On 14 October Pavilion No.7 at the Lenexpo Exhibition Complex was the venue for a construction conference organized by the ‘Delovoy Peterburg’ newspaper. The delegates, leading players in the construction market, met to discuss the current situation in the industry, exchange opinions and predict how events might develop. The conference consisted of four sections, at each of which topical matters in the real estate field were raised. At the end of the conference the editor-in-chief of ‘Delovoy Peterburg’ announced the results of a rating of construction companies, published in the newspaper on 14 October.

Evgeniy Druzhinin, Head of Maxima Legal’s Real Estate and Construction Department, spoke in the first section concerning the cooperation of monopolists, in which he used the example of ‘Lenenergo’ to describe the problems of regulating the activity of network organizations: their system of financing, ‘narrow’ places in their system of regulation and also tendencies of enforcement.

On 10 September the State Duma Property Committee, with the participation of the Russian Federation Ministry for Economic Development, held parliamentary hearings on the subject ‘Prospects and Practical Aspects of the Implementation of Federal Law No. 224 ‘On State-Private Partnerships in the Russian Federation and the Introduction of Amendments to Individual Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation’.

Vladimir Kilinkarov, a Maxima Legal Partner and Head of the company’s Public-Private Partnership Department, read a paper at the hearings in which he spoke about the conception of the new Law on Public-Private Partnerships, its distinguishing characteristics and imperfections, and how these imperfections can be overcome.

On 8 October Maxima Legal, in conjunction with the Institute for the Development of State-Private Partnerships, held a webinar on the subject ‘Concerning Problems Arising in the Preparation and Implementation of Regional and Municipal Public-Private Partnership Projects’. The leaders of the webinar were Vladimir Kilinkarov, Head of Maxima Legal’s Public-Private Partnership Department, and Evgeniy Druzhinin, Head of Maxima Legal’s Real Estate and Construction Department.

During the event over fifty listeners were able to raise matters that interested them with our experts.

Materials from the presentation are available via this link.

On 7 October the editorial board of the ‘Real Estate and Construction in St. Petersburg’ newspaper organized a meeting of professionals in the office market at the new Senator Business Centre in the former Frunzensky Department Store. The meeting was attended by members of the NP Discussion Club: developers, brokers, managers and consultants.

Evgeniy Druzhinin, Head of Maxima Legal’s Real Estate and Construction Department, described the legal niceties arising from attempts to ‘squeeze’ more advantageous conditions out of a contract. In spite of the crisis, most Class A and B business centres have managed to maintain the amount of occupied space at a high level, so the discussion proceeded in a positive frame of mind.

On 29 September a briefing of the Russian-British Chamber of Commerce on the subject ‘Legal Protection of Trademarks and Intellectual Property’ was held at the ‘Palkin’ restaurant. Natalia Zelentsova, a lawyer in Maxima Legal’s Intellectual Property and Information Law Department, informed those attending the event about legislative restrictions in advertising that affect the ways and means of creating and promoting brands.

The matters touched on by Natalya included the use of intellectual property, particularly works of art, in advertising campaigns and some important aspects of the protection of the artists’ rights in such cases.

The briefing was followed by the opening of an exhibition by Honoured Artist of Russia Alexander Kondurov.