 2012 — Law360 named Covington’s life sciences practice as of one of the top five “Health Practice Groups of the Year,” recognizing its substantial strengths across multiple practices in Asia, Europe and the United States. Covington’s life sciences practice history dates back to the founding of the firm nearly a century ago. The ...

January 25, 2012, Covington E-Alert

January 25, 2012, Covington E-Alert

January 20, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, January 20, 2012 — Law360 named Covington & Burling’s white collar defense and investigations practice as of one of the top five “White Collar Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile about the firm’s practice published on Jan. 19th, Law360 noted the breadth of Covington’s clients and matters in the white collar practice area as a key reason ...

January 20, 2012, Covington E-Alert

1/17/2012

BRUSSELS, 17 January, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that Jean De Ruyt has joined the firm’s government affairs group as a senior European policy advisor in Brussels. Ambassador Jean De Ruyt is among the most experienced diplomats in Europe. Most recently, he served as the Permanent Representative of Belgium to the European Union and was ...

January 12, 2012, Covington E-Alert

January 9, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC, January 9, 2012 — Law360 named Covington & Burling’s global privacy & data security practice as one of the top five “Privacy & Consumer Protection Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile about the firm published on Jan. 5th, Law360 pointed to Covington’s broad practice in assisting clients in transactions, on advisory matters, in social ...

2012, Life Sciences Handbook

December 2011/January 2012, Intellectual Property Magazine

December 5, 2011, Law360

October 15, 2011, EuroWatch

October 3, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, October 3, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP announced today that 10 of its lawyers have been elected to the firm’s partnership effective October 1. This group is comprised of diverse and talented individuals who have made their mark at Covington through exceptional work and the highest standards of client service. “We’re delighted to welcome these ...

September 2, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, September 2, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP represented Microsoft Corp. in a patent monetization transaction involving the acquisition by MOSAID Technologies Incorporated of Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l., a Luxembourg company that holds a portfolio of 400 patent families, consisting of approximately 2,000 wireless patents and patent ...

September 2011, European Lawyer

August 1, 2011, Covington E-Alert

July 5, 2011

NEW YORK, July 5, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP represented Microsoft Corp. in the $4.5 billion winning bid in the auction of Nortel Networks Corporation’s 6000 patents and patent applications. A consortium of Microsoft and several other technology companies will share Nortel’s 4G wireless, data networking, optical, voice, Internet, service provider, ...

7/5/2011

LONDON, 5 July 2011 — Covington & Burling is pleased to announce that Lisa Peets was named as “Best in Copyright” at Euromoney Legal Media Group’s inaugural Women in Business Law Awards 2011. Natalie Diep was also shortlisted in the “Best in M&A” category. Covering 21 jurisdictions and 26 business areas, the Awards look to celebrate those firms setting the ...

5/16/2011

LONDON, May 16, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP adds a top life sciences corporate team to its London office, further enhancing its comprehensive global life sciences practice. Covington is pleased to announce that Paul Claydon, Natalie Diep, James Gubbins and James Halstead are joining Covington & Burling LLP as partners. They complement Covington’s highly ...

5/16/2011

WASHINGTON, DC, May 16, 2011 — Joy Global Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYG), a worldwide leader in high-productivity mining solutions, reported today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent ownership interest in LeTourneau Technologies, Inc. (“LeTourneau”) from Rowan Companies, Inc. (“Rowan”) (NYSE: RDC) for $1.1 billion in cash. LeTourneau designs, ...

May 10, 2011

WASHINGTON, SAN FRANCISCO, BRUSSELS, AND LONDON, May 10, 2011 —Covington & Burling LLP is advising Microsoft Corp. in its acquisition of Skype Global S.à.r.l., the leading Internet communications company, for $8.5 billion in cash. Microsoft’s purchase of Skype from the investor group led by Silver Lake is expected to increase the accessibility of real-time ...

May 9, 2011, Covington E-Alert

May 2011, The European Lawyer

April 7, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, April 7, 2011 — Three practices at Covington & Burling LLP have been nominated for the 2011 Chambers USA Awards for Excellence. The firm received team nominations in the antitrust, insurance, and international trade categories. The awards recognize the firm’s pre-eminence in key practice areas and significant achievements over the past 12 months, ...

April 2011, Covington E-Alert

March 22, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, March 22, 2011 — The Global Arbitration Review has named Covington & Burling LLP to its prestigious list of the world’s top 30 international arbitration practices. Published by GAR, the international journal of commercial and treaty arbitration, the GAR 30 is part of a larger survey of the world's leading arbitration practices commonly known as ...

March 15, 2011, EuroWatch

March 11, 2011, Covington E-Alert

March 10, 2011, Covington Advisory

March 8, 2011, Covington Alert

March 4, 2011, Covington E-Alert

February 24, 2011, Covington E-Alert

February 22, 2011

NEW YORK, February 22, 2011 — Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) and Clinical Data, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDA) announced today that they have entered into a merger agreement pursuant to which Forest will acquire Clinical Data, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of first-in-class and best-in-category therapeutics. Covington & Burling LLP ...

February 15, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, February 15, 2011 — For the seventh time, Practical Law Company has awarded Covington & Burling LLP its worldwide first place ranking in the Life Sciences Regulatory Super League category. PLC also singled out Covington’s Antitrust/Competition, Corporate, and Insurance practices, along with lawyers from each group, in its practice-specific ...

February 10, 2011, Covington Advisory

February 10, 2011, Covington E-Alert

January 7, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC, January 7, 2011 — Law360 has named Covington & Burling LLP’s employment practice as one of five “Employment Groups of the Year.” “The key to Covington's success has been its laser focus on a select number of vital cases with major implications for the future of ERISA, while other firms may focus on handling a greater volume of routine ERISA ...

2011, Life Sciences Handbook 2011

2011, The Encyclopedia of Sustainability: The Law and Politics of Sustainability

2011, Life Sciences Handbook 2011

2011, Rev. Lamy de la Concurrence

2011, Life Sciences Handbook

December 24, 2010, Covington Advisory

December 21, 2010, Covington Advisory

December 2, 2010, Covington E-Alert

November 17, 2010, Covington E-Alert

November 2010, Regulatory Affairs Pharma

October 28, 2010, Covington E-Alert

October 12, 2010

NEW YORK, October 12, 2010 — King Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer announced today that they have entered into an agreement for Pfizer to acquire all of the outstanding stock and stock equivalents of King for $14.25 in cash per share, or aggregate consideration of $3.6 billion. Covington & Burling LLP advised King on the transaction. King is a vertically integrated ...

October 2010, Covington E-Alert

September 15, 2010, Covington E-Alert

August 15, 2010, Eurowatch

July/August 2010, The European Lawyer

July 28, 2010, Covington E-Alert

7/1/2010

BRUSSELS, July 1, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP has received a dozen practice nods in the 2010 editions of Chambers Europe and Legal 500 EMEA. The legal guides have recognised the firm’s expertise in the following areas: CHAMBERS EUROPE Competition/European Law - Belgium (including individual rankings for Georg Berrisch, David Hull and Lars Kjølbye) ...

June 15, 2010, Covington Advisory

May 24, 2010, Competition Law360

May 19, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC, May 19, 2010 — Against the backdrop of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, and on the eve of the upcoming round of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue between the US and China, Covington & Burling LLP will co-host a day-long event, “Shaping the US-China Business Relationship” on Friday, May 21. The event will be held at the USA National Pavilion, which ...

April 27, 2010, Covington E-Alert

March 1, 2010, Covington Advisory

February 9, 2010

LONDON, February 9, 2010 — BioPharm Insight has ranked Covington & Burling LLP as the top legal advisor for biotech and pharma licensing agreements by value. Along with leading the 2009 league tables by value globally and in North America, Covington was ranked first by volume and second by value in Europe, and in Asia, the firm topped both the value and volume ...

February 9, 2010, Covington E-Alert

February 1, 2010, Global Competition Review

February 2010, The European Lawyer

January 22, 2010, Real Deals

January 2010, Food Packaging Bulletin

January 2010, World Data Protection Report

2009/10, PLC Life Sciences Handbook 2009/10

2010/2011, PLC Cross-border Life Sciences Handbook

2009/10, Life Sciences Handbook

2009/10, PLC Life Sciences Handbook 2009/10

December 2, 2009, Covington Advisory

November/December 2009, The European Lawyer

November/December 2009, The European Lawyer

November 23, 2009, Covington Advisory

November 20, 2009, Covington Advisory

November 2009, Trademark World

October 9, 2009, Covington E-Alert

October 7, 2009

BRUSSELS, October 7, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP successfully represented the European steel pipe industry in the anti-dumping investigation against Chinese imports of seamless pipes and tubes into the EU. On September 24, the Council of the European Union adopted a regulation imposing final anti-dumping duties of up to 39.2%. The Covington team succeeded in ...

October 2009, Chemical Watch European Business Briefing

October 2009, The Privacy Advisor

October 2009, European Venture Capital Journal

September 30, 2009, EuroWatch

September 22, 2009, Covington Advisory

September 2, 2009, Covington Advisory

September 2009, Trademark World

September 2009, Privacy & Data Protection Journal

8/24/2009

NEW YORK, NY, August 24, 2009 — Procter & Gamble today announced the sale of its global pharmaceuticals business to Warner Chilcott Ltd. Covington & Burling LLP advised Procter & Gamble on the transaction. Procter & Gamble is a leading global branded products company, with one of the strongest portfolios of quality, leadership brands in consumer health and ...

July 2009, Utilities Law Review

June 23, 2009, Covington E-Alert

June 22, 2009, AmCham EU

June 10, 2009, Covington E-Alert

6/09/2009

LONDON, June 9, 2009 — An enhanced version of the world’s first data protection standard for athletes took effect on June 1, 2009. The International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information took effect on January 1, 2009, and an enhanced version was unanimously approved in early May 2009 by the Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping ...

4/15/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, April 15, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP has announced the formation of a Clean Energy and Climate industry group designed to enhance the firm’s ability to help clients navigate the business challenges and opportunities presented by rapidly transforming energy and transportation infrastructures and by developments in climate change policy, both ...

4/13/2009

WASHINGTON, DC, April 13, 2009 — For the fourth consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been awarded worldwide first place firm rankings by the Practical Law Company in both the Life Sciences Industry and Life Sciences Regulatory Super League categories. The rankings are published in PLC’s Cross-border Quarterly for April-June 2009. In honoring Covington, ...

April 2009, Privacy & Informatie

April 2009, RAJ Pharma

Spring 2009, Cosmetic and Personal Care Ingredients

2/9/2009

BRUSSELS, February 9, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce the arrival of Miranda Cole, who joins the firm’s EU competition practice in Brussels as special counsel. Ms. Cole practices competition and communications law and policy, and has some 15 years of experience in the field. Ms. Cole’s expertise in the competition field encompasses merger ...

February 2009, Covington E-Alert

February 2009, Covington E-Alert

January 2009, Covington E-Alert

2008/2009, PLC Cross-border Life Sciences Handbook

December 2008, Covington Advisory

November 24, 2008, Covington E-Alert

11/12/2008

BRUSSELS, November 12, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP partner Henriette Tielemans has been appointed to the Data Protection expert group (GEX PD) by the European Commission. The Data Protection expert group will assist the Commission in identifying challenges for the protection of personal data in the EU, and putting forward proposals for addressing those ...

November 2008, Covington E-Alert

October 2008, Covington E-Alert

October 2008, EURALex

September 2008, Covington E-Alert

September 2008, Covington E-Alert

7/23/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, July 23, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that it has opened an office in Beijing.  The office is the first in Asia for Covington, which also maintains offices in Brussels, London, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. “Covington has been advising its international clients on legal and business matters in Asia for ...

July 23, 2008, Covington Advisory

July 2008, Covington E-Alert

July 2008, RAJ Pharma

June 3, 2008, Covington E-Alert

June 2, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC, June 2, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that Ambassador Daniel Spiegel has joined the firm as senior of counsel. Mr. Spiegel will be resident in the firm’s Washington office. At Covington, Mr. Spiegel will continue to build and manage large coalitions of global food, alcohol, and medical device companies who are working to ...

May 2008, Covington E-Alert

May 2008, Covington E-Alert

4/14/2008

LONDON, April 14, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP received the “US IP Firm in Europe” award for the firm’s EU and regulatory work. The award was presented at the Managing Intellectual Property Global Awards 2008 ceremony on April 9 at Claridge’s in London. Covington’s European intellectual property practice, based in the firm’s Brussels and London offices, ...

4/9/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, April 9, 2008 — For the third consecutive year, Covington & Burling LLP has been awarded worldwide first place firm rankings by the Practical Law Company in both the Life Sciences Industry and Life Sciences Regulatory Super League categories. In honoring Covington, PLC states: “Known for its outstanding regulatory practice in Washington DC, the ...

April 10, 2008, Covington E-Alert

4/3/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP has announced the promotion of four new of counsels and five new special counsels in the firm’s five offices. The new of counsels are as follows:  Christopher Denig (Washington) focuses on representing clients in complex federal civil litigation (including class actions), internal corporate ...

April 2008, Covington E-Alert

March 2008, EURALex

March 2008, Covington E-Alert

2/21/2008

WASHINGTON, DC, February 21, 2008 — Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced yesterday that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Pfizer Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will make a cash tender offer for all issued and outstanding shares of Encysive for $2.35 per share, representing an equity value of approximately $195 million. ...

February 4, 2008, Covington E-Alert

January 17, 2008, Covington E-Alert

12/28/2007

LONDON, December 28, 2007 - The latest edition of Chambers Global has ranked Covington & Burling LLP’s expertise in 12 categories globally. “Sound knowledge of the industry” and “sheer breadth of experience“ are just some of the comments gathered by the research team from the firm’s clients. The firm has also achieved 10 individual rankings and a further 16 ...

9/25/2007

WASHINGTON, DC, September 25, 2007 — For the second consecutive year, Working Mother magazine has named Covington & Burling LLP to its “100 Best Companies” list. The list identifies the top one hundred companies in the United States based on a survey of all areas of work life, including company culture, family-friendly policies, and compensation. Most of the ...

September 2007, Covington E-Alert

8/14/2007

WASHINGTON, DC, August 14, 2007 — Working Mother magazine, the authoritative source for career mothers, and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a national consulting firm advising attorneys and legal employers on work-life balance and the retention and advancement of women, have named Covington & Burling LLP a 2007 Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firm for Women. ...

May 18, 2007

LONDON, 18 May, 2007 — This year’s editions of Chambers Europe and Legal 500 EMEA recognize the firm’s expertise in the following nine areas: CHAMBERS EUROPE • Regulatory and Public Affairs - Europe-wide • Regulatory: Pharma/Life sciences - Europe-wide • WTO/International Trade - Europe-wide In addition, Georg Berrisch was also ranked as a leading individual in ...

May 18, 2007

NEW YORK, NY, May 18, 2007 — The Procter & Gamble Company and Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. announced that they have completed their previously announced deal to form a 50/50 joint venture for the development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of existing and to-be-developed consumer diagnostic products. Inverness contributed its related consumer ...

April 5, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC, April 5, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP announced today it was awarded worldwide first place firm rankings by the Practical Law Company in both the Life Sciences Industry and Life Sciences Regulatory categories for the second consecutive year. The Life Sciences Industry Super League and Life Sciences Regulatory Super League law rankings, ...

April 3, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC, April 3, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP has announced the promotion of four new Of Counsel and six new Special Counsel.The four new Of Counsel are Daniel P. Cooper, Christian Neira, Matthew J. O’Connor, and Kevin J. Shortill.Daniel P. Cooper advises on European privacy and data protection matters, as well as on contentious and non-contentious ...

9/25/2006

WASHINGTON, DC, September 25, 2006 — Working Mother magazine today announced that Covington & Burling LLP is a 2006 Working Mother 100 Best Company. For 21 years, Working Mother has celebrated employers whose groundbreaking benefits—from flexible schedules and child care to innovative leave policies for new parents—are helping redefine workplace standards across ...

October 27, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 27, 2005 -  Covington & Burling represented JLG Industries, Inc. in its global alliance with Caterpillar Inc., the Illinois-based manufacturer of construction and mining equipment.  Under the multi-faceted alliance, JLG will purchase Caterpillar's telehandler assets located principally in Europe and develop and manufacture a full line ...

October 13, 2005

LONDON, U.K., October 13, 2005 -  International law firm Covington & Burling announced the successful conclusion of its defense of Transparency International, a non-governmental organization fighting corruption, in connection with a libel claim brought by Slobodan Milosevic in the Berlin Regional court.  Milosevic sued Transparency International under German ...

May 20, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 20, 2005 -  Covington & Burling advised Coty Inc. on the acquisition of Unilever's global prestige fragrance business, Unilever Cosmetics International (UCI).  According to the terms of the agreement, Coty will purchase the business for $800 million in cash at the closing. Coty Inc. is one of the largest beauty companies in the world, with ...

PaRR

Johan Ysewyn spoke with PaRR about interim measures in antitrust cases in Europe. Mr. Ysewyn is skeptical of the French measures, saying it appears to be a policy matter that has been “dressed up” in competition law concepts. He warns that the Belgians swift approach should not be held as an example as there is insufficient time for a “decent debate on whether ...