06 Jun 2018

No Antitrust Liability for National Bar Association (AKS) as Commission Closes Case

Gecić Law successfully represented the Bar Association of Serbia in a positive resolution of a landmark antitrust probe in Serbia (link).  On May 24, 2018, the Serbian Commission for Protection of Competition, the national competition authority (“Commission”) dropped a four-year antitrust investigation into the Bar Association of Serbia – Advokatska komora Srbije (“AKS”), without taking any further action (link).  The Commission’s decision puts to rest one of the longest standing investigations in recent history against AKS, a more than 9000-lawyer strong organization and one of the largest bar associations in the Balkans. In 2014, the Commission opened a probe against […]

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24 May 2018

Bar Association of Vojvodina Discusses Current Serbian Competition Law Issues

On May 23, 2018, the Bar Association of Vojvodina (“AKV”) held a panel in Novi Sad on the topic “Overview of Proceedings before the Serbian National Competition Authority in Light of the Existing Practice and Implications of the New Administrative Procedure Act”.  The speakers on this ever-evolving, complex yet news-worthy topic were Milica Subotić, attorney specializing in competition law matters, Isidora Nikolić Savin,  attorney and specialist for civil and EU business law, and Bogdan Gecić, partner at Gecić Law, specialized in competition/State aid and European law. Moderated by Isidora Nikolić Savin, the panel elaborated on variety of topics such as: overview of proceedings before the […]

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30 Apr 2018

Excitement at the TerraLex Global Meeting 2018

What exciting few days at the Terralex’s Global meeting in Barcelona, Spain!  We are happy to report that Gecić Law was part of this premier and unforgettable event of leading legal professionals from around the globe organized by TerraLex, the world’s leading international legal network.  Adding to the excitement was the fact that TerraLex was recently awarded Global Network of the Year at The Lawyer’s annual European Awards in recognition of its member’s commitment to innovation and collaboration (Gecić Law was also shortlisted). Coordinated with the gracious host, impressive Spanish firm of Roca Junyent, the event took place over four […]

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27 Apr 2018

Market Disruptor – Youngest Law Firm Continues Tier 1 Ranking

GECIĆ LAW RECOGNIZED AGAIN AS TOP TIER LAW FIRM BY LEGAL 500 We are proud to announce that Legal 500, the prestigious UK-based guide to the world’s best law firms, has ranked Gecić Law for the second consecutive year as a Top Tier firm in Serbia in its EMEA guide for 2018. The firm’s practice in the field of Competition Law has been ranked as Tier 1, while the Commercial, Corporate and M&A practice maintained an enviable Tier 2 amongst fierce competition of traditional market incumbents.  Furthermore, for the first time this year, our dynamic Banking & Finance practice was […]

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30 Mar 2018

Historic Ruling: Biggest Fine in Serbian Competition Law Annulled

A testament to human rights safeguards or show of a deeply flawed system? Summary Gecić Law successfully assisted EPS Distribution, the leading regional distribution operator, in obtaining a landmark judgement from the Administrative Court that annulled the RSD 330 million fine (cca. EUR 3 million) previously levied against this company by the Serbian watchdog.  The court confirmed that the record fine was imposed in violation of the basic principles of national and EU competition law, as well as ECHR guaranteed human rights.  After a long and tumultuous battle, which took years and a total of three judgements, EPS Distribution finally […]

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14 Mar 2018

Spotlight on IT Companies Part III – What About Designers?

In the first articles of the series, we wrote about the relations between IT companies and developers, and the rights and relations of IT companies and developers set by the Copyright and Related Rights Act (“Copyright Act”), primarily with respect to commercial utilization of computer programs/software by IT companies and the possibilities of IT companies to carry our changes, adjustments and other adaptations of a computer program/software as a copyrighted work.  However, do the mentioned rules apply to designers, and what happens in cases where graphic design contained within digital content is commercial utilized by IT companies, as well as […]

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28 Feb 2018

Mandatory Registration of Invoices to Public Sector Entities Officially Introduced

The rule according to which business entities will have to register invoices1 issued to entities in the public sector is set to enter into force on March 1, 2018. Business entities will be obliged to register the invoices with the Central Registry of Invoices whose management has been entrusted to the Treasury of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia, and if they fail to carry out the registration they will not be able to settle their claims and may even be charged with a misdemeanor. This obligation is envisaged in the Amendments to the Late Payments in […]

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14 Feb 2018

We Are Hiring Associates and Senior Associates

Gecić Law is looking for competent Associates and Senior Associates to join our young, talented and dynamic team. Gecić Law is one of the foremost innovative law firms in Serbia. We have achieved this by building long-term relationships with clients based on reciprocity, trust and the highest standards of professional ethics. By adopting new models for the delivery of legal services, we have redefined the role that a law firm plays in an emerging regional market, which has produced truly exceptional results. Our team shares a joint vision to create a true corporate meritocracy dedicated to excellence in the practice of […]

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05 Feb 2018

Possible Savings in the EU: New Study by the European Parliament Published

In December 2017, European Added Value Unit of the European Parliament published the Fourth edition of its report “Mapping the Cost of Non-Europe 2014-2019” (the “Study”).  The Study is especially relevant if placed in the context of challenges the EU is facing today such as: impact of Brexit on the EU Budget and the consequences for the EU’s political and economic interests, the rise of populist parties within the EU Member States and rather sluggish European economic growth. The aim of the Study is to analyze potential increases in annual EU GDP, if different policy initiatives made by the European […]

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01 Feb 2018

EU Antitrust: Let’s (Not) Be Exclusive – Qualcomm Ruling

On January 24, the European Commission imposed a EUR 997 million fine on the world’s largest supplier of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) baseband chipsets, Qualcomm, and once again unequivocally confirmed that abusive market practices by dominant players were the eyesore of the EU competition law.  By levying one of the highest fines in history, the Commission reproached the renowned US chipmaker for making financial concessions to Apple, its biggest customer, on the condition that it would buy LTE baseband chipsets exclusively from Qualcomm.  This penalty came as one piece of puzzle currently surrounding the American tech giant – Qualcomm lost a […]

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