At a Glance: As proposed, the DNA would bring major changes to the EU’s digital infrastructure and telecom framework. In particular, the EC inter alia proposes to introduce the following: A copper network switch off by 31 December 2035 (earlier in regions where 95% fibre coverage would be achieved, and affordable retail connectivity would be … Continue Reading
The authors wish to thank Joshua Saunders for his contributions to this post. In February 2025 we reported on the UK government consultation on potential changes to UK copyright legislation in light of AI, Clock is Ticking for Responses to UK Government Consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence | Global IP & Technology Law Blog. … Continue Reading
Meta’s eye-catching end-of-year acquisition of Manus, a Singapore-based developer of AI agents, for a purported value of more than $2 billion[1], reflects a wider sector shift towards the development and deployment of semi-autonomous, outcome-focused, software agents, which are capable of performing complex tasks without direct and constant human input. The Meta deal notably follows Salesforce’s … Continue Reading
Readers will recall that the Deputy Commissioner for Patents issued a memorandum on evaluating patent claims for subject matter eligibility in August, which we blogged about previously. The August 2025 Memorandum noted that a patent application “does not need to explicitly set forth the improvement [to the functioning of a computer or to another technology … Continue Reading
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—unless you’re Santa and your trade secrets just got swiped by a disgruntled elf with no holiday cheer, wielding powerful magical artificial intelligence (AI) tools like “ElfGPT.” As snow falls over the North Pole and elves frantically race to meet their Christmas Eve deadline, a new kind of … Continue Reading
As readers may recall, in February 2024, the USPTO issued guidance on inventorship in AI-assisted inventions, which we wrote about here. On November 26, 2025, the USPTO rescinded that guidance and replaced it with new guidance. By way of background, the February 2024 Guidance analyzed the naming of inventors for AI-assisted inventions using the Pannu … Continue Reading
On 4 November 2025 the UK High Court handed down its judgment in the case of Getty Images (US) Inc (and others) v Stability AI Limited [2025] EWHC 2863 (Ch) [High Court Judgment Template]. The case concerned the training, development and deployment of Stability AI’s “Stable Diffusion” generative AI model and, as one of the … Continue Reading
The UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has officially confirmed the mobile network operators that will participate in the highly anticipated millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum auction. The auction, which will release valuable spectrum in the 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands, is a key step in advancing the UK’s 5G infrastructure, particularly in densely populated urban areas. … Continue Reading
On August 4, the Deputy Commissioner of Patents issued a memorandum to Examiners on evaluation of claims in software-implemented inventions for subject matter eligibility under Section 101. While the memorandum does not fundamentally change the USPTO’s guidance published in the MPEP, the memorandum does provide useful clues as to how the USPTO and the Examining … Continue Reading
As many will know, the Autonomous Vehicle Act 2024 (the “AV Act”) paved the way to legalising the use of autonomous vehicles on UK roads. However, before any autonomous vehicles can be used on the UK roads (other than under controlled trials), it is important to be aware that the AV Act does not, at … Continue Reading
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) [Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024] has both increased consumer protection rights in the UK and the enforcement powers of the main consumer regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which for the first time has been granted wide-ranging powers to investigate suspected breaches of … Continue Reading
As cyber security continues to make be headline news it is timely that on 7 May 2025 the UK government published a new voluntary Software Security Code of Practice: Software Security Code of Practice – GOV.UK This Code is designed to be complementary to relevant international approaches and existing standards and where possible reflects internationally … Continue Reading
The authors wish to thank Royce Clemente for his contributions to this post. In the recent case of Jaevee Homes Limited v. Mr Steven Fincham, the English High Court has handed down judgment that an exchange of WhatsApp messages between the parties formed a basic and legally binding contract, providing a reminder to parties involved … Continue Reading
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into business operations, IT contracts covering the provision of AI systems are evolving to include critical safeguards. One emerging concept is the AI circuit breaker, a contractual mechanism that provides for an intervention, or override, where an AI system exhibits undesirable or harmful behavior. When contracting for AI, businesses … Continue Reading
In Insulet Corporation v. EOFlow Co., Ltd. et al., after a month-long jury trial, a federal court in Boston dropped the hammer on an insulin patch pump producer for misappropriating the trade secrets of its competitor. The jury found that EOFlow, a South Korean company, its U.S. subsidiary, and several individual defendants, including former employees … Continue Reading
If you’re a patent practitioner who works with innovation related to artificial intelligence, you’ll want to consider the Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Recentive Analytics, Inc. v. Fox. Corp. This decision is the first to explicitly consider patent eligibility in the context of the use of artificial intelligence. The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court’s … Continue Reading
The recent Federal Circuit decision in AMS-OSRAM USA Inc. v. Renesas Electronics America, Inc. offers valuable lessons related to failed merger attempts, specifically the vast exposure that can result from a party breaching its confidentiality obligations. This protracted case—lasting more than 15 years and involving multiple trials and appeals—also highlights important principles about trade secret … Continue Reading
Recent actions from the USPTO have engendered a great deal of discussion among the bar practicing before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. On February 28, 2025, acting Director Stewart rescinded former Director Vidal’s Guidance Memorandum for handling discretionary denials in inter partes review proceedings before the Board. On March 24, 2025, Chief Judge Boalick … Continue Reading
In October 2024 we reported on the case of Kompakwerk GmbH v Liveperson Netherlands B.V. [CL-2018-000802] which concerned the question of whether an agent selling access to end users in Great Britain to a third-party software as a service (SaaS) product should be considered an agent for the purposes of the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations … Continue Reading
In the UK, intellectual property (IP) infringement claims and other disputes in which IP is a major concern can be brought in either the High Court or in many cases the specialist Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC). Based at the Rolls Building in central London, the IPEC has a more streamlined procedure than the High … Continue Reading
The authors wish to thank Sumaiyah Razzaq for her contributions to this post. Ever since the emergence of generative AI, a major concern for all participants has been the extent to which copyright works can and should be used in training AI models. The application of UK copyright law for this purpose is disputed, leading … Continue Reading
Ofcom has announced its intention to auction the upper block of 1.4 GHz band (1492-1517 MHz) for 4G and 5G mobile use. It expects that further deployment of the upper block of the 1.4 GHz band will help improve the performance of mobile services, particularly in areas where coverage is patchy, such as some indoor … Continue Reading
For 30 years many third-party agents who buy or sell goods in Great Britain on the behalf of another (their principal) as opposed to in the agent’s own name have qualified for protection under the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993 [The Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993] (the Regulations). If the criteria for the … Continue Reading
In an eagerly anticipated judgment dated 27 September 2024 (case number 310 O 227/23) the Hamburg District Court dismissed the complaint by photographer Robert Kneschke asserting claims for copyright infringement against non-profit Large-scale Artificial Intelligence Open Network (LAION) based on the use of his photograph in a data set for training AI image generators. Mr. … Continue Reading
