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Lucasfilm did not benefit in any way at Tyburn Film Productions Ltd's expense, counsel said to the appeals court there on 3 December 2025, in part because it already possessed rights over Cushing's likeness and an agreement and consent from the Cushing estate to 'resurrect' him as Grand Moff Tarkin. Tyburn contends it earlier made an agreement with the late actor then, at the time, granting the company a veto over any use of his image prior to his 1994 death. That contract concerns a TV series titled 'Heritage of Horror', which never aired. Tyburn further asserts the deal permits it to effectively 'resurrect' Cushing using stand-ins and CGI to ultimately finish the programme then if the actor were to die whilst filming remained in progress...
Irish telecom operator Eircom’s damages lawsuit against BT Group over a public-sector contract must be carefully managed to trial to deal with confidentiality issues and other matters, a UK judge told the parties today. At the High Court in London today, a judge said Eircom’s damages action against BT over a public-sector contract needs tight case management through to trial to address confidentiality and related concerns. Eircom brought the claim after Ofcom in 2020 penalised BT for its behaviour during a tender. Speaking to both sides, Judge Adam Johnson urged them to resolve any confidentiality flashpoints themselves and signalled he had no wish to step in unless it became unavoidable. He also expressed confidence that parties would do everything possible to keep confidential designations to a minimum, noting this was necessary to maintain control over the conduct of the trial. He framed this as the
The following document is attached: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/274 dated 5 February 2026, revising Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1981, establishing a final anti-dumping levy on imports of ceramic tableware and kitchenware produced in...
Justice Richard Arnold granted AstraZeneca leave to appeal and permitted lorries carrying about 175,000 packs of Glenmark’s generics to move on to wholesalers, provided they did not reach pharmacy shelves while the case continued at any point during those interim proceedings. In this way, Glenmark could keep its first-to-market advantage, while causing only minimal detriment to AstraZeneca should the Court of Appeal later be persuaded to issue an injunction against supply. The judge said this approach maintained the status quo with the least possible prejudice to Glenmark’s position overall. The hearing was arranged at short notice, just days after the High Court refused AstraZeneca an injunction to block the diabetes generic from sale while the court considered whether the patents supporting the branded medicine were valid in law. Glenmark, Generics (UK) Ltd and Teva Pharmaceuticals have each begun proceedings in the UK to set...
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after the Irish privacy regulator said today the social media company has introduced ‘significant’ steps to uphold users’ own personal data rights when training its AI system with public Instagram and Facebook content. The Irish Data Protection Commission said Meta has been ‘responsive’ to its requests to carry out its recommendations concerning the potential impact on individuals’ data protection rights when teaching its AI model with public posts from adults. Meta first unveiled its plans to commence training of a Large Language Model in March 2024. The company halted the plans after the Irish watchdog highlighted several privacy shortcomings. AI systems, especially Large Language Models, are often trained with vast amounts of data gathered on the open internet without much separation between personal and non-personal data. Pressure groups, such......
In this edition: EU fundamentals Commercial Corporate Data protection and cyber security Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment Insurance and reinsurance IP Life sciences Regulatory TMT International trade Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals Commission unveils EU Single Market Strategy The European Commission has set out a fresh Single Market Strategy, intended to deliver a simpler, more seamless and stronger European domestic market. See: LNB News 21/05/2025 23. First UK– EU summit seals new strategic partnership The inaugural UK– EU summit on 19 May 2025 concluded with a ‘new strategic partnership’, building on the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Co-operation Agreement. Core elements include a pledge to progress a Sanitary and Phytosanitary ( SPS) Agreement, an agreement on UK participation in the EU internal electricity market, and an agreement linking the UK and EU emissions trading schemes ( ETSs). In addition, a new Security and Defence Partnership was agreed. Annual summits will follow. See: LNB News...
This edition covers: Commercial Competition and state aid Data protection and cybersecurity Financial services Energy Environment Insurance and reinsurance IP Life sciences TMT International trade Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Commercial Court of Justice of the EU rules on (un)fairness of profit-sharing clause in minor athlete’s contract In a significant judgment, the Court of Justice has confirmed that EU consumer protection rules extend to agreements with minors in the sports arena. A term requiring a young sportsperson to surrender a portion of future earnings to a talent agency upon turning professional can be classed as unfair under Directive 93/13/ EEC (the EU UTCCD) where it is not clear and comprehensible about the financial impact of the promise made. Staying consistent with its consumer...
EUIPO Executive Director João Negrão informed the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs that it is sensible to look at extending the EUIPO’s current mediation centre to cover copyright disputes, alongside its alternative dispute resolution services for parties embroiled in trade mark and design conflicts. ‘ I believe that would serve everyone’s interests,’ Negrão stated. He observed that the office would have to broaden the regulatory basis for the centre, yet said he is ‘more than willing’ to examine the idea. Negrão was appearing before......
EU court says Commission failed to justify rejecting vaccine message request The EU court found that the Commission did not credibly set out reasons for turning down a New York Times journalist’s bid for messages concerning the body’s vaccine procurement during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the General Court of the European Union, the Commission also fell short in explaining its refusal to release exchanges between von der Leyen and Albert Bourla related to the body’s vaccine purchasing amid the pandemic. In November 2022, the Commission dismissed an application by Matina Stevis- Gridneff, then the New York Times’ Brussels bureau chief, seeking access to those communications. The EU’s executive branch stated it did not possess the records covered by the request. Following that refusal, Stevis- Gridneff applied to the General Court, seeking to have the decision annulled......
AI healthcare in Europe AI is transforming healthcare by sharpening diagnostic accuracy, forecasting patient risk, and speeding up drug discovery and development, thereby streamlining development pipelines. Predictive AI models can be trained on extensive historical clinical data to deliver reliable predictions and estimations that support a wide range of healthcare tasks. For example, by training an AI system on archives of medical images linked to specific diseases, the model can then analyse a patient’s scan to judge whether the patient has a condition in practice. Contemporary models can detect disease with high precision and, with improved confidence, uncover abnormalities that might otherwise be overlooked by human reviewers. The rapid advance of AI technologies in healthcare also opens new and attractive opportunities to secure intellectual property. While obtaining patent protection for AI-led innovations may involve navigating intricate legal and technical issues, these obstacles can be...
The major changes being introduced by the EU, specifically the EU design legislative reform package adopted by the Council of the EU on 10 October 2024 These measures comprise Directive ( EU) 2024/2823 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2024 on the legal protection of designs (recast), together with the amendment to Regulation ( EU) 2024/2822 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2024, which modifies Council Regulation ( EC) 6/2002 on Community designs and repeals Commission Regulation ( EC) 2246/2002. The package is poised to open fresh opportunities and prompt new considerations for almost all businesses active in the EU or interacting with its markets. This Law360 analysis highlights the principal updates and their practical implications for companies, setting out workable ideas on how to plan strategically for the transition. A further feature of the...
A substantial penalty, imposed on Tik Tok on 2 May 2025 by Ireland’s privacy regulator, has sparked serious and widespread doubts over whether any firm exporting personal data to China can do so lawfully under EU data‑protection rules. Byte Dance, Tik Tok’s parent, was hit with a €530m (around $600m) fine after the Irish Data Protection Commission ( DPC) found it had failed to ‘verify, guarantee and demonstrate’ that EU users’ data—remotely accessed by staff in China—enjoyed safeguards ‘essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the EU’. Concern over data flows to China has further intensified. The US government has now explicitly barred the movement of bulk sensitive personal data or government-related information between US persons and ‘countries of concern’—notably China. ‘ The screw is turning on restricting the flow of data to China, under the banner of privacy, national security and...
In this issue: EU fundamentals Data protection and cybersecurity Financial services Energy IP Life sciences Regulatory TMT Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals European Commission releases May 2025 infringement package The European Commission has unveiled its May 2025 infringement package, identifying EU Member States targeted for failing to meet duties under EU legislation. It sets out those addressed for non-compliance with EU law. The package lists enforcement actions—ranging from letters of formal notice and reasoned opinions to Court of Justice referrals—triggered by violations of specific Directives and Regulations across policy areas. See: LNB News 07/05/2025 40. Data protection and cybersecurity Ireland- DPC fines Tik Tok €530m for GDPR breaches in China data transfers The Irish Data Protection Commission ( DPC) has levied a €530m penalty on Tik Tok Technology Limited ( Tik Tok) for...
EU AI Act timeline for GPAI Code of Practice Under the EU AI Act, the Code of Practice must be finalised by 2 May 2025 at the latest, and the European Commission’s AI Office is obliged to take the ‘necessary steps’ so the Code is recognised as an official compliance instrument. Yet, earlier this week the EU AI Office informed participants in the drafting work that ‘the final GPAI Code of Practice and the Commission guidelines on GPAI [are] expected to be published ahead of August 2025’. Its communication further notes: ‘ This extension of the deadline comes as a result of prioritising extended feedback cycles (as requested by all stakeholders), and to give stakeholders four weeks to respond to the consultation on guidelines’. According to the Commission’s updated website, the definitive Code will be presented at the closing plenary session and issued by August 2025,...
On 29 April 2025, the EU's General Court confirmed that the EU Intellectual Property Office's ( EUIPO) Board of Appeal was correct to conclude that there are insufficient visual, aural and conceptual cues to distinguish Dr August Wolff Gmb H & Co KG Arzneimittel's ' Vagisan' sign from Combe International LLC's ' Vagisil' brand. The court stated that, although the element 'vagi' hints at the goods' intended purpose, that does not negate the resemblance between the signs arising from that shared component, nor from their identical structure, cadence and intonation. The Board of Appeal determined that both marks contain the segment 'vagi', which points to 'vagina' and indicates the products' function within female intimate healthcare, and the court upheld that assessment, finding the similarities sufficient to preclude differentiation for the purposes at issue in this particular case......
In this issue: Data protection and cybersecurity Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment Insurance and reinsurance IP Life sciences Regulatory TMT International trade Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Data protection and cybersecurity Main challenges of EU AI Act- GDPR interplay identified by Member States MLex: EU countries flag potentially clashing legal duties, national governance models to secure regulatory coherence, and a call for clear legal guidance to reduce compliance burdens as the key concerns in aligning the EU AI Act with Regulation ( EU) 2016/679 (the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation ( EU GDPR)). European governments caution that the regimes’ differing supervisory approaches could produce inconsistent outcomes, which should be prevented through structured co-operation among the competent authorities. See News Analysis: Main challenges of EU AI Act- GDPR interplay identified by Member States. Free movement, immigration and employment European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee proposes flexible Entry- Exit System rollout plan On 23 April 2025, the...
Companies across fashion, entertainment, healthcare and gaming stand to gain from the EU’s refreshed design regime arriving on 1 May 2025. The package ushers in sweeping updates to design rights, bolsters legal safeguards and even rebrands community designs as ‘ European Union Designs’. Experts caution IP practitioners to track the headline changes as the measures start to take effect in May. Giulia Maienza, senior associate at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, warned that although roll-out will be staged, businesses should promptly audit design portfolios and refine future design plans now to stay ahead and be prepared when the full framework applies. The Council of the EU signed off the reforms in October 2024, overhauling the Directive on legal protection of designs and amending the regulation governing community designs. See: LNB News 10/10/2024 58. According to the Council, a key objective is to ‘improve the...
On 14 March 2025, delegates from EU Member States examined the interaction between the two regimes, aiming to pinpoint compliance hurdles for both supervised organisations and supervisory authorities. Following this exchange of views, Poland, the current chair of the EU diplomatic discussions, collated the contributions and prepared a synopsis — obtained by MLex — setting out principal takeaways on the core issues identified. The resulting summary will be tabled for debate at a meeting of national representatives. Differing regulatory approaches Most European governments underlined how the two laws diverge in regulatory design. The EU GDPR safeguards personal data through a fundamental‑rights lens, while the AI Act functions as product‑safety legislation, imposing targeted obligations calibrated to the level of risk. For a number of Member States, this divergence in underlying logic could produce contradictory regulatory outcomes, whereby an AI system is judged compliant with the AI Act but not...
Commission Guidance—clarifying early obligations Since the very start of the year, the Commission has issued six notable guidance documents to help support compliance with the EU AI Act. On 4 February 2025, it unveiled the AI Literacy Repository to support Article 4, in force from 2 February 2025, which obliges organisations to actively promote AI literacy internally (see: LNB News 05/02/2025 43). The repository showcases practical training initiatives from early adopters and provides a benchmark for companies developing internal competence frameworks. On the same day, it released draft Guidelines on Prohibited AI Practices under Article 5, also applicable from February, offering legal interpretation with illustrative examples (see: LNB News 05/02/2025 39). Prohibitions include subliminal manipulation, exploitative systems, real-time biometric surveillance, and social scoring. Although non-binding, the guidelines act as authoritative reference points for organisations and should be built directly into risk...
The European Commission has concluded its EU Digital Markets Act ( EU DMA) probe into Apple’s user choice obligations after i OS changes, featuring a redesigned browser choice screen and wider app removal options......
Suppliers of general‑purpose AI models, including Open AI, Anthropic, and Microsoft, witnessed the Commission set out its preliminary approach to implementing the EU AI Act’s pertinent provisions, preceding the publication, in due course, of administrative guidance on the matter itself. This initial approach was issued within a consultation intended to solicit input from AI companies, downstream actors, public authorities, and civil society on forthcoming GPAI guidance. See: LNB News 22/04/2025 37. The guidance will clarify core concepts in the EU AI Act, and this early approach offers a first view of how the Commission, which will also be the sole enforcer of the GPAI provisions, reads them. General-purpose AI models Among the first issues the guidance seeks to elucidate are the practical criteria for deciding when a model comes within the scope of the EU AI Act. In particular, the Commission notes that the key...
MLex: The challenge of guaranteeing child protection and applying age-verification for under-18s across social media and entertainment services is increasingly vexing regulators within the EU seriously......
In this issue: Corporate Data protection and cybersecurity Financial services Energy Environment Insurance and reinsurance IP Life sciences Regulatory TMT International trade Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers There will be no Weekly Highlights on 24 April 2025. Corporate Corporate Omnibus package: ‘ Stop the Clock’ Directive postponing application of sustainability rules published in Official Journal Directive ( EU) 2025/794 of the European Parliament and of the Council of the EU, dated 14 April 2025, amends Directives ( EU) 2022/2464 and ( EU) 2024/1760 in relation to the dates from which Member States must apply specified corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence obligations. The measure has appeared in the Official Journal of the EU. See: LNB News 16/04/2025 25. Data protection and...
In a non-binding opinion, Advocate General Tamara Ćapeta held that the EUIPO erred by overlooking Nowhere Co Ltd’s UK trade marks when it dismissed the company’s opposition to Junguo Ye’s 2015 trade mark application for a cartoon monkey. Ćapeta noted that Nowhere Co’s registrations remained in force up to the UK’s exit from the EU at midnight on 31 December 2020, so a clash with Ye’s logo could have existed until that point. She added that, from 1 January 2021, when the UK left the EU, the EUIPO could have automatically rejected the opposition for the period thereafter. Nevertheless, the advocate general maintained that Nowhere Co continued to be entitled to invoke its protections for the interval running from 2015 to 31 December 2020......
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When evaluating a general damages claim, the practitioner ought initially to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)...
This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...
Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...
I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...
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