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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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Weis v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2025] UKFTT 348 ( TC) What was the background? This matter concerned the Appellant’s domicile for tax purposes, namely Mr Aubrey Weis, who was born and brought up in Salford, Manchester. His father, Pinkas Rudolph Weis ( PRW), fled Eastern Europe and settled in Salford in 1939. As a Jewish family, they were not safe there and had to escape. PRW lectured in Semitics at Manchester University and built a small portfolio of properties. In 1972 he left the UK, said to be retiring to Israel (though he also became a naturalised US citizen). The Appellant lived in Israel from 1967 to 1970, but returned to Salford as a newly married man; soon after, he started a family and began his own property career. He maintained that he always intended to retire to Israel on reaching 75. He...
Central Bank of Iraq v Cardno Middle East Ltd, Paris Court of Appeal, 21 January 2025, No 23/05511 What are the practical implications of this case? The principal practical lessons from this judgment are: To begin with, the ruling underscores how limited international public policy objections truly are. The bar for setting aside an award on that basis remains extraordinarily high. Claims of fraud or misrepresentation between private parties are approached as matters of contract, not breaches of international public policy. Only behaviour offending core norms—such as corruption or money laundering—can ground annulment under Article 1520, 5 of the French Code of Civil Procedure ( FCCP). Where such points were not duly advanced during the arbitration, Article 1466 FCCP applies, treating as waived any irregularity not raised promptly. The message is unmistakable: parties cannot turn international public policy into a tool to overturn an...
State aid General Court dismisses actions as inadmissible against Commission’s decision approving extension of digital TV spectrum rights in the Czech Republic The General Court delivered its ruling in Joined Cases T-362/21, Telly v Commission, and T-363/21, Česká asociace satelitních operátorů v Commission, challenging the Commission’s conclusion that the digital terrestrial television ( DTT) licences held by České Radiokomunikace (ČRa), its wholly‑owned subsidiary Czech Digital Group ( CDG), Česká televize (ČT) and Digital Broadcasting ( DB) did not constitute State aid under Article 107(1) TFEU due to the absence of financing from State resources ( SA.55805). The Court declared the applications inadmissible Background On 15 March 2021, the Commission adopted a decision extending, in the Czech Republic, the frequency usage rights of certain network operators for the broadcasting of DTT licences until 31 December 2030. The operators concerned were ČRa, its...
Mergers The CMA has begun its phase 1 review and called for views on Aviva plc's anticipated takeover of Direct Line Insurance Group plc—see further, case page. NOTE— For all live mergers before the CMA, see further, UK mergers—ongoing cases tracker. Subsidy control The Subsidy Advice Unit has agreed to prepare advice for the Department for Business and Trade on its proposed Automotive Transformation Grants scheme—see further, case page. NOTE— For every matter referred to the Subsidy Advice Unit under the Subsidy Control Act 2022, see further, UK subsidy control—ongoing cases tracker. Private actions The CAT published an order dated 14 May 2025 in Utilita Energy Limited & Another v Pay Point plc & Others. The claim, brought under section 47A of the Competition Act 1998 by Utilita Energy Limited and Utilita Services Limited, alleged Pay Point abused a dominant position in supplying over the counter ( OTC)...
Illiquidx Ltd v Altana Wealth Ltd and others [2025] EWHC 299 ( Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? This decision highlights the need for precise, clear definitions and clauses in NDAs, especially concerning the boundaries of confidential information and what falls within the public domain. Equally, spelling out permitted disclosures reduces uncertainty; providing information to third parties does not, on its own, render it public or remove its confidentiality. The court will evaluate disclosures on their individual facts, with the key consideration being how far the veil of secrecy still remains. It is also prudent to set out contractually how confidential information will be handled if a commercial relationship ends or breaks down unexpectedly. Measures might include requiring confidential information (and any materials that contain it) to be returned, deleted, or destroyed. For trade secret protection, the absence of an NDA does not...
Question of the week: Where a testator was domiciled in jurisdiction A, and not within England and Wales, both when they executed their Will and later when they entered into a valid marriage in that jurisdiction, which system of law determines whether that marriage has revoked the......
Aged 52, Oghenochuko Ojiri admitted offences of terrorist financing, which prosecutors said were connected to eight sales, in all, of artistic works, together worth a total sum of £140,000, made to an alleged Hezbollah financier, Nazem Ahmad. Prosecution counsel Lyndon Harris of 6KBW College Hill told Westminster Magistrates' Court in London that Ojiri was aware at the time of the sales that Ahmad had been sanctioned by the US government......
The Court of Appeal said on 8 May 2025 that Georgios Vatistas can be added as a defendant to Betta Oceanway Co's debt claim against SC Tomini Trading SRL if he pays a security of £400,000 ( US$532,000) Lebanese businessman Nemr Diab controls both companies. Justice Stephen Males commented that Diab’s ultimate control and beneficial ownership of Betta, a Liberian company, and Tomini, a Romanian scrap‑metal firm founded by Vatistas, makes the case “very odd”. In his words, “ This is in effect a case where Mr. Diab's right hand is suing his left hand to establish liability for a debt which everyone knows that the left hand cannot pay.” Neither business has explained why the claim is being run, despite both accepting the debt is owed. The judgment observes that when debtor and creditor agree the money is due and there is no...
George Morriss v London Borough of Hillingdon [2025] EWHC 983 ( KB) What are the practical implications of this case? The judgment examines what constitutes a ‘defect’ on the highway under section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 ( Hi A 1980), setting out the elements that make a defect actionable, with emphasis in this instance on the co-efficiency of friction of a manhole cover or other highway surface. It underlines the obligation on a highway authority to carry out a risk assessment of the carriageway (eg the layout of the road, the......
Mergers The Commission approved: the takeover for exclusive control of Covestro AG by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company P. J. S. C....
All references in this article to CPR 45.29B and CPR 36.20 are to the versions in force before October 2023; the rules were amended with effect from October 2023 and are no longer situated in the same place. Attersley v UK Insurance Ltd [2025] EWHC 884 ( KB) What are the practical implications of this case? The principal effect of this judgment is to resolve the tension between CPR 45.29B and CPR 36.20. The decision carries significant practical consequences for personal injury practitioners, and is therefore of real significance for those handling such claims. Awareness is essential for both claimant and defendant representatives in matters that begin in the RTA Protocol but then leave that process and increase in value and complexity. The Qader v Esure [2017] 1 WLR 1924 principle is unchanged: where cases are concluded before allocation to the...
To deliver this, the US will revise its 2 April 2025 reciprocal tariffs administrative order, which had set a 34% duty on Chinese imports, and cut the rate to 10%. It will void the order that would have pushed this duty to 125%. In step, China confirmed it will charge only a 10% duty on US goods and likewise place a 90‑day pause on extra duties. It will drop other retaliatory duties in this tit-for-tat tariff war......
R (on the application of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) v NHS North West London Integrated Care Board [2025] EWHC 889 ( Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The practical implications of this case for lawyers are as follows: an indication that children’s continuing care is separate to NHS continuing healthcare ( Care) for adults. Adult Care sits under The National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups ( Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012, SI 2012/2996; by contrast, children’s continuing care is not set out in statute but is directed by the ‘ National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care’. Consequently, the child’s age is a material consideration and will decide whether a statutory regime is engaged or not care that confers therapeutic benefit does not, without more, amount to...
Dyson’s bid to contest a Court of Appeal ruling “does not raise a point of law of general public importance”, states an order dated 1 May 2025 and approved by the UK Supreme Court on 6 May 2025. On 13 December 2024, the Court of Appeal determined that England was plainly the proper forum to hear the claim brought by 24 migrant labourers. That decision reversed the High Court’s view, where a judge had found the dispute bore strong connections to Malaysia and ought to proceed there. The workers, originating from Nepal and Bangladesh, allege they were trafficked from their homelands. They report having endured exploitative and abusive working and living conditions while engaged by a third‑party supplier providing products and components to the Dyson Group, most widely recognised for its vacuum cleaners. The succinct Supreme Court order records that...
FTT determines discovery assessment invalid in relation to R& D relief claim ( Realbuzz Group Ltd v HMRC) Realbuzz Group Ltd v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 493 ( TC) The company submitted an amended return for the accounting period ending 30 April 2020 that included a claim for R& D relief, supported by an R& D report spanning multiple projects. Its return for the year to 30 April 2021 likewise featured an R& D relief claim. HMRC opened an enquiry into the 2021 return and, in 2023, issued a closure notice rejecting that claim. It also raised an assessment for 2020 on the basis that some of the 2021 projects had commenced in 2019, which meant the 2020 return would have contained errors. It was accepted that the 2020 claim was excessive and that HMRC had made a discovery. The sole point for the FTT was the...
US District Court for the District of Columbia Enforces ICSID award despite Croatia’s assertion of sovereign immunity ( MOL Hungarian Oil & Gas v Croatia) MOL Hungarian Oil & Gas PLC, Petitioner, v Republic of Croatia, Respondent, Civil Action No 23-218 ( AHA) What are the practical implications of this case? MOL Hungarian Oil & Gas carries concrete consequences for ECT signatories regarding enforcement of ICSID awards in the United States. Building on Next Era, the court confirmed that the ECT qualifies as an arbitration agreement under the FSIA, removing sovereign immunity for any ECT signatory attempting to resist enforcement of ECT-related ICSID awards in the United States. Crucially, MOL Hungarian Oil & Gas underscores that by adhering to the ECT, a state accepts exposure to US enforcement proceedings despite foreign-law disagreements over the ECT’s scope, thereby risking overlapping and potentially...
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and another v Loveridge and others [2025] EWHC 738 ( KB) What are the practical implications of this case? This judgment is important for practitioners as it clarifies the correct approach to two novel questions arising after Wolverhampton: the court’s power when renewing a traveller injunction targeted at newcomer persons unknown, as distinct from orders against identified defendants and the broader class of persons unknown; and how the Wolverhampton guidance for making traveller injunctions interfaces with the precautionary relief test for persons unknown in Vastint [2019] 4 WLR 2. The renewal application was determined de novo. The court confirmed that the multifactorial approach in Vastint (see [31]) has not been disapproved by Wolverhampton and was applied in this case (at [83]). The decision also serves as a reminder of the importance of full and frank disclosure on without notice...
Orion Geradora de Energia Joint Venture 2 Ltda v Engie Brasil Energia Comercializadora Ltda, Apelação Cível No 0024255-13.2023.8.26.0100, Court of Appeals of the State of São Paulo What are the practical implications of this case? The Brazilian Arbitration Act ( Federal Law No 9,307/1996) treats arbitral independence and impartiality as a cornerstone of the process. Accordingly, prospective arbitrators are bound to disclose any circumstance that might give rise to 'justified doubts' regarding their impartiality and independence. Moreover, disputes about an arbitrator's neutrality and autonomy may justify annulment of arbitral awards. In recent years, Brazilian courts have adopted differing views on what constitutes 'justified doubts' as to an arbitrator's impartiality and independence. They have also diverged on salient aspects, including: (a) whether the pertinent details are in the public domain; (b) how far the parties must co-operate to secure...
Antitrust CMA updates register and publishes warning and advisory letter maps sent to nation or region The CMA has unveiled maps showing where in the UK it sent 586 letters, both warning and advisory, on competition law concerns, covering the period from 2018 to 2024. When it has information that certain trading practices might be damaging competition, the CMA may, at times, issue advisory or warning letters to companies, while deciding not to launch a formal investigation on grounds of priority. It uses these letters to caution businesses that it is worried they could be breaching competition law and to encourage them to comply fully with......
On 8 May 2025, Rain Newton- Smith, chief executive of the Confederation of British Industry, argued that the narrow trade agreement should open the door to closer collaboration so both economies can thrive. The US and UK confirmed a tariff reduction covering more than US$400bn in goods and services, unveiled the same day by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Newton- Smith added that, once the immediate reaction subsides, it will be vital to assess the consequences and join forces with partners to broaden its scope, and urged ministers to engage with business to clarify how best to capitalise on the opportunities the deal offers. Announced on television following a phone call between Trump and Starmer, the arrangement trims duties on British cars from 25% to 10% and lifts tariffs on selected metals, according to the two leaders. A 10%...
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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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