Case Studies
[News] Eunbyeol Jo Partner Attorney, Seungcheol Baek Partner Attorney, Appointed as Data Protection Committee Legal Advisors
Law firm Veat, partner lawyer Baek Seung-cheol and lawyer Cho Eun-byeol were appointed as advisory lawyers by the Personal Information Protection Committee on February 29, 2020.
[Consulting] Legal consultation provided regarding Online service provider (OSP) related matters.
Law firm Veat received a request from A Company, which operates a chat server where files can be uploaded, and conducted a review regarding the duty of care of Online service providers (OSPs). An OSP is a person who transmits, specifies a path, or provides a connection to deliver copyrighted works, etc., selected by a user, without modifying the content, between the points designated by the user, through an information and communication network (Article 2(1)(1) of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, hereinafter the same), or a person who provides services or facilities for users to access the information and communication network or to copy and transmit copyrighted works, etc., through the information and communication network. (Article 2(30) of the Copyright Act) Veat thoroughly reviewed the Copyright Act and related laws and precedents to provide legal advice on ▲to what extent the duty of care of an OSP must be complied with ▲which type of OSP is included in the Copyright Act for a chat server where files can be uploaded ▲and the obligations of that type of OSP. With the increasing number of copyright infringement cases through postings online, the responsibility and duty of care of OSPs are becoming increasingly important. For Online service providers (OSPs), copyright infringement postings are not easily judged for infringement and require technical analysis, making professional legal advice essential. Law firm Veat is providing specialized legal advice on the Copyright Act, based on extensive experience in providing legal advice on the responsibility and duty of care of OSPs. If you have any questions regarding the responsibility of Online service providers (OSPs), please contact Law firm Veat at any time. Thank you. From Law firm Veat
[Law Newspaper] Law firm Veat emerges as a ‘dark horse’ in the corporate advisory field, including IT and startups.
Law firm Veat was introduced in the Law Times article “Law firm Veat, IT·Startup, etc., Emerges as a ‘Dark Horse’ in Corporate Advisory Field.” This article focuses on Veat’s provision of high-level advisory services to IT companies, venture companies, and ICT-based startups as its major client base. Partner Attorneys Song Do-young and Baek Seung-cheol stated, “We think we are preferred because we can freely interpret the two languages of IT and law, making smooth communication with clients possible,” and added, “While there is the difficulty of creating precedents because we deal with legal issues in new industries, solving those problems is Veat’s unique color and identity.” For more details, please refer to the link to review the article, and if you need help with the growth of venture·startup companies from the regulatory sandbox to investment, please contact Law firm Veat. Thank you. From Law firm Veat
[Consulting] Providing crawling-related consulting to game company A. Law firm Veat.
Law firm Veat provided legal advice to A, a company engaged in game development and supply, regarding crawling. Crawling is a term referring to the act of bringing a webpage as is and extracting data from it. A inquired whether the act of mechanically copying information from a specific website using an automated method and storing it on a separate server would violate any laws. Veat reviewed the potential legal issues associated with crawling under current law. ▲ In a recent court decision, crawling programs were used to access servers without access privileges, and the case was judged as a violation of the 「Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection」 (Information and Communications Network Act) as an illegal access to communication network. (Seoul Central District Court, February 2020. 11, 2019 Defendant 1777) ▲ It could violate the 「Copyright Act」 if the entire or substantial portion of a database is reproduced, distributed, broadcast, or transmitted. ▲ If the HTML source of a third-party website is copied using a crawling method and posted on the company's website, it may be a prohibited act of unfair competition under the 「Act on Prevention of Unfair Competition and Protection of Business Secrets」 (Unfair Competition Prevention Act). (Seoul Central District Court, February 2016. 17, 2015 Defendant 517982) ▲ It also provided guidance on the possibility of violating the 「Criminal Law」’s crime of disrupting business by causing malfunction of computer systems and the 「Personal Information Protection Act」. As we enter the era of big data, the importance of technology to collect and search information that is stored in numerous places is increasing. Crawling is not only an area where various laws apply, but also an area where the applicability of regulations can vary depending on the specific facts, making it difficult to determine easily. Therefore, professional legal guidance is essential. Law firm Veat is an IT-specialized law firm composed of IT specialized lawyers selected by the bar association and lawyers with engineering backgrounds. Based on extensive experience in software-related lawsuits, it provides professional legal services for IT-related disputes. Those who need legal advice on crawling, the Information and Communications Network Act, the Copyright Act, the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, the crime of disrupting business by causing malfunction of computer systems, etc. are welcome to contact Law firm Veat. Thank you. Law firm Veat
Songdo Young, Partner Attorney, contributed an article to the Korea Administrative Research Institute’s journal regarding "One Year of Korean-Style Regulatory Sandbox Implementation: Achievements and Future Tasks."
Law firm Veat’s Song Do-young partner attorney contributed to the “Administrative Focus,” published by the Korea Administrative Development Institute, on the topic of “One Year of Korean-style Regulatory Sandbox Implementation: Achievements and Future Tasks.” In this publication, attorney Song Do-young, based on his experience performing various regulatory sandbox application procedures and legal consulting, examined the operation of the Korean-style regulatory sandbox system and practical issues over the past year, and expressed his opinions on legislative matters or operational issues that should be amended or supplemented to enhance the Korean-style regulatory sandbox system in 2020. Please refer to the original article for more details, and Law firm Veat is providing specialized advice on regulatory sandboxes, regulatory innovation, and legislative consulting, centered around partner attorneys Song Do-young, Baek Seung-cheol, and Jo Eun-byeol. If you have any questions regarding regulatory sandboxes, regulatory innovation, and legislative consulting, please contact Law firm Veat here.
[News] Partner Attorney Songdo Young's article contributed to Korea Institute of Public Administration's magazine regarding ‘One Year of Korean Regulatory Sandbox Implementation: Achievements and Future Tasks’
Law firm Veat’s Song Do-young partner attorney contributed to the ‘Administrative Focus’ published by the Korea Institute of Public Administration on ‘Achievements and Future Tasks in Commemoration of the First Anniversary of the Korean-style Regulatory Sandbox’s Implementation’ In this publication, attorney Song Do-young, based on his experience performing various regulatory sandbox proposal preparation tasks and legal consulting, examined the operation of the Korean-style regulatory sandbox system over the past year and practical issues, and expressed his opinions on legislative or operational issues that should be amended or supplemented to enhance the Korean-style regulatory sandbox system in 2020. Please refer to the original text for more details, and Law firm Veat is providing professional advice on regulatory sandbox, regulatory innovation and legislative consulting centered around partner attorneys Song Do-young, Baek Seung-cheol and Jo Eun-byeol. If you have any questions regarding the regulatory sandbox, regulatory innovation and legislative consulting, please contact Law firm Veat. Thank you. From Law firm Veat If you would like to check attorney Song Do-young’s additional career, click here to check.
[News] Law firm Veat, implementing remote consultation in response to COVID-19
As the COVID-19 crisis alert level is elevated to the highest level, 'Serious', a wind of change is blowing through the legal community in preparation. Courts are postponing most trial dates, entering an unexpected recess, and private companies are actively responding to the national disaster by introducing remote work and minimizing face-to-face meetings. Law firm Veat, as an IT-specialized law firm, is implementing strengthened COVID-19 prevention measures based on its experience in utilizing various IT technologies, such as conference calls and remote work systems. Except when face-to-face meetings are unavoidable, non-face-to-face consultations, such as email advice or video conferences, are the principle, and when on-site face-to-face meetings are unavoidable, only a small number of people are placed in the conference room to maintain a safe distance, and desktops and wired equipment are also regularly disinfected. In particular, Law firm Veat ① has been transitioning from face-to-face consultations at the 2020 ICT Regulatory Sandbox Consultation Center to a rapid response system after written inquiries since the early stages of the COVID-19 spread, and ② the legal consultation for companies located in Ulsan, which is being conducted with the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation Ulsan Regional Headquarters, is also providing online advice through video conferences or email. Law firm Veat will also actively participate in the government's policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while doing its best to respond quickly to the advice of companies. Thank you. Law firm Veat
[Consulting] Received a request from A Company, which produces eco-friendly products, to review and revise an English standard supply contract.
Law firm Veat received a request from Company A, which produces eco-friendly products, to review and revise an English standard supply contract and provided it. A standard supply contract is a document that anticipates similar contracts with numerous contractors in the future and pre-determines the contract content. As Company A was entering into a contract with Company B to supply its products, they requested a legal review of the English standard supply contract. Veat thoroughly reviewed the standard supply contract and identified that reasons for contract termination and the scope of confidential information were missing or inadequately written. Based on related legislation such as the Civil Act, the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce (Electronic Commerce Act) and the Act on Regulation of Standard Clauses (Standard Clauses Regulation Act), Veat added provisions regarding ▲provisions relating to the limitation of cancellation, ▲provisions relating to the cancellation of contracts by minors, ▲limitations of company’s liability, and provided it. Law firm Veat, with experience providing drafting and review advice on numerous product supply-related contracts, helps to prevent potential disputes. Those who require legal review regarding the standard product supply contract are welcome to contact Law firm Veat. Thank you. From Law firm Veat
[Advice] Providing advice related to overseas direct investment reporting during the Flip process.
Law firm Veat provided legal advice to A, who holds shares in a US corporation as a domestic investor during the Flip process, regarding the necessity of reporting foreign direct investment. Flip means a procedure for converting a foreign corporation whereby a domestic company establishes a foreign corporation and the newly established foreign corporation becomes a subsidiary of the domestic company. When a Flip, the procedure for converting a foreign corporation, is carried out, the location of the parent company or holding company changes from the domestic to a foreign country, but the composition of shareholders remains the same in the foreign corporation. Because of various advantages such as the ease of receiving investment from overseas venture capital firms, many startups are highly interested in the procedure for converting a foreign corporation, Flip. However, if the acquisition of foreign stock corresponds to foreign direct investment under the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, a prior report must be filed, and in some cases, a reporting obligation arises even if the acquisition of shares is less than 10%, so it is considered necessary to have legal advice from a specialized attorney. Veat reviewed the Foreign Investment Promotion Act, the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, and other relevant legislation to confirm the necessity of reporting by the Korean shareholder in A’s Flip process, and after considering the particularities of the transaction, compiled opinions from banks, the Bank of Korea, and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and based on this, prepared the documents and submission materials for reporting foreign direct investment. Law firm Veat has built trust relationships with local law firms located in the US, Europe, and Singapore through numerous Flip experiences, and collaborates closely as needed to provide consulting services. If you need legal advice regarding Flip and reporting foreign direct investment, please contact Law firm Veat. Thank you. Law firm Veat
[Money Today] “Local SMEs’ suffocating regulations breathe freely, thanks to ‘Helpdesk’.”
Money Today’s article “Regional SMEs’ regulations are stifling, ‘Help Desk’ opens the way” featured a short interview with Law firm Veat’s Song Do-young Partner Lawyer. Song Do-young Partner Lawyer, who is active as a legal consulting committee member in the ‘Chosun Shipbuilding SW Convergence Cluster Project’, explained about the ‘Help Desk’ which provides sandbox consulting to regional SMEs, saying “It provides customized legal support so that local field companies do not lose market competitiveness due to regulations.”