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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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JP Morgan International Finance Ltd v Werealize. Com Ltd; Karonis and others v JP Morgan International Finance Ltd [2025] EWHC 1842 ( Comm) What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling delivers valuable guidance on cross-border enforcement of exclusion of liability clauses and on the situations in which ASI relief will be granted to shield such bargains. Key consequences for commercial practitioners include: Drafting immunity and exclusion clauses: the court held that where parties agree that none owes a duty of care, or tortious liability, they have by implication undertaken not to commence proceedings alleging such responsibility. This stands as a significant authority supporting the enforceability of wide immunity clauses. Commercial drafters should consider whether express ‘no sue’ undertakings offer greater certainty than reliance on implied terms Third party protection: the court’s reasoning showed that directors could benefit from immunity clauses via agency...
Deinon Insurance Brokers LLC v Reen [2025] EWHC 1263 ( Comm) What are the practical implications of this case? This ruling confirms that the English courts will seldom pause enforcement of arbitral awards after they have been turned into court judgments under AA 1996, s 66. For arbitration specialists, it firmly restates that losing award debtors cannot use satellite or overseas proceedings to postpone payment, and that payment should follow once judgment is entered. The court stressed that finality and enforceability sit at the heart of arbitration, and that 'special circumstances' in CPR 83.7 will be read restrictively. Practically, judgment debtors should anticipate keen judicial scepticism towards efforts to manufacture parallel actions abroad to fend off enforcement. The court in this case recognised the danger of collateral challenges and dismissed proceedings launched in Dubai once English avenues were spent. This serves as a clear steer to...
Harriet Harman KC Harriet Harman KC, who chaired the independent review into bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the bar, has put forward a new commissioner for conduct as one of 36 recommendations intended to address ‘systemic’ wrongdoing in and around the bar. Published on 8 September 2025, her report stresses that such behaviour is a problem at the bar and on the bench, within chambers and courtrooms, in open court and behind robing-room doors. She proposes that the Bar Council appoint the commissioner as a senior officer to co-ordinate its efforts to tackle bullying, harassment and sexual harassment across the profession. The commissioner’s brief would include developing, disseminating and delivering guidance and training on good practice for all chambers and inns; advising individuals who have witnessed or experienced such behaviour on how they can bring complaints and the routes available; and providing support to...
Competition policy The CMA has issued a speech from Sarah Cardell, its Chief Executive, presented at the BVCA Summit 2025, on harnessing competition to drive investment and economic growth in the UK—see further, speech NOTE— For a synopsis of all ongoing competition law and legislation, see further, UK competition horizon scanning—2025 and beyond Upcoming dates— For dates of upcoming UK competition developments, please see further, the UK Competition calendar......
The Swiss reinsurance company stated that artificial intelligence will be pivotal in boosting the quality of risk evaluation and underwriting. Swiss Re further observed that these technologies have exceeded early expectations and are now a competitive necessity within the industry. Gianfranco Lot, chief underwriting officer for property and casualty reinsurance, said that data will become even more vital due to rising risks, including geopolitical tensions and a quickening in the frequency of natural disasters......
See Q& A: If a witness to a Will is under the age of 18, does that invalidate the Will? Section 9 of the Wills Act 1837 explains the formalities for a valid will. These state as follows: (a) the will has to be in writing; (b) it must be signed by the testator, or by another person in his presence and at his direction; (c) it must appear that......
Mergers The Commission approved: the takeover of exclusive control of Santander Bank Polska S. A. ...
Courtenay- Smith and another company v The Notting Hill Shopping Bag Company Ltd and others [2025] EWHC 1793 ( IPEC) What are the practical implications of this case? This ruling has significant day-to-day effects for businesses, especially those that hold and administer IP via company structures: management of IP rights when a company is dissolved—the judgment underlines the danger of forfeiting valuable IP, including trade marks and goodwill, on dissolution. If rights aren’t secured or assigned, they can vest in the Crown as bona vacantia and be irretrievably lost, even if the entity is later restored. Always complete transfers before dissolution, or seek swift recovery through the Bona Vacantia Division valid renewal of trade marks—the renewal was found invalid because it was filed by someone without title (the mark had vested in the Crown). Registry acceptance is not decisive; a court may...
Antitrust CMA publishes guidance on competing for talent The CMA has issued guidance on competing for talent to support organisations engaged in recruiting, hiring and keeping staff members to grasp how competition law applies to their activities and practices. Having dispelled myths that competition law is irrelevant to employer agreements on pay or working conditions because these are HR matters rather than business ones, and that it is acceptable to agree or align wages with other firms even if they do not compete directly for customers, the CMA sets out the three principal forms of anti-competitive behaviour found in labour markets (each a kind of business cartel and potentially covering freelancers and contracted workers as well as permanent salaried staff): No-poaching: This arises where a company commits not to recruit, hire or entice another firm’s personnel, for instance through no-hire and no...
Hearing of Barclays’ appeal was scheduled to start in the Court of Appeal on 16 September 2025. It had first been timetabled for 1 July 2025, yet the court delayed matters because the Supreme Court was expected to hand down a judgment in full on undisclosed car finance commissions, which would have borne directly on the complaint advanced by Barclays. That Supreme Court decision concluded that fees paid by UK banks to motor dealers to arrange credit agreements without customers’ informed consent are lawful, ultimately overturning two of the three decisions placed before it. The......
Mergers The Commission approved the acquisition of sole control of Deliveroo plc by Door Dash, Inc....
SC Arcomet Towercranes SRL v Direcţia Generală Regională a Finanţelor Publice Bucureşti, Administraţia Fiscală pentru Contribuabili Mijlocii Bucureşti , Case C-726/23 This case examined the VAT treatment linked to transfer pricing between a Belgian parent and its Romanian subsidiary. SC Arcomet Towercranes SRL ( Arcomet Romania) procured cranes for onward sale or hire to customers, while its parent, Arcomet Belgium, delivered a range of commercial support. In 2010, a transfer pricing analysis established a target profit margin corridor for Arcomet Romania. Where profitability exceeded that corridor, Arcomet Belgium raised an equalisation invoice to align results with the agreed transfer pricing policy. In total, three invoices were issued: two were accounted for by Arcomet Romania under the reverse charge, while the third was regarded as outside the scope of VAT......
Patrick Tiernan, Lloyd's Chief Executive, said expectations around Blueprint Two must be recalibrated, as the 330-year-old insurance market moves onto a standardised information technology ( IT) platform. The programme requires converting data to a uniform market-wide standard and storing it in the cloud. That change should enable far quicker handling of risk placement and the settlement of claims. However, the initiative—first proposed in 2019—has turned out to be far more challenging than anticipated, and its roll-out has been postponed in stages repeatedly over time......
R (on the application of Chidswell Action Group) v Kirklees Council [2025] EWHC 2256 ( Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The High Court confirmed that, to satisfy article 40(3)(b) of the Town and Country Planning ( Development Management Procedure) ( England) Order 2015, SI 2015/595 (2015 DMPO), any section 106 agreement must appear on the planning register before the authority issues the decision notice. Uploading it later the same day, or only after the permission is granted, will not do; publication has to be early enough to give objectors and other interested persons a genuine window to provide informed representations. The court emphasised that keeping the draft back while talks continued produced a serious transparency deficit, all the more so where biodiversity protections lay at the heart of the committee’s resolution. The judgment aligns with the Court of Appeal’s ruling in...
R (on the application of AA) v Waltham Forest London Borough Council [2025] EWHC 1625 ( Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The result here is predictable on a plain reading of the statute. On the face of it, the HA 1996 sets out with clarity what the review and appeal mechanisms under sections 202 and 204 encompass, and what they do not. For the defendant, counsel floated the notion that, in the wake of this judgment, claimants might ‘party like it’s 1995’, meaning a surge of spurious or vexatious judicial review attacks on housing needs assessments and personal housing plans. That contention was briskly rejected by the court, which should reassure local authorities. The permission stage in judicial review operates as a sieve; cases with no realistic prospect of success will fail at the first hurdle. In addition, the court may...
OPBAS informed the bodies, via a letter dated 8 September, that it had identified scope for improvement after reviewing a sample of suspicious activity reports sent to the National Crime Agency ( NCA). Professional body supervisors ( PBSs) submit SARs, setting out suspected financial crime, to the NCA. These organisations also oversee law and accountancy practices that file their own additional SARs. They include the Association of Chartered Accountants and the Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority. OPBAS evaluated the calibre of sample SARs provided by two legal and two accountancy professional body supervisors, which it did not identify, and concluded there was room to enhance their further effectiveness and overall quality......
Asociacion De Veciños As Conchas, Federacion De Consumidores Y Usuarios CECU 4019/2025 What are the practical implications of this case? This ruling of the High Court of Justice of Galicia has tangible consequences for those working in administrative, environmental, and human rights practice. On substance, the judgment forges a firm connection between ecological degradation—most notably agricultural water pollution—and violations of core rights: life, health, private life, and the ability to access safe water. It broadens legal acknowledgement of environmental damage as a direct encroachment upon constitutionally safeguarded rights, creating a persuasive precedent for advisers supporting individuals and community groups suffering from contamination. On procedure, the court affirms that neighbourhood associations and consumer organisations may pursue fundamental rights actions, even when they are not the immediate victims but act for collective interests. This enlarges the room for group litigation, particularly in...
The UKIPO stated that the existing regime safeguards certain computer-generated designs lacking a human author. In theory, this seems to extend to outputs made by AI, yet the courts have not pronounced on the matter, it added. Parliament’s clear aim was to spur investment in AI by embedding protection for computer-generated designs in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the office noted. Nonetheless, there is little proof that these rules ‘are used or are valuable’. In light of recent progress in generative AI, the government’s favoured approach is therefore to abolish the present pathway to protection for computer-generated designs. The UKIPO indicated it may keep the provisions if it receives evidence demonstrating that the regime materially boosts investment in generative AI over the longer term significantly......
Kat Yue Construction Engineering Ltd, plaintiff, and Fai Lee Construction ( H. K.) Ltd, defendant [2025] HKCFI 3298 What are the practical implications of this case? This ruling offers practical guidance on how the court decides which dispute resolution mechanism governs where a pre‑existing contractual arbitration clause conflicts with, or cannot be reconciled with, any dispute resolution term found in a later settlement agreement, including later settlements containing different dispute provisions. The orthodox principles supporting a stay in favour of arbitration under s 20 AO Cap.609 remain in point. Interpreting the documents in a commercially minded way, the court will examine the character of the claim and single out the contract that bears the closest connection with the dispute and the claim, that is, the dispute’s centre of gravity. At §28, the court reiterated that the task is a careful and...
The referring court The Court of Justice ruled that the ‘informed user’ assessing whether a product produces a different overall impression from a protected design need not study the design to the tiniest detail where overlapping features are functional rather than aesthetic. After a complaint from Lego, Hungarian tax and customs authorities seized toy sets being imported by Pozitív Energiaforrás. A protracted back‑and‑forth then unfolded over whether the order should remain in place and also whether the rival products were infringing the rights of the Danish toy maker, ultimately prompting the Budapest High Court to seek some pointers from the Court of Justice......
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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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