Osborne Clarke's best legal reads of the week: June 8 - 12

What are the top legal reads of the week from around the web written by Osborne Clarke’s people? Which posts have been shared the most via social media?

Here are this week’s best reads…

• Round-up of thoughts from the panel at OC’s South West Cities of the Future event

Further to our South West Cities of the Future event facilitated by Ken Livingstone on the 2 June, check out the round-up of some of the key messages from the panel here.

• Generic product entry in EU markets

The creation of a strategy for launching a generic version of a medicinal product in the European Union (EU) is a skilled task, requiring not just knowledge of the commercial landscape of distributors, payment systems and patient prejudices, but also the legal and regulatory landscapes. Read Lorna Brazell’s featured publication from Pharmaceutical Patent Analyst here.

• [Upcoming event] A key strategic asset: are you getting the best ROI on your patents?

Many companies have huge untapped assets in the form of technology patents, and recognising their potential can be key to a company’s success. We will help you to keep your patent strategy aligned to your business, recognising the value and potential of your IP assets; we’ll explain how to implement your strategy successfully, and look at how the value of patents can materially affect corporate transactions. Join us for the event in London on the 30th June, register here.

• Employee share plans: HMRC online registration and annual return deadlines approaching! 

Companies operating employee share plans must register their arrangements and submit their annual returns online to HMRC by 6 July 2015.The deadline is fast approaching. Read all about what you need to do, here.

• Huge savings potential for councils embracing smart city technologies

Local councils in the UK could save millions by implementing smart city systems, but many are unaware of the technologies available, according to a new report from Vodafone UK. Read the full article here. 

• Smart traffic and light management trialled at Port Of Hamburg 

The German city of Hamburg aims to become a smart city and is working with technology partners to enable greater mobility, efficiency, safety and sustainability. Last week one of those partners, Cisco, announced the launch of Europe’s first “smartROAD” in the Port of Hamburg, making use of real time data and analytics to optimise traffic flow and manage resources at one of the biggest ports in Europe. Read all about the “smartROAD” concept here.