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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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The government argues that stopping public bodies from handing over large sums to ransomware gangs will discourage attacks. However, insurance and legal specialists fear such a bar will sharply increase the expense of rebuilding digital systems and rack up further millions in lost income. The knock-on effect, they warn, is that cyber insurance for services ranging from councils to vital utilities could price itself out of reach. Premiums could rise, cover might be narrowed, and in some cases risks could even become uninsurable, said Jamie Mac Coll, senior research fellow for cyber and technology at the Royal United Services Institute ( RUSI) think tank. In January 2025 the government opened a consultation proposing a blanket ban on all public authorities yielding to and paying ransomware demands. That consultation closed on 8 April 2025, and Whitehall has not yet replied or set out its next...
Insurance & Reinsurance weekly highlights—12 June 2025 In this issue: Cases and decisions Insurance types Contractual considerations Insurance claims— Fraud and dishonesty Financial crime and sanctions EU regulation Cases tracker Dates for your diary New and updated content Daily and weekly news alerts Lex Talk®Insurance: a Lexis®Nexis community Cases and decisions War risk insurers found liable for jets stranded in Russia ( Aer Cap Ireland Ltd v AIG Europe SA and another) Major insurers must pay out in a multibillion-dollar dispute concerning hundreds of aircraft left in Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, following a London judge’s ruling on 11 June 2025 that the jets and their engines are deemed lost. See: War risk insurers found liable for jets stranded in Russia. Archer v R ' N' F Catering Ltd First (t/a Biplob...
On 28th May 2025, the government issued a working paper inviting views on reforming site size thresholds in the planning system to better support housing delivery across different types of sites. It examines how varying site sizes should be treated within the planning system and considers removing barriers specific to developers in this part of the sector. Responses are invited by 9 July 2025. It is the government’s intention to implement changes to development thresholds through amendments to secondary legislation and to introduce other measures (eg a simplified biodiversity net gain ( BNG) metric). The paper sets out a tiered approach that groups residential developments into three thresholds: minor developments: projects with fewer than ten homes or on sites up to 0.5 hectares medium developments: a new proposed category for developments between 10 and 49 homes or up to one...
Daniel Piccinin KC of Brick Court Chambers Arguing for the companies, Daniel Piccinin KC contended that the reworked litigation funding agreements remain damage‑based agreements ( DBAs) and, notwithstanding structural tweaks, cannot be enforced. He maintained the tweaks do not alter their essential character. He urged the appeal court to be “very careful” not to cure the perceived, case‑specific problem by thinking narrowly about collective actions and thereby inflict “a gaping wound” on the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, which sets out the statutory definition of a DBA. The current appeals arise from four separate Competition Appeal Tribunal rulings certifying collecting proceedings. The businesses now face class claims on behalf of UK consumers that could expose them to damages running into the billions of pounds. Each of the matters engages issues triggered by the Supreme Court’s landmark 2023 ruling, known as PACCAR, which...
In this issue: Wills Court of Protection Elderly and vulnerable clients UK taxes for Private Client HMRC Manuals tracker Tax avoidance, evasion and non-compliance Budgets and Finance Bills Insolvency— Private Client Charity and philanthropy Contentious trusts and estates Pensions, insurance and tax efficient investments Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland International Question of the week Additional Private Client updates this week Daily and weekly news alerts Lex Talk®Private Client: a Lexis+® community New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Latest Q& As Useful information Wills Modernising Wills—final report recommendations to modernise Wills law to promote testamentary freedom On 16 May 2025, the Law Commission released its concluding report, Modernising Wills Law. Authored by Matthew Duncan, partner and head of Private Wealth at Druces LLP. See News...
A Corporation v Firm B and another [2025] EWHC 1092 ( Comm) What are the practical implications of this case? This ruling makes clear that confidentiality obligations reach across the arbitral hearing and process, capturing not only any transcript or note, but also documents disclosed by one party to others, as well as material created or prepared for, and then used or produced in, the arbitration, together with the award itself. Accordingly, lawyers and their clients must adopt robust confidentiality procedures to avoid any unauthorised release of such material, thereby preserving the privacy and integrity of the arbitral process. The decision also exposes the practical strains for international law firms with offices in multiple jurisdictions. Here, the court recorded that certain lawyers in the First defendant’s London office who had worked on the First Arbitration agreed to step aside from the Second...
The Bill is a concise measure, aimed at addressing a handful of distinct issues within the Criminal Justice System, which are outlined as follows: the failure of an offender to appear for their sentencing hearing (clauses 1–2) the parental rights of convicted sexual offenders (clauses 3–4) the widening of victim’s rights for specified offences (clause 5) the enhancement of the powers and remit of the Victims’ Commissioner (clauses 6–8) changes to eligibility for appointment as a Crown Prosecutor within the Crown Prosecution Service ( CPS) (clause 9) revisions to the costs provisions for private prosecutions under section 17 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (clause 10) an alteration to the time limits for the Attorney General to refer an unduly lenient sentence (clause 11) amendments to six criminal offences concerning the range of...
Memo from US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche A formal memorandum issued by US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche makes clear that prosecutors will immediately prioritise FCPA probes and enforcement actions on wrongdoing committed by specific individuals, rather than ascribing 'nonspecific malfeasance to corporate structures'. The guidance also urges careful consideration of collateral effects on legitimate businesses 'and the impact on a company's employees, throughout an investigation, not only at the resolution phase'. Blanche further told the DOJ’s Criminal Division to advance investigative inquiries as swiftly as possible. In February 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting FCPA enforcement, on the grounds that it purportedly makes American firms less competitive. He also instructed US Attorney General Pam Bondi to update guidance for the federal statute, which targets global public corruption by supervising how American companies conduct business abroad. The 10 June 2025 memo sets out a...
In this issue: UK mergers UK digital markets EU antitrust EU State aid Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Caselex UK mergers CMA issues interim report in the remittal of Spreadex/ Sporting Index merger; provisionally finds competition concerns The CMA has published its interim report, with possible remedies, following the remittal of its phase 2 inquiry into the completed purchase by Spreadex Limited ( Spreadex) of the B2C arm of Sporting Index Limited ( Sporting Index). Spreadex and Sporting Index both supply fixed odds betting and sports spread betting to UK customers. Spreadex also operates in financial spread betting and casino betting. The two businesses are the only licensed online providers of sports spread betting, and the CMA concluded that remaining competitive pressures from outside the market after the merger — including unlicensed sports spread betting firms,...
In this issue: Advertising, marketing and sponsorship Consumer protection E-commerce International Sale and supply of goods Lex Talk®Information Law: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Advertising, marketing and sponsorship ASA rulings—11 June 2025 The Advertising Standards Authority ( ASA) received fifteen complaints: thirteen targeted an online fashion promotion accused of objectifying women and using a model presented as unhealthily thin, while two related to Ladbrokes TV and VOD adverts thought to have strong appeal to under-18s. The ASA upheld the objections concerning objectification and the Ladbrokes spots, but rejected the challenge about the model’s appearance. See: LNB News 11/06/2025 9. Consumer protection CMA secures Amazon pledge to tackle fake online reviews and abuse The Competition and Markets Authority has obtained binding commitments from Amazon to bolster...
For Women Scotland Ltd v Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, [2025] 2 All ER 759 What are the practical implications of this case? Employers, service organisations and public bodies ought to audit existing policies and procedures to ensure they accord with discrimination law as articulated by the Supreme Court. This ruling is especially salient amid the continuing public and political debate about the rights of trans people and of women, whether those rights clash, and the ways the law presently does, and ought to, accommodate them. The UK government welcomed the decision; the Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson, said it ‘brings welcome clarity and confidence for women and service providers’. However, some lawyers and organisations criticised the outcome, voicing concern about its impact on trans people’s rights. On 25 April 2025, the Equality and Human Rights Commission announced a...
Mergers The CMA has issued the full text of its phase 1 clearance decision regarding the anticipated acquisition by Compagnie Des Levures Lesaffre of a majority shareholding in Biorigin S. A.—see the decision for more information. Note— For information on all live mergers before the CMA, consult the UK mergers—ongoing cases tracker. Upcoming dates For dates of forthcoming UK competition developments, please refer to the UK Competition calendar......
Recommendations to modernise wills law to promote testamentary freedom The purpose is to update the rules on wills so they are suitable for today. The concluding report sets out a draft Bill intended to replace the Wills Act 1837 ( WA 1837). What are the plans over this being retrospective/active? The draft new Wills Act would revise the existing framework, carrying across provisions from the WA 1837 and drawing together other will-related rules from separate statutes into a single, consolidated Act. What did the Law Commission miss in undertaking this review? The Law Commission stopped short of proposing mandatory registration of wills, which many may regard as a missed chance for reform. What should practitioners do with existing Wills? Until any reforms are enacted and a new Wills Act is on the statute book, practitioners should continue preparing and drafting clients’ wills in accordance with the current WA...
Dana Astra IOOO v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs [2025] EWHC 289 ( Admin) What was the background? The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (the FCDO) designated Dana, a major real estate and construction company active in Belarus, as an 'involved person' under the 2019 Regulations, SI 2019/600, made pursuant to s 1 of SAMLA 2018. Importantly, Dana was not domiciled in the UK and had no property, assets, or commercial interests within the jurisdiction. The FCDO considered there were reasonable grounds to suspect that Dana was an involved person for the purposes of Regulation 6 of the 2019 Regulations, SI 2019/600, because it: had engaged in the repression of civil society or democratic opposition in Belarus, or in other conduct, policies, or activities that undermine democracy or the rule of law in that state, in...
The Employment Equality Act 1998 ( Section 20A) ( Gender Pay Gap Information) ( Amendment) Regulations 2025 are now enshrined in law...
Mergers The CMA opened a call for comments on the proposed acquisition by EVRi of DHL e Commerce UK and on DHL Group’s plan to acquire a minority interest in EVRi—see further, case page The CMA issued a notice extending the period for considering undertakings in lieu of reference under section 73A(3) of the Enterprise Act 2022, concerning Safran S. A.’s proposed purchase of part of Collins Aerospace’s (a business unit of RTX Corporation) actuation and flight control business—see further, case page NOTE— For all live mergers before the CMA, see further, UK mergers—ongoing cases tracker Antitrust The CMA has revised its schedule for the investigation into alleged anti-competitive information sharing by housebuilders in Great Britain. After running an initial phase to December 2024, the CMA now indicates it will press on with further enquiries, including additional evidence gathering, analysis and review of...
The Scottish Government brought forward the Building Safety Levy ( Scotland) Bill (the Bill) to the Scottish Parliament on 5 June 2025. The Bill establishes a Scottish building safety levy (the ‘ SBSL’, or the ‘levy’) to be imposed on specified residential property developments. Revenues from the levy are to be used by the Scottish Government ‘for the purposes of improving the safety of persons in or about buildings in Scotland’. In particular, the Government plans to apply the funds to the remediation of residential buildings with unsafe cladding. This article outlines the background to the Bill and its key provisions. Background to the Bill The Bill originates in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, which heightened serious concerns over the safety of external wall cladding systems on medium- and high-rise buildings in the UK. Central to the Scottish...
In a consultation published on 6 June 2025, the FCA indicated it would relax ‘assessment of value’ disclosure rules following sector feedback that the obligations are burdensome and deliver limited benefit for investors. These requirements also overlap with its Consumer Duty, which demands good outcomes for consumers. In their annual assessment of value statements, fund firms set out whether fees are warranted and, where they are not, what corrective steps are planned or have been taken. However, the FCA has concluded that, given low consumer engagement, the expense of producing these reports is not justified. FCA interim buy-side director Nike Trost said the revisions would have a tangible effect, cutting costs and saving time so asset managers can focus on what matters to their investors. The regulator will keep the underlying standards for value assessments while scaling back the extent of public...
SPS Agreement In a noteworthy step for the Irish agri‑food sector, the EU and the UK have committed to progressing a Common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area by way of what is being termed an ‘ SPS Agreement’. This announcement was made at the inaugural UK‑ EU Summit, which took place on 19 May 2025. The arrangement encompasses a number of areas; however, in this piece we focus on the accord reached regarding sanitary and phytosanitary goods (‘ SPS products’). The intention behind the SPS Agreement is to permit the great majority of animals, animal products, plants and plant products to move across the EU and Great Britain without the requirement for controls. The Windsor Framework would continue to apply in Northern Ireland, enabling it to keep dual access to both the UK’s domestic, internal market and the EU’s single...
The advocacy organisation Women Against State Pension Inequality ( WASPI) said High Court judge Jonathan Swift’s ruling on 5 June 2025, granting a judicial review of why the government chose not to pay compensation, represented an 'important point in our campaign for justice'. Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, told MPs in December 2024 that her administration had closely examined a damning Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report from March 2024 on shortcomings in state pension provision. However, she said the government could not defend establishing a compensation programme for the women. Campaigners from the group launched legal proceedings in February 2025 challenging Whitehall’s refusal to compensate the 3.6 million affected women over Whitehall’s decision not to act......
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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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