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
The authors wish to thank Sirrul Choudhury for his contributions to this post. On 20 November 2025 the UK government confirmed that the secondary legislation which is required to clarify and bring into force the new consumer subscription contract regime under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) [A New Era for Consumer … 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
As part of a package of measures detailed in its Small Business Plan released today the UK government has announced plans to tackle late payments to small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK with the most significant legislative reforms in over 25 years aimed at introducing the toughest laws on late payment in … Continue Reading
Last week the UK data privacy regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), announced a consultation [ICO call for views on our approach to regulating online advertising | ICO] on its approach to the enforcement of consent requirements under regulation 6 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) [The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC … Continue Reading
In November 2024 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced a project to consider how and when dynamic pricing is being used across different sectors of the UK economy and how that may affect consumers and the wider economy/competition in the UK market [Dynamic pricing project – GOV.UK]. This project is not an enforcement investigation and … 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
The authors wish to thank Royce Clemente for his contribution to this post. The UK Government has delayed the implementation of the Advertising (Less Healthy Food Definitions and Exemptions) Regulations 2024 (“Regulations”), which were due to come into force on 1 October 2025, in order to explicitly exempt ‘pure brand’ advertising from the Regulations. The Regulations … 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
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
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
Consumer law and regulation has been thrusted into the limelight in recent months. The main reason for this is the introduction of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC Act), which received Royal Assent on 24 May 2024. The changes introduced by the DMCC Act are significant and will result in both increased consumer … Continue Reading
On 15 May 2024 the UK Supreme Court handed down its judgement in the case of Lifestyle Equities v Ahmed (Lifestyle Equities C.V. and another (Respondents) v Ahmed and another (Appellants) – The Supreme Court) clarifying the law on the personal liability of individuals who (unknowingly) assist another (the Primary Infringer) to infringe a registered … Continue Reading
The opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games represents one of the most honorable achievements of any athlete’s career. And while Olympians may have always been trailblazers in the world of sports, today’s competitors are more than just athletes – they are brand ambassadors, marketing representatives, and social media influencers. While an athlete’s ability to … Continue Reading
Clear disclosure of an ad is of paramount importance in the advertising world, and we have discussed this previously in our blogs here and here. In the ever-evolving landscape of advertising regulations, the recent decision by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) regarding social media posts by former footballers in relation to Supreme CBD’s products … Continue Reading
The authors thank Zarah Bhatti for her contributions to this post. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned two ads for breach of the rule prohibiting the use of gender stereotypes in advertising, which was introduced in 2019. We commented at the time that these restrictions were likely to see a rise in number … Continue Reading
For every successful brand, it is critical to properly protect and to productively develop and use the underlying intellectual property (IP) in that brand to ensure its long-term growth.… Continue Reading
In a much anticipated judgment, the UK Supreme Court delivered on 20 December 2023 its ruling in the case of Thaler v Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (Thaler (Appellant) v Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (Respondent) – The Supreme Court) on whether an artificial intelligence (AI) system can be named as the … Continue Reading
