3DEES
Legal advice to the Czech company 3Dees Industries s.r.o., one of the entities of 3Dees Group, providing solutions on 3D printing and 3D scanning for companies in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Ukraine. Our legal assistance included especially the legal assessment of the consequences of the use of the employees´ know-how acquired during the previous employment relationship with a competing company and advice on the best way to proceed with the employees in order to minimize possible disputes with competing companies on using know-how in favour of the client. Our assistance also concerned defence against an unfair competition claim demanded by a competing company.
DECEUNINCK
Continuing legal advice to Deceuninck RUS LLC, a member of a worldwide group offering products for the interiors and exteriors of buildings, especially on different matters of antitrust law and admitted business practices.
DR MULLER PHARMA
Comprehensive legal advice to, and representation of the Czech pharmaceutical company Dr. Müller Pharma s.r.o., and its Slovak branch, in trademark and unfair competition litigation against a Slovak company distributing a similar product under a trademark likely to be confused with the client’s trademark. The adverse party demanded the suspension of the court proceedings until the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic decides on their request for invalidation of the client’s trademark.
EURAZEO
Advising Peters Surgical SAS, a French company manufacturing hospital medical equipment products, on the termination of an exclusive distribution agreement with a Czech distributor. We prepared an analysis of the possible negative consequences of the contract termination and advised the client on the best way to proceed with the termination in order to minimize possible disputes with the distributor on the validity of the contract termination.
GANO EXCEL
Legal assistance to GANO EXCEL, an important worldwide producer and distributor of dietary supplements, with assessment of the distribution agreements concluded with its distributor, including amendment of the agreements.
PHI ASSET MANAGEMENT PARTNERS
Legal advice to a company belonging to the SEVES group, an Italian world leader in the production of electrical insulation, in connection with preparing and conducting a series of training courses for company employees that were focused on anti-corruption rules, including an outline of types of corruption, involvement therein, and the consequences of non-compliance with anti-corruption rules, including criminal ones. Training sessions were further aimed at rules on competition protection in which employees were instructed on the prohibition of agreements restricting competition, on the prohibition of abuse of dominant position, on the consequences of infringement of the rules on competition protection, as well as on the ethical principles applicable in the SEVES group.
VÁHALA
Comprehensive legal services to the Czech company VAHALA, a leading producer of meat and smoked-meat products, in connection with two disputes related to unfair conditions of retail chains.
VEOLIA GROUP
The PETERKA & PARTNERS team led by Hynek Peroutka advised MORAVSKÁ VODÁRENSKÁ a.s. from Veolia Group („MOVO“) in the project of transforming the operation of the water supply infrastructure in the Zlín region and creating a new model, which ended an 18-year long series of court and arbitration disputes between the company Vodovody a kanalizace Zlín a.s („VAK Zlín“), as the owner of the infrastructure controlled by the municipalities in the Zlín region, the towns of Otrokovice and Fryšták as its minority shareholders, and MOVO as the operator of the infrastructure. PETERKA & PARTNERS also previously represented MOVO in a number of these disputes. The essence of the settlement, which was negotiated for two years and subsequently implemented in the first half of 2022, was the creation of a new operating company Vodárna Zlín a.s., into which MOVO contributed part of its business and which, as of 1 July 2022, took over the operation of the water supply infrastructure owned by VAK Zlín and towns and municipalities in the Zlín region. From 1 July 2022, Vodárna Zlín a.s. became a joint venture between VAK Zlín and MOVO (by transferring of 75% of shares) until the end of 2029, when it will become fully controlled by VAK Zlín. The entire transaction comprises a number of unusual and innovative aspects, concerning relations between the shareholders of the joint venture, a specific controlling role of the towns of Otrokovice and Fryšták, special arrangements for the purchase price of the shares, the method of its payment and generating of funds for it, and others. Given the nature of the water supply business, the complexity of the negotiated structure and the involvement of both private and public (municipal) actors, the transaction also involved a number of public law and regulatory aspects and was subject to clearance by the Office for the Protection of Competition.
VIATRIS
Legal advice to Mylan S.A.S., one of the world’s leading quality generic and specialty pharmaceutical companies, related to conflict of patent protection and the protection of competition in specific conditions of medical law. Also, assessment of validity of the patent and a supplementary protection certificate issued for the drug, which prevented entry on to the market of generic drugs and the potential violation of the Acton Protection of Competition.
Assistance to a leading global generic pharmaceuticals group, with a training seminar on dawn raids. The services included advice with respect to the preparation of slides and a presentation for the management and employees of the local subsidiary.