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Easy access to contact details via .tel domains
New .tel domain names will allow businesses to store and manage their contact details in a directory accessible from any device connected to the internet.
Date: 2008-11-19

Shopping centres' landmark trade mark decision
A landmark High Court judgement has ruled that names and brands of shopping centres can be registered as trade marks.
Date: 2008-11-14

Goodbye statutory procedures, hello ACAS code of practice
The new ACAS Code of Practice (the Code has been approved by the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and will now go to Parliament for final approval.
Date: 2008-11-14

Pressetext case set to be landmark
When do changes to an existing public contract amount to the award of a new contract under EU procurement rules?
Date: 2008-11-12

Prepare for more information access requests businesses told
Companies should be prepared for an increase in the use of subject access requests (SARs) by individuals affected by the economic downturn.
Date: 2008-11-11

Thresholds: Contracts of cross border interest
When do Part B or below the threshold contacts have to be advertised? This is a topical issue, touched on in our Summer 2008 newsletter.
Date: 2008-11-11

Get ready for immigration system’s big shake-up
The biggest shake-up of the immigration system for 45-years happens at the end of November. Tiers 2 and 5 of the new Australian-style points-based system come into force on 27 November 2008.
Date: 2008-11-10

Redundancy rights and wrongs
With the UK economy continuing to be buffeted by the storm of the global financial crisis, the effects are now starting to be felt nearer to home in the real economy.
Date: 2008-11-10

Remedies Directive Consultation
The Remedies Directive was adopted by the EU Council of Ministers and the European Parliament on 11 December 2007 and published in OJEU on 20 December 2007.
Date: 2008-11-10

Internet expansion: the new .brand gTLD
The anticipated new registration scheme allowing companies to apply to register their own gTLD’s will see a huge change in the way in which the internet is structured.
Date: 2008-11-04

New serious crime offences for IP cheats
Trademark and copyright infringers face new punishments as a result of the Serious Crime Act 2007.
Date: 2008-11-03

Sales risks: how exposed is your business?
In the current climate stories are emerging daily of situations where suppliers can no longer obtain credit insurance in respect of particular customers.
Date: 2008-10-23

New regime for temporary agency workers approved by Europe
The European Parliament has approved the controversial temporary agency workers directive after six years of wrangling between EU members. The directive allows for temporary workers in the EU to be treated equally from day one.
Date: 2008-10-22

Employers in tribunal claims will have details disclosed
The Information Commissioner has ordered the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) to disclose names and addresses of respondents to employment tribunal claims made since October 2004.
Date: 2008-10-20

Stress in the workplace: reasons to be fearful
Employers owe a duty of care to staff, and must do all they can to protect employees’ health and safety at work. This extends to protecting employees’ mental health. Employers failing to do so can be liable for unlimited damages for psychiatric injury.
Date: 2008-10-20

Questions over ex gratia payments continue to tax employers
Tax treatment of termination payments is a perennial issue for employers and their lawyers. Employees often believe they are automatically entitled to the first £30,000 of such payments tax free, but this depends on the facts of the individual case.
Date: 2008-10-20

Companies Act offers hope for defending company names
New legislation from 1 October 2008 will give the owners of goodwill in a mark a new weapon against those seeking to take advantage of the reputation of their brand.
Date: 2008-09-29

Review urged as regulators crackdown on non-compliant websites
With a crack-down on non-compliant online retailers under way, now is a good time for operators of e-commerce sites to give themselves a legal health-check.
Date: 2008-09-24

How to stop your website being ‘screen scraped’
When Ryanair hit the news recently by cancelling flight bookings made by passengers through third party websites, the phrase ‘screen scraping’ was heard by many people for the first time.
Date: 2008-09-22

Government set to bypass competition rules and push through HBOS/Lloyds merger
The Government has announced that it intends to issue an “intervention notice” in the Lloyds TSB HBOS merger. This almost unprecedented step effectively bypasses the merger rules which allow regulators to scrutinise and even block anti-competitive deals.
Date: 2008-09-19

Bleak outlook demands updated contracts
Many contracts have been signed in better times. Now the economic outlook is not as bright. Whatever the nature of the agreement (IT, outsourcing, supply etc), there may be a feeling that a contract is no longer providing the value you expect.
Date: 2008-09-03

Think twice before ganging up on Google
Google prompted angry response when it allowed businesses to sponsor keyword search terms consisting of third-party trade marks via its online advertising facility AdWords.
Date: 2008-09-03

Time to get SaaS-y? - Considering Software as a Service
A few years ago cloud computing was something the early adopters said was going to be big but hadn't taken off. With the increasing use of Software as a Service, more and more companies are choosing to put their head in the clouds.
Date: 2008-08-28

BA bosses in price fixing charge
Four British Airways executives are facing prosecution for their part in a pact to fix fuel surcharges. If convicted, each could face a jail sentence of up to five years.
Date: 2008-08-08

Misleading marketing - the cost of getting it wrong
The Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Practices Regulations ("BPR's") and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations ("CPR's") came into force on 26 May 2008. Both sets of Regulations play a part in harmonising laws across the EU.
Date: 2008-08-07

Data security breaches and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
The national news has featured many cases of serious data security breaches. In June it was the retail company Cotton Traders Ltd who illustrated the far reaching consequences of inadequate security systems.
Date: 2008-08-01

Information Commissioner launches his annual report - What your business needs to know
The IC has just released his annual report for 2008 and his message to businesses is clear: "He intends to be a force to be reckoned with" and "although we may have heard similar messages over the years, this time its worth sitting up and listening."
Date: 2008-08-01

Managing sales risk in a credit squeeze
When times are tough you need to know that you will be paid for the products or services you supply.
Date: 2008-08-01

Must you disclose internal investigations to regulators?
Following a serious accident or fatality in the workplace, an organisation will no doubt want to carry out an internal investigation to try and ascertain what the root causes of the incident were and prevent future accidents recurring.
Date: 2008-07-31

House of Lords changes the law on disability-related discrimination
The House of Lords has delivered a major judgement which will change the way in which the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is interpreted and which is expected to make it harder for employees to succeed in claims of disability related discrimination.
Date: 2008-07-14

Commission leads by example and sues elevator cartel for damages
The European Commission has apparently decided to blaze a trail in the relatively untested area of private damages actions.
Date: 2008-07-08

Resolving a dispute? New rules for asking an expert
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is considerably less ‘alternative’ than it was five years ago. The Academy of Experts, the professional body for expert witnesses around the world, has just published new rules for expert determination.
Date: 2008-07-03

Data protection good practice on transfer of TUPE employee liability information
Good practice guidance for dealing with data transfers in the context of a business sale or service provision change has been published by the Information Commissioner
Date: 2008-07-01

Brands' frosty reception for keyword search policy change
Search engine Google has made a significant policy change to its online advertising facility - AdWords - in the UK and Ireland, allowing open bidding on all keyword search terms, including those protected by trademarks.
Date: 2008-06-12

Development agreements and the "OJEU" rules - a new case and a pause for breath
Last Thursday, the European Commission closed an investigation into a development in the German city of Flensburg. This gives us a chance, a year or so on, to look again at how the OJEU rules apply to development agreements.
Date: 2008-06-10

Treating customers fairly - Unfair commercial practices directive
The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 primary objective is to harmonise consumer protection law across the EU by clamping down on unfair sales and marketing practices between businesses and consumers.
Date: 2008-06-09

Planning a new retail IT system
According to statistics, 76% of the leading 100 UK retailers have plans to replace at least one of their core IT systems in 2008.
Date: 2008-05-01

Update on latest cartel fines: Belgian removal cartel and synthetic rubber cartel
The European Commission has continued to take tough action against cartels, imposing fines of €32,755,500 and €34,230,000 on a Belgian removal cartel and a Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) cartel, respectively.
Date: 2008-04-10

Commission imposes €38 million fine on E.ON for breach of a seal during an inspection
In May 2006, as part of an investigation into suspected anti-competitive practices in the German electricity market, the Commission carried out a surprise inspection – or “dawn raid” – of E.ON premises.
Date: 2008-04-10

OFT offers cartel tip-off rewards
The OFT has announced that, for a trial period of 18 months, it will offer cash rewards to individuals that blow the whistle on cartels.
Date: 2008-04-10

Commission launches sector inquiry into pharmaceuticals
The Commission has launched an inquiry into the pharmaceuticals sector, using its powers under Article 17 of Regulation 1/2003 and conducting inspections at a number of pharmaceutical companies.
Date: 2008-04-10

OFT Annual Plan 2008-09
The OFT has published its Annual Plan which sets out its priorities for the next three years.
Date: 2008-04-10

Competition Commission publishes provisional supermarkets remedies report
In November 2007, we reported on the provisional findings of the Competition Commission (CC) in its groceries enquiry.
Date: 2008-04-04

The de minimis exception in merger cases
In November last year, the OFT raised the financial threshold in relation to markets of insufficient importance in merger cases.
Date: 2008-01-11

JJB agrees to pay damages for football shirt price-fixing
JJB Sports has settled the claim brought by Which? on behalf of consumers overcharged by a football shirt price-fixing cartel.
Date: 2008-01-10

CC final report on the Sky/ITV inquiry
Last May, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry referred British Sky Broadcasting (Sky’s) acquisition of a 17.9 per cent share in ITV plc to the Competition Commission for a full investigation.
Date: 2008-01-10

OFT recommendations on private actions in competition law
Last November, the OFT published its recommendations to the government on private actions for competition law damages.
Date: 2008-01-10

First charges in the UK under the criminal cartel offence
In June 2007 we reported that the OFT, the European Commission and the US Department of Justice were carrying out an investigation into a marine hose cartel. Marine hose is used for transporting oil between tankers and storage facilities.
Date: 2008-01-10

Update on the supermarket and dairies OFT investigation
In September 2007, we reported that the OFT had found evidence suggesting that certain supermarkets and dairies had been engaging in price fixing.
Date: 2008-01-10

Groceries report: Competition update
The Competition Commission (CC) produced its provisional findings, on Wednesday 31 October, on the long-running groceries inquiry. This is an “interim” report, and still subject to consultation.
Date: 2007-11-02

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