The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has recently launched its “Small Print, Big Difference” campaign which encourages travel businesses to be upfront and clear with consumer customers. Although the campaign has been launched with a holiday and travel focus (following the CMA’s investigation into online hotel booking websites), and is supported by ABTA, many … Continue Reading
With womens’ sporting events becoming increasingly popular with tv and live action crowds, brands searching for new sports sponsorship opportunities are turning to womens’ sports. Squire Patton Boggs’ Sports Shorts blog considered the advantages of such deals for brands in a recent post, which also looks at some high value sponsorships in the area. … Continue Reading
The theme for this year is “Reach for Gold: IP and Sports.” Accordingly, the Global Intellectual Property & Technology Blog would like to acknowledge the contributions of all innovators and creators involved in sports, as well as the commitment of the professionals who help secure and enforce their intellectual property and resolve intellectual property issues. … Continue Reading
Advertising agencies aren’t often employed to create interesting concepts for job adverts and it is easy to forget that, just like any other advertisement, job ads must abide by the rules of the CAP Code (the Code). In fact, there is a whole section of the Code dedicated to marketing communications for employment, business opportunities … Continue Reading
Seeking an interim injunction to protect against copyright infringement can often run into difficulties, as demonstrated by the recent judgment in Happy Camper Productions Ltd v British Broadcasting Corporation [2019] EWHC 558 (Ch). The dispute centred on the script for an episode of ‘Pitching in’, a comedy-drama programme by the BBC about a widower in … Continue Reading
Despite the consistent and continuous opposition to the controversial Article 13, the European Parliament has adopted the ‘Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market’ (the Directive). MEPs debated and subsequently voted in favour of the Directive, 348 votes to 274 (36 MEPs abstained). The Final Wording of the Directive The latest version of the … Continue Reading
Over the last year, the Committees of Advertising Practice (the CAP), have taken an increasingly robust view on gambling ads. Last year, it announced tougher standards to be imposed on gambling advertising after its review of gambling advertising revealed that – whilst advertising did not itself play a causal role in problem gambling – claims, … Continue Reading
Last month, Chris Stevens-Smith wrote about football cards’ new lease of life through the use of blockchain for our sister blog Sports Shorts. The article looks at the use of crypto trading cards, and how football clubs are using technology to engage with their fans. You can read the blog here, and subscribe to Sports Shorts … Continue Reading
Lord Burnett of Maldon, the current Lord Chief Justice, has set up a new Advisory Body with the aim of ensuring that the Judiciary of England and Wales is fully informed about developments in artificial intelligence (AI). In setting up the group, Lord Burnett recognised the importance of AI in today’s modern world, and the potential … Continue Reading
In late 2018, the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP and BCAP) announced the introduction of a new rule to deal with the depiction of harmful gender stereotypes in advertising. The new rule will apply to both the broadcast and non-broadcast codes of advertising practice and come into force on 14 June 2019, stating that advertising … Continue Reading
Cryptoassets are coming out of the shadows. Slowly but surely. Over the past decade or so, perhaps principally driven by huge gains (and losses) in the value of Bitcoin, there has been a palpable dawning recognition that cryptoassets, and the distributed ledger technologies (DLT) that underpin and encrypt them (such as Blockchain), are here to … Continue Reading
On 20 February 2019, we reported on the then current status of the “Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market” (the Directive). Unlike the progress of the Directive up until now, matters have progressed quickly in the last couple of weeks.… Continue Reading
The Committee of Advertising Practice (“CAP”) recently drew attention to a number of misleading “faux fur” claims in relation to certain clothes and accessories in its enforcement notice published on 17 January 2019. The notice records CAP’s concern that consumers have been misled by ads for “faux fur” products, in contravention of Section 3 of the … Continue Reading
Whilst uncertainty around the terms of the UK’s exit from the European Union remains, EURid (the European registry manager of .eu domain names) has provided information about what will happen to those .eu domain names which are currently owned by UK registrants. The European Commission has made it clear that, subject to transitional arrangements that … Continue Reading
The UK government has this week published its Outsourcing Playbook (the Playbook) providing guidance for central government on getting outsourcing right, from making the initial decision to outsource through to termination, transition and dealing with supplier failure. With in-boxes groaning under the weight of Brexit related government guidance it would be easy to miss the … Continue Reading
In 2016 the EU proposed the “Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market” (the Directive). Since then, the Directive has been widely debated at EU level and has been the subject of intense campaigning and lobbying, with various interested parties writing numerous open letters to the EU Council’s Working Party on Intellectual Property, the … Continue Reading
In early December 2018, the Geo-Blocking Regulation 2018/302 (the Regulation) came into force across the EU, with the aim of creating a single digital market by banning unjustified geo-blocking (the blocking of access to websites to individuals based in certain territories) and other forms of discrimination based on customers’ nationality, place of residence or establishment … Continue Reading
Last year, the Global IP & Technology Law Blog covered the investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into commercially driven posts on social media, the results of which were published last week. Following the investigation (which considered potential breaches of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008), a number of prominent online … Continue Reading
On the 14 January 2019, the Trade Marks Regulations 2018 (the Regulations) came into force in the UK, amending provisions in the Trade Mark Act 1994 and the Trade Mark Rules 2008, bringing UK trade mark law in line with that of the EU. The Regulations introduce changes to elements of the application process, disputes … Continue Reading
Counterfeit goods now account for up to 2.5% of world trade and 5% of imports in the EU and are a significant problem for many industries in a rapidly evolving digital world. As businesses are aware, tackling IP infringements in counterfeit goods by law enforcement alone is not always effective. Therefore, it will be welcome … Continue Reading
The ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) – a rather vague collective term for the random mix of new technology which has now infiltrated our lives. In simple terms, it is the group of devices that are connected to the Internet. From the fridge which tells its owner that the milk is running low, the interrupting virtual … Continue Reading
The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (“BCAP”) has recently issued revised guidance on the use of superimposed text (“supers”) in TV advertising. Advertisers often use supers to help avoid misleading viewers, as supers can convey information (required for legal or regulatory purposes), to qualify claims made in television ads. However, research by the Advertising Standards … Continue Reading
The Law Commission of England, together with the Scottish Law Commission, last week announced a consultation into the laws around the self-driving vehicles, as they help prepare for a ‘safe and effective deployment’ of such vehicles in the UK. The consultation, which is part of a three year review (running until March 2021) looks at … Continue Reading
Earlier this month the ASA announced its new strategy, More Impact Online, which aims to advance its regulation of online advertising over the next five years. The strategy has been developed following consultation with consumers, industry organisations and the government, and recognises the need for the ASA to move forward and adapt to the changing … Continue Reading
