Government bodies

Taxation and Customs Union

The website of the European Commission’s Taxation and Customs Union Directorate-General provides information on the Commission’s work on taxation and the customs union, with the ‘What’s new?’ section detailing recent developments. Links are provided to taxation and customs legislation adopted since 2003 as well as proposals tabled by the Commission, all of which are downloadable in PDF format. Catalogues of case law on direct and indirect taxation are also available in PDF, although some of these are only available in French.

The constitutional court of Azerbaijan republic

The official website of the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan, providing information on the history and up-to-date news surrounding the court. There is a list of the members of the court with profiles on each member. The website publishes decisions of the court (most recent published 2009) in pdf and word formats. Under “Legislation” is found a copy of the Constitution and the Law relating to the Constitution, also in pdf and word. The site is available in Azeri, English and Russian.

Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property was founded in Bern in 1888. It is the Federal Agency for intellectual property matters but has its own legal personality and is independent of the Swiss Federal budget. Its primary role is as a first point of contact for customers who need industrial property rights. The site provides background information about patents, trademarks, designs and copyright, with links to further details. Forms for completion and submission are available to download in Word and PDF formats.

Human Tissue Authority

The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) is a watchdog which licences and regulates organisations that store and use human tissue from both the living and deceased. Its website includes sections on licensing and inspections; information about body, tissue and organ donation; legislation, policies and codes of practice, including links to the Human Tissue Act 2004 and the Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006; HTA publications and HTA consultations.

Legimonaco

Official law website for the Principality of Monaco, provided by the Ministère d’Etat. The legislation section comprises the Monaco Constitution; the Civil Code, Penal Code, Commercial Code and other codes; it also has individual laws from 1920 onwards. Draft laws and recently passed laws are provided under the heading “Actualité législative”.

The DoJ & CD

Website of the Department of Justice & Constitutional Development, South Africa. Provides a detailed description of the individual South African courts and their position in the court hierarchy with a link to the court’s own site if available. A section on legislation gives access to Acts and Regulations relating to the work of the department which have been passed since 1994. There are additional sections relating to Bills, Draft regulations, Rules and Practice directions. The 1996 South African Constitution is also available (updated to 16th amendment, 2010).

South African Labour Courts

Website of the South African Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court. The South African Labour Court has the same status as a high court. Further appeals can be made to the Labour Appeal Court. Links are available to the texts of relevant statutes, regulations and also to the practice directions of both courts. Access is given to full text judgments from 1996. A separate RSS feed allows users to check on the most recent decisions and news from the court.

Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania

Official website of the parliament (Seimas) of the Lithuanian Republic. Contains detailed information regarding the history, structure, operation and workings of the Parliament, including the various parliamentary officers and sub committees, parliamentary documents and press releases, and public and international relations information. Contains a searchable database of full text English translations of Lithuanian legislation. Also contains English translations of all relevant EU legislation. The site can be viewed in Lithuanian and English.

State patent bureau of the Republic of Lithuania

Official website of the State patent bureau of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublikos valstybinis patentu). The Bureau is an executive body of the Republic of Lithuania, State budgetary agency, responsible for the legal protection of industrial property (inventions, designs, trademarks and service marks, semiconductor product topographies) in Lithuania. The website makes available the Bureau’s Official Gazette and annual reports, together with databases of Lithuanian trademarks, designs and patents.

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