Fresh Perspectives | Edition #18
Our latest thinking on the legal and trending issues that matter to your business
1. The 2026 Freshfields Data law trends report
Data law has become a global fault line: divergent rules, intensifying enforcement and competing agendas across jurisdictions are fracturing what businesses once considered predictable.
Our 2026 Data law trends report is your early warning system, your trend-map and your strategic briefing rolled into one. It helps you see what’s coming, understand what matters and respond effectively. The next chapter of data law is being written. Your guide to navigating it starts here.
2. The ‘E’ of ESG: Sustainable products - new EU Ecodesign rules for unsold consumer products
The EU Commission is poised to adopt implementing rules for the EU Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR) that will give effect to new audited transparency requirements and a destruction ban for certain unsold consumer products contained in ESPR.
The EU Commission recently published draft delegated and implementing acts specifying these rules. Our new blog analyses the draft rules and unpacks the practical implications for enterprises doing business in the EU.
3. Shaping Asia’s infrastructure: Legal and regulatory drivers of growth in Singapore and Hong Kong
Asia-Pacific’s infrastructure market is booming - valued at US$1.61tn in 2025 and projected to hit US$2.22tn by 2030. Our new Shaping Asia’s Infrastructure blog series explores the legal and regulatory shifts driving this growth.
Edition #1 provides insight into Singapore and Hong Kong, where both jurisdictions are taking meaningful steps to modernise their infrastructure sectors through legal reform.
4. EU AI Act unpacked: Commission launches consultation on serious AI incident reporting rules
Under Article 73 of the EU AI Act, a serious incident is defined as an incident or malfunction of a high-risk AI system that directly or indirectly leads to one of four outcomes.
What are those outcomes? What reporting duties apply to providers, deployers, or authorities when one occurs? All of that – and more – is covered in edition #30 of our EU AI unpacked blog series.
📚 Click here to explore our full EU AI Act unpacked blog series
5. Doing business in high-risk jurisdictions: Litigation risks in US courts
As global instability intensifies, companies increasingly find themselves operating in or considering entry into high-risk jurisdictions. These areas are not limited to places in active war; they also include high-risk environments where instability - whether political, social, or economic - poses serious challenges for businesses.
Conducting business in these jurisdictions may expose companies to a complex web of legal risks, including significant litigation risks in the United States. These risks are present even for the companies that are not based in the United States and operate primarily overseas.
📚 Click here to explore our full Doing Business in High-Risk Jurisdictions blog series
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