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In Anti-suit injunction

Singapore: Anti-suit injunctions and sovereign immunity — injuncting a state-related entity

by , and 8 Mins Read

In brief In the case of Cooperativa Muratori and Cementisti — CMC di Ravenna, Italy v. Department of Water Supply & Sewerage Management, Kathmandu and other [2025] SGHC(I) 16, the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) considered the intersection between the law of anti-suit injunctions and sovereign immunity. In its written grounds of decision, the SICC clarified the distinct requirements between a contractual anti-suit injunction and a noncontractual anti-suit injunction, as well as the availability of injunctive relief…

In Judicial Reform

Vietnam: Major reforms to Vietnam’s court system and jurisdiction effective 1 July 2025

by , and 4 Mins Read

In brief On 2 June 2025, the draft law amending and supplementing the Law on Court Organization was released  (“Draft Law”). It introduces significant upcoming changes to the organization and jurisdiction of Vietnam’s court system and is expected to take effect on 1 July 2025. The proposed restructuring streamlines the judicial hierarchy and reallocates responsibilities, potentially affecting parties involved in legal proceedings. In detail 1. Fundamental restructuring of the judicial system Under the Draft Law, Vietnam’s…

In Subcontractor protection

Japan: Amendments to the Subcontract Act

by , , and 7 Mins Read

In brief A bill partially amending the Act Against Delay in Payment of Subcontract Proceeds, etc. to Subcontractors (“Subcontract Act”) and the Act on the Promotion of Subcontracting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (collectively, Amendment to the Subcontract Act, etc.) was passed and enacted in a plenary session of the Japanese House of Councillors on 16 May 2025. The Subcontract Act was enacted to ensure fairness in subcontracting transactions and protect the interests of subcontractors. This…

In Shareholder Disputes

Hong Kong: Board fight – Court intervened to protect shareholders’ rights in board disputes

by and 6 Mins Read

In brief Whilst the Court is, in general, slow to interfere with the internal management of a company, it is empowered to grant the appropriate remedies in certain circumstances including declaratory and injunctive reliefs under the common law and the Companies Ordinance (CO). A recent case has demonstrated that the Court is not hesitant to exercise such power in order to safeguard shareholders’ rights and scrutinize directors’ conduct. In this case, the Court held that…

In Adjudication

Singapore: The Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2004 — key judgments in 2024

by , , and 13 Mins Read

In brief 2024 saw a number of significant rulings in Singapore that have provided clarity on issues such as the definition of completion for construction works and the limitation period for latent defects, as well as issues surrounding the application and interpretation of the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2004 (“SOP Act”). As readers may know, the SOP Act is fundamentally a statutory regime to facilitate cash flow in the construction industry.…

In Asia Pacific

Australia: ACCC Compliance and Enforcement Priorities in 2025/26

by , and 7 Mins Read

In brief On 20 February 2025, the Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Gina Cass-Gottlieb, announced the ACCC’s compliance and enforcement priorities for 2025/26 at the annual address to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia. Ms Cass-Gottlieb identified a range of industry sectors, as well as specific competition and consumer law issues that will be the focus of the ACCC’s compliance and enforcement activities for 2025/26. Many of these areas continue…

In Construction

Hong Kong: Navigating the new construction industry security of payment legislation

by and 7 Mins Read

Overview and Key Provisions In brief On 27 December 2024, the Construction Industry Security of Payment Ordinance (CISPO) was gazetted, following a nine-year consultation process. This long-anticipated legislation will cover construction contracts entered into on or after 28 August 2025. Similar legislation has been in place for some time in various other jurisdictions, such as Australia, Singapore and the United Kingdom. CISPO seeks to remedy improper payment practices in the construction industry by improving contractual…

In Whistleblower

Japan: Publication of interim report on review of Japanese Whistleblower Protection Act

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The Consumer Affairs Agency’s blue-ribbon Whistleblower Protection System Review Committee (Committee) released its interim report (Report) on the revision of the Whistleblower Protection Act (Act) on 2 September 2024. The Committee has continued discussing revisions to the Act based on the Report since its publication. This alert summarizes the Report and offers practical guidance on how to respond to potential revisions to the Act. Overview of the Report The Report points out several operational issues…

In Foreign Bribery

Japan: Amendments to legislation on bribery of foreign public officials and updates to guidelines for the prevention of bribery of foreign public officials

by , and 7 Mins Read

In brief Japan amended the provisions on the crime of bribing foreign public officials (“Criminal Bribery of Foreign Officials”) under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act (UCPA), effective 1 April 2024, and updated the Guidelines for the Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials (“Foreign Bribery Guidelines”) in February 2024. Key changes to the UCPA include increased fines and longer terms of imprisonment for individuals or corporations who bribe foreign public officials, expanded corporate liability and…

In Artificial Intelligence

Australian Consumer Law – Government consulting on proposed reforms

by , , and 8 Mins Read

Potential AI reforms, new consumer guarantee prohibitions and civil penalties and a ban on unfair trading practices are proposed In brief The Australian Government has announced consultations on a range of proposed reforms to the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) covering: Consultations have commenced on the proposed AI-related reforms and consumer guarantee amendments, with submissions sought by 12 November 2024 and 14 November 2024, respectively. Treasury has not yet commenced consultation in relation to the…

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