A Japanese firm agreed to a plea deal after allegedly bribing public officials in Thailand, in what is the country’s first ever plea bargain since introducing the new system last month.

Japanese government investigators alleged that Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd. (MHPS) violated the Unfair Competition Prevention Law by bribing foreign officials.

Although MHPS struck a plea deal with the government, they did not admit any wrongdoing and got assurances that for their cooperation in the case, will not face any prosecution for any crimes.

According to the special investigation squad, members of MHPS bribed Thai government officials into choosing their company for a contract to construct a power plant in the Southeast Asian country.

MHPS also conducted an in-house investigation and found that several employees engaged in misconduct and, subsequently, turned that information over to investigators.

The violators, if found guilty, face up to $2.67 million in fines.

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For foreign business licenses in Thailand, contact the expert Thai and US business lawyers at Chaninat & Leeds.

Ecuador’s top court stood by a ruling on Tuesday that levied $9.5 billion in damages against the massive multinational oil company Chevron, for its decades of pollution that harmed both the environment and indigenous Ecuadorians.

It was a token ruling, though, as Chevron no longer has pulled all of its assets and business out of the South American company years ago. To acquire the damages, the plaintiffs, which include indigenous people, will have to continue to pursue its case in international courts.

The court case was originally launched against Texaco for their oil operations in Ecuador from 1964 to 1990 that led to environmental damage to the country’s protected rainforests. Chevron acquired Texaco in 2001 and became liable for the damages.

Chevron denies any wrongdoing and refused to settle the case out of court, stating that the damage was perpetrated by the government-run oil company Petroecuador, which had a consortium with Texaco at the time.

The plaintiffs who sued Chevron, say that during Texaco’s drilling, toxic chemicals contaminated the water and soil that 30,000 indigenous people relied on to survive.

The attempts made by the indigenous plaintiffs to sue Chevron in a wide variety of other countries where the oil company still does business has been unsuccessful. The only other country where the case is still in progress is in Canada.

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Chaninat & Leeds is a Thailand-based law firm assisting companies with Thai business laws and registration. For legal counsel, contact their experienced Thai and US attorneys.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision last week that state governments are constitutionally allowed to tax internet sales, even if the business has no property or employees in the state.

The decision, which overturns prior rulings that require a company to have a physical presence in the state before being subjected to taxes, paves the way for all 50 states to implement new taxes on goods and services sold on the internet.

As of right now, 31 states already have laws on the books that impose taxes on digital companies.

Surprisingly, the 5-4 decision was not split on partisan lines, as conservative judges Clarence Thomas, Anthony Kennedy, and Samuel Alito were joined by the liberal-leaning pair of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Neil Gorsuch. The dissenters were John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan.

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Need a Thai business attorney? Contact the professional and experienced lawyers at Chaninat & Leeds.

A law instated in Florida State Constitution in 1926 is set to be challenged when voters decide whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to own land. Critics of the 1926 law think that provisions such as the “alien land” shows homage to the state’s discriminatory past.

The Florida Constitution Revision Commission backed the proposal 36-1. There needs to be at least a 60% voter support in order for the constitutional amendment to pass.

The amendment comes with two other measures. One is to abolish obsolete language authorizing a high-speed rail system. The other would make clear if a criminal statute is repealed that it would have no effect on the crime committed previous to the repeal.

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Thailand has been a member of the Hague Convention on Child Abduction for several years. Parents requiring legal assistance should contact Thailand family lawyers.

Post election interference scandal and Cambridge Analytica Debacle, congress has called for stricter regulations on Facebook. For example, stronger privacy data regulations and ads transparency reporting, this could cost Facebook a lot of money and make it harder for them to develop new products.

Expert Thailand divorce attorneys have successfully litigated hundreds of local and international divorce cases.

However, critics consider that those same regulations could hinder startup companies without much capital or employees that could potentially rise to compete with Facebook. Those looking to invest in a potential alternative to Facebook may also be deterred by the heavy regulations.

Tech Crunch reports that if the government wanted to protect the public against Facebook they would have to implement regulations that would place political advertising on internet platforms “under the same scrutiny” as TV and radio. Change would constitute as being able to create alternatives to Facebook or not preventing the creation of alternatives.

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The possession and distribution of child pornography is currently illegal in over 100 countries. When researchers found links and images to sexually explicit content of underage persons it posed a threat to the multibillion dollar Bitcoin industry.

The “blocks” of the blockchain, store records of transactions, small notes and files. When a blockchain was investigated (1,600 files), researchers found hundreds of links to child abuse, the dark web and child pornographic images.

One of the researchers explains that due to the decentralized nature of blockchain technology, users are constantly downloading, receiving and storing content on their blockchain. This means that users would be liable for questionable content loaded onto their blockchain.

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French President, Macron has already amended labor regulations making the hiring and firing process easier. He also plans to spend 15 billion Euros in the next five years to improve the labor sector in France. Last year saw the unemployment rate drop below 9%, which was the first time since 2009.

The labor reform this year will include hiring 600 staff to the government that will monitor the progress of job seekers. A monthly job search log will be introduced and those who fail to complete it will be deprived of unemployment benefits for a month. In addition, those who reject job offers that are deemed “reasonable” by the state will also incur penalties.

A spokesperson from the CFDT union has spoken out against the reform saying it is more about “monitoring” than actually helping the unemployed.

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An American lawyer in Thailand can save time and money when preparing family based marriage and finance visas for loved ones. 

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The EU Intellectual Property Office rejected a patent application for the plastic clog brand in 2016. EU rules state that a patent cannot be provided if the design has been made public for more than a year before the application has been submitted.

Crocs first made its public appearance in 2002 at a Florida boat show; it then applied for legal protection in 2004. A French retailer argued against the global brand from obtaining a patent as anyone “could have accessed the design”.

A spokesperson from the law firm Gowling WLG, says the case should be a reminder to designers to apply for legal protection early in terms of their products. The brand has both its critics and advocates. It was named in 2010 as one the world’s worst inventions, yet is sported by the likes of Michelle Obama and Prince George.

Current legal issues are discussed in the Thailand Family Law Center by Thailand family lawyers.   

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Estonia’s Ministry of the Interior and Recruitment platform, Jobbatical, wants to provide a digital nomad visa that would allow successful applicants to work and travel in Estonia for a year and a 90 day access pass to 25 other countries within the Schegen Area.

The Baltic nation is already perceived as a digital leader following their e-residency scheme. This scheme allows non Estonian citizens access to online government services. The scheme saw more application than births in 2017.

Estonian government is currently gathering and assessing data from the digital nomad community to plan the visa. They conducted a survey that showed 80% of digital nomads (1000 surveyed) were interested in working in a new country every year but often encountered visa issues.

For more information on what a digital nomad is, watch Thai Law Forum’s interview with Sean Ogle.

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Prenuptial contracts in Thailand can help with protecting properties and finances for spouses avoiding future marital spouse’s prenuptial contracts.

An Auckland based law firm, Russel McVeagh, has been accused of multiple sexual misconduct incidences with male staff members and female summer clerks and students. Auckland University law lecturer, Khylee Quince has presented the details of the allegations after two of her students were involved.

According to reports, students were invited to the law firm’s bar where binge drinking was allegedly encouraged. There was free-flow and expensive liquor available. However, the majority of students had left as it was becoming obvious the amount of drinking going on. Students also walked in on two 19 year old girls engaged in sexual activity in the board room and bathroom of the firm.

The staff members accused are a junior male staff member and a senior male partner. Quince has demanded for a change in the firm’s culture and that dismissal of inappropriate behavior is not enough. The firm should provide a safe working environment for employees, clients and visitors, said Quince.

The Hague Treaty on Child Abduction is executed through the governments of treaty member countries. If you’re child has been abducted from Thailand contact expert lawyers for Thailand child abduction cases.

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