Publication
Generative AI: A global guide to key IP considerations
Artificial intelligence (AI) raises many intellectual property (IP) issues.
Global | Publication | April 2016
The majority of shareholders in Canada hold their shares through a broker or other intermediary, which in turn holds their shares with the Canadian Depository for Securities Limited (CDS). Most voting at shareholder meetings therefore occurs within a layered, complex and opaque proxy system. This leads to uncertainty as to whether all of the votes of the true beneficial shareholders are properly tabulated. The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) have announced proposed changes to the process of vote counting and reconciliation, which will hopefully result in a more accurate, reliable and accountable voting system.
The CSA has proposed new protocols for the parties responsible for vote collection and tabulation. These parties include CDS, intermediaries such as brokers, Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions Canada (the main proxy voting agent for intermediaries) and transfer agents who act as vote tabulators at shareholder meetings. The new protocols delineate clear roles for each of these participants at each stage of the process and outline the operational processes that each should implement to ensure their roles and responsibilities are fulfilled.
The protocols include:
In addition, the CSA intends to establish a committee to promote better communication, information sharing and problem solving among the participants responsible for vote collection and tabulation.
Although the CSA did not identify any vote reconciliation issues unique to proxy contests, the proposals, if implemented, will provide greater certainty and transparency for all parties involved in proxy contests and hopefully will provide beneficial shareholders with greater comfort that their votes were, in fact, properly received and counted.
The deadline to comment on the proposed protocols is July 15, 2016. The CSA intends to publish the final protocols by the end of 2016, in time for the 2017 proxy season. The protocols will likely be implemented on a voluntary basis initially.
A copy of the CSA amendments can be accessed here.
Publication
Artificial intelligence (AI) raises many intellectual property (IP) issues.
Publication
The UK remains a world leader in offshore wind, accounting for roughly 20 percent of global offshore wind capacity, with 11.3 GW operational. It is forecast that installed capacity will rise to 19.5 GW by mid 2020s.
Publication
On 21 May 2024, the European Council (or Council) adopted the so-called ‘Hydrogen and decarbonised gas market package’ (the Gas Package). The package contains a recast of the 715/2009 gas regulation (Gas Regulation) and a recast of the 2009/73 gas directive (Gas Directive) aimed at reforming the existing EU regulatory framework to support the deployment of renewable and low-carbon gases, in particular hydrogen. As such, it represents a major development in the EU gas market.
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