Recent Simpson Grierson articles and quotes in the news.

12 February 2007:  Radio New Zealand
The Panel
Intellectual property partner, Earl Gray, appeared on the Radio New Zealand show 'The Panel' to discuss intellectual property and trademark issues. In particular, "The Panel" discussed the recent dispute and related issues surrounding the Yellow Pages and who owns the colour and name.

February 2007:  Employment Today
Signed and sealed
Partner John Rooney and associate Kate Trethewey from theWellington employment team published an article entitled 'Signed and Sealed.' The article outlines the basic provisions that should be included in an individual employment agreement (IEA) as well as statutory obligations associated with bargaining for an IEA.

22 January 2007:  NZLawyer
The war against ambush marketing
Intellectual property senior associate, Richard Watts, published a two-page feature detailing the evolving issues and threats ambush marketing poses to sponsors of major events. "The evolution of ambush marketing has seriously undermined the attractiveness to sponsors and therefore the financial viability of international sports and cultural events."

14 January 2007:  Herald on Sunday
Corporate goodwill hunting
Intellectual property solicitor, Angela Stafford, is quoted in this feature article about how large companies can effectively manage ambush marketing issues in light of pending legislation and without coming across as the 'bad guys'. 

11 December 2006:  The Dominion Post
Fears over copyright law change
Partner and head of the firm's Intellectual Property group, Earl Gray, provides commentary in thie business page article on the new Copyright Ammendment Bill, currently awaiting its first reading before Parliament.  Under the proposed changes, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) will not be liable for users posting copyrighted material to its website unless the ISP knows about the material and does not make an effort to take the material down.

8 December 2006:  TVOne News
Litigation win against Premium Real Estate
Litigation partner, William Akel, was interviewed for the 6 PM news regarding an industry-impacting High Court ruling against Premium Real Estate. The High Court ruled that Premium Real Estate breached its fiduciary duty to William's client in the 2004 sale of their home. Read the full Simpson Grierson media release here.

29 November 2006:  Radio New Zealand
"Checkpoint"
Senior associate Richard Watts provided legal expertise and commentary regarding a potential legal copyright battle over the use of Air New Zealand's Koru symbol. 

24 November 2006:  National Business Review
State will tender stadium design and construction
Partner Graeme Christie provided legal commentary and clarification regarding construction contracts for proposed stadium developments. Contrary to popular belief, Graeme pointed out that the state was not required to conduct a tender process for projects and in fact hasn't with some of the country's largest projects.

November 2006:  Copyright World
Coming unstuck
Partner Earl Gray and solicitor Karla Horstmans discuss the copyrights case of Henkel versus Holdfast Manufacturing. The case was a reminder that copyright grants a limited monopoly in a particular form of material expression. 

11 November 2006:  The Weekend Herald
Property Problems: Guarantor liable if tenant fails to pay rent
Simpson Grierson weekly commercial property column. Wellington senior associate John Craig and solicitor Bart Murray answer a question about the liabilty of a director when the tenant fails to pay rent.  Read the complete article here.

27 October 2006:  The National Business Review
Headhunting can be a complicated game
In the NBR's special report on executive recruitment, employment law senior associate Nikki Dines provides expertise for a feature article on the legal ramifications of hiring executives.

14 October 2006:  The Weekend Herald
Property Problems: Tax implications to consider when subdividing land
Simpson Grierson weekly commercial property column. Senior associates Phil Shannon and Paul Windeatt answer a question about tax issues involved with subdividing vacant land for resale. Phil and Paul cite relevant points in the Income Tax Act of 2004 as well as key factors from the IRD.

31 October 2006:  New Zealand Quarrying & Mining
Excellent value in consultation
NZ Quarrying & Mining discuss a paper presented by partner and chairman Rob Fisher and associate Michelle van Kampen at the AusIMM 2006 Conference. Rob and Michelle stressed the importance and 'beneficial effects' of consulting with local communities throughout the consent process of large projects even though last year's changes to the RMA excluded it.

7 October 2006:  The Weekend Herald
Property Problems: When does an agent qualify for a commission?
Simpson Grierson weekly commercial property column. Solicitor Scott Russell and law graduate Liz Hogg answered this week's question and explained the implications of an agent refusing to present an offer, and the prospective purchaser then negotiating directly with the vendor. Read the article online at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/8/story.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=10404490

October 2006:  IT Brief
How to ensure successful delivery of a major IT project
Partner Karen Ngan looks at key matters to address in contracts for major IT projects. Director of ProjectPlus in Wellington, Iain Fraser, provides a commentary.

October 2006:  ALB - Asian Legal Business
New Zealand abolishes barrister immunity
Asian Legal Business interviewed Rob Gapes, partner on Simpson Grierson's commercial litigation team, on his winning a landmark Supreme Court decision abolishing barristers immunity in New Zealand, which could impact on decisions being made about barristers immunity in other countries e.g. Australia. Read the article here: http://www.asianlegalonline.com/asia/index_detail_article.cfm?ArticleID=4144. Read the Simpson Grierson media release here: Supreme Court Decision.

30 September 2006:  The Weekend Herald
Property Problems: Guaranteed rent sounds good but get some advice
Simpson Grierson weekly commercial property column. Wellington senior associate Phil Shannon answers a question about the Home Lease Programme being operated by Housing New Zealand Corporation. Phil details some of the main features of the programme, which may include guaranteed rent for 52 weeks with a five or ten-year-lease term.

28 September 2006: TV ONE, Breakfast
Litigation partner William Akel appeared on TV ONE's Breakfast, commenting on the Supreme Court's decision which finally allowed TVNZ to screen footage of the guilty pleas of the two French secret service agents, Alain Marfart and Dominique Prieur, responsible for the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985. You can read the Simpson Grierson press release here: Supreme Court Decision.

18 September 2006:  The New Zealand Herald, The Business
Wineries Think Local
Solicitor Rob Batty and senior associate Richard Watts of Simpson Grierson's Intellectual Property team authored a feature article on proposed new legislation that would enable New Zealand wineries to establish and develop geographical brands. 

18 September 2006:  The New Zealand Herald
Importer moves to register freeview
Senior associate Sarah Chapman of Simpson Grierson's Intellectual Property team was quoted in this article about the issues brewing following the Intellectual Property Office acceptance of an application from independent set-top box importer Peter Escher to trademark a Freeview logo. 

16 September 2006:  The Weekend Herald
Property Problems: Worried we won't be able to see the sea for the trees
Simpson Grierson weekly commercial property column. Senior associate Gerald Lanning and law graduate Jeremy Gray answer an excellent question that almost certainly has been on many New Zealanders' minds at one time or another - what can you do when the neighbours plant trees that threaten your much-loved views?  

15 September 2006: 3 News, 6 PM
Intellectual property law partner Earl Gray provided legal expertise comment for the 3 News report on the trademark and IP issues with the Playboy Ball fundraiser in Christchurch, which featured local band The Hefners.

11 September 2006:  The New Zealand Herald, The Business
Ambush Marketing
With New Zealand hosting a number of international sporting events over the next few years, including the Rugby World Cup in 2011, senior associate Sarah Chapman and solicitor Angela Stafford look at ambush marketing and what is being done to protect organisations and events in New Zealand. 

9 September 2006:  The Weekend Herald
Property Problems: Back-up offer kept on the backburner for too long
Simpson Grierson weekly commercial property column. This week senior associate Greg Allen answers a question about the terms and conditions of back-up offers.

5 September 2006: ONE News, 6 PM
Employment law partner Phillipa Muir appeared in ONE News' report on the Progressive Enterprise labour dispute with the local union, commenting on lockouts and employers' entitled use of a casual workforce.

3 September 2006: 95b FM, Sunday Best with Tim Neale
Rob Batty, solicitor on Simpson Grierson's intellectual property team, joined Tim in the studio for a live interview about Rob's recently published article, "Rated E:  When it's wrong to leave nudity, sex and violence on the cutting room floor." You can hear the interview here: http://www.95bfm.com/assets/sm/22284/3/timnealeandrobbatty.mp3.  You can also read the published article here: http://www.bigidea.co.nz/article.php?sid=3559

14 August 2006: Radio New Zealand, Jim Mora Newstel News
Partner and head of Simpson Grierson's intellectual property team, Earl Gray, was interviewed on the afternoon radio news programme about the potential trademark or 'passing off' issues  with super model Heidi Klum's use of fellow super model Elle Macpherson's term "the body." Earl explained that Heidi may in fact have breached the Fair Trading Act in New Zealand if her use of "the body" is misleading consumers who think it is still associated with Elle's line of clothing.

13 August 2006:  The New Zealand Herald
Property Problems: Tax implications if status of rental property changes
Each week Simpson Grierson provides answers to commercial property questions in the Weekend Herald. This week's question asked about potential tax issues when rental properties are turned into primary residences. Partner Stuart Hutchinson and senior associate Raymond Yee answered the three-part question. You can read the article here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/8/story.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=10395557

11 August 2006: The National Business Review
Case Load: Rainbow Warrior
Commercial litigation partners, Willy Akel and Tracey Walker, won two significant rulings in the Court of Appeal for TVNZ and for "the freedom of the press." To read more about the rulings, see the Simpson Grierson media release.

4 August 2006: The National Business Review
Corporate Legal Services Special Review: Firm treats law more like a business  
Simpson Grierson's profile in the NBR's annual review of corporate legal services focused on the firm's innovative and 'fundamentally different approach to servicing its clients."  The article included the full-colour, 'Money Laundering Officers' image from the latest Source magazine, which featured partners, Willy Akel and Tracey Walker, and senior associate, Ben Upton, from the Commercial Litigation department.

July 2006: New Zealand Wine Grower
Vavasour/Golderwater merger: forerunner of things to come?
Commercial partner, Richard Nelson, authored an article on the potential for further consolidation in the New Zealand wine industry. Richard acted for the New Zealand Wine Fund in its acquisition of the Goldwater winery. The article can be read at: http://www.nzwinegrower.co.nz/volume9/issue6/nzwg_volume9_issue6.pdf

12 July 2006: Computerworld
Following the rules of public sector buying
Commercial partner Karen Ngan and senior associate Mark Hargreaves, also on the xtech team, published an article on the new rules for government procurement. The new rules are more prescriptive than previous policies and have implications for both departments and suppliers. Read the article here: http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/456028C2196CB491CC2571A400179528