King & Wood Mallesons

Paul Starr surprises audience at eBRAM’s Inaugural ODR Conference Paul Starr joined Justin D’Agostino, Heidi Chiu and Ronald Sum in surprising the audience at the start of this prestigious conference. Just as the audience were taking their seats, the four appeared on giant screens to stage a mock arbitration, speaking both English and Putonghua, to demonstrate the amazingly accurate instant transcription service of Hong Kong’s eBRAM. The Putonghua spoken by Heidi was instantly translated into English. Paul and Justin tested the transcription by (typically) going off script. Words emanated which do not usually occur in an arbitration, such as “gin” and “tonic”.   The transcription was so accurate that many in the audience thought that it was a recording. There was shocked laughter when the four appeared on the conference stage. The rest of the conference was fascinating, predicting the demise of the traditional law firm in favour of “law units” and showcasing the future of AI and indeed of eBRAM.

Cyber security breaches are increasingly a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’. Our experts across Australia, Southeast Asia and China came together recently to respond to a hypothetical (yet very real) cyber breach scenario as part of our Sprint to the Finish event. Did you miss it? Read their key takeaways – including how to better prepare and minimise risks - in this KWM Pulse post or watch their discussion On Demand using the link in the piece: https://lnkd.in/gkWvF3Pk   Cheng Lim Chang Su Nicola Charlston Amanda Lees #Cybersecurity #DataBreach #RiskManagement #KWMInsights

Courts do not generally interfere with parties’ arbitration agreements and the jurisdiction of an arbitral tribunal. However, there are exceptional circumstances where courts will restrain a party from starting or continuing an arbitration by way of anti-arbitration injunctions (“AAI”). In this article, we discuss how AAI operate and practical lessons derived from recent cases in Hong Kong, India and the United Kingdom. https://ow.ly/zIFo50RvjZ3

Speed and simplicity will streamline some deals, greater scrutiny for sensitive sectors will bring challenges for others. Read our full analysis to learn what is changing under the Treasurer’s proposed reforms to Australia’s foreign investment rules here. https://ow.ly/KOlF50RtcQk

The Treasurer Jim Chalmers spoke to Australian media last night (30 April) and is set to announce a “major overhaul” of Australia’s foreign investment framework later today, 1 May 2024. Crucially, in relation to supply chains and overseas control of certain industries he noted: "We need to be very careful about that, particularly in our critical industries, whether it's critical minerals, critical data, critical infrastructure." In this insight, as context ahead of those announcements, we explore the recent developments in Australian critical minerals policy, legislation, and potential changes to the foreign investment regime. https://lnkd.in/gK4pYfpg

Are you up to date with the latest deals emerging in the projects, financing and M&A space? In our latest edition of The Dispatch we unpack these deals - in particular a transformational A$3.5bn series of financing agreements to drive net-zero ambitions. We also spotlight noteworthy deals in capital markets and private capital. Read the full edition here. https://ow.ly/oxsW50Rrvsi

Treasury’s latest exposure draft legislation proposes to implement certain tax incentives on the build-to-rent (BTR) sector. Whilst these changes are undoubtedly helpful, there are tax and duty considerations that investors need to know about making BTR investments, including a proposed new ‘misuse’ tax. You can learn more here. https://ow.ly/fHBy50RroY4

Infringement of personal rights is a key issue that China is facing when it comes to AI-generated content. Seagull Song （宋海燕）and her team take a look at China's first case regarding AI-generated voice infringement and compares the Chinese decision with the ELVIS Act of Tennessee on the protection of personal rights (including voice rights) in the age of AI: https://lnkd.in/g5WwFxf9 #AI #AIGC #PersonalRights

The unprecedented amount in dispute with HKIAC in 2023 (more than HK$92 billion) underscores Hong Kong’s continued strengths in international arbitration. Commensurate with the value of cases in dispute, the Hong Kong court has frequently been called on to exercise its supervisory function, offering important lessons for the conduct of arbitration more generally. In this alert, we consider a number of those key decisions. https://ow.ly/qjfp50RoKvV

This month, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will witness the historic listing of 6 spot virtual assets ETFs ("spot VA ETFs"), which include spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs for the first time. This groundbreaking milestone not only positions Hong Kong as a digital asset hub but also reaffirms its status as one of the world's premier financial centres with a unique environment that encourages diversification and growth in virtual asset investments. King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) Hong Kong team, led by Cindy Shek and supported by Richard Mazzochi, Minny Siu 萧乃瑩, and Andrew Fei 费, is proud to have advised BOCI-Prudential Trustee Limited (BOCPT), the custodian for all 6 spot VA ETFs. https://ow.ly/bU3o50RoH6x To learn more about our Hong Kong Digital Team, please click here: https://ow.ly/eOOK50RoH9B #DigitalAssets #ETFs #VirtualAssets