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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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Original news Mr R ( CAS-54306- K6B1) – 26 October 2024. Summary The Pensions Ombudsman dismissed a complaint concerning a scheme’s delay in crystallising pension benefits during a transfer, which the member argued caused higher-rate tax on future withdrawals and used more of his lifetime allowance than would otherwise have been necessary. Although the delay was held to be maladministration, responsibility for tax liabilities arising from subsequent crystallisation events did not fall on either the transferring or the receiving scheme. In addition, any loss he said he suffered was offset by growth in his fund over the period, which produced a larger tax-free lump sum and, in total, a lower tax bill. This decision is a reminder that a professional will not be accountable for every loss flowing from a breach of duty... What were the facts? ......
See Q& A: Where a law firm represents a consumer client and an individual acts as guarantor by giving a personal guarantee for that client’s legal fees, does that guarantee fall within any statutory or regulatory requirements? Key legal issues for guarantees A guarantee is a contract and must therefore satisfy the four essential elements: offer acceptance consideration an intention to create legal relations As a general rule, past consideration will ordinarily not suffice. A firm should avoid obtaining a guarantee once it has already agreed to supply services to the client. The guarantee must also comply with section 4 of the Statute of Frauds (1677), meaning it must be in writing and signed by the guarantor. The firm should be mindful of potential allegations of misrepresentation, duress, and undue influence. It is also prudent practice to ensure the guarantor receives...
Government response to the consultation on the application of zero hours contracts measures to agency workers What are the implications? The entitlement for a ‘qualifying worker’—that is, a person engaged on one or more zero hours contracts, or on a zero hours arrangement for ‘low hours’—to be offered guaranteed hours matching the hours actually worked within a set reference period will be extended to agency workers. Further, the new protections covering reasonable notice of shifts, together with proportionate payment where shifts are cancelled, shortened, or rescheduled at short notice, will likewise apply to agency workers......
Good investment and governance decisions require good-quality data Yet, TPR warns that thousands of pension schemes still retain some records in non-digital form. Data are transforming the world, and the regulator wants the pensions sector to seize this shift—delivering slicker, more effective services, fuelling innovation in how they are provided, and helping savers to manage and engage with their pensions easily, said Lisa Allen, TPR’s data services director. Weak data quality creates inconsistencies and heightens security risks—an issue of growing importance as defined contribution schemes consolidate, the TPR adds. DC pensions provide retirement incomes determined by contributions and the returns generated on investments over time......
Government response to ‘ Making Work Pay: creating a modern framework for industrial relations’ Annexes for the government response to the consultation on creating a modern framework for industrial relations What are the implications? The proposed revisions to the ERB would deliver significant and practical changes to the current way trade unions operate across the board. They are designed to make union activity simpler and more workable, for example by: simplifying the information requirements for industrial action ballots permitting e-balloting, and lengthening the mandate period for industrial action Employers would benefit from a 10–day notice period, rather than the present 7–day notice period, for industrial action. The government will table the ERB amendments relating to trade unions and industrial action, as set out in detail at paragraph 175 on page 51 of the consultation response, to be considered at the report stage due to begin on 11...
Court and tribunal fees: updates from April 2025 What is changing? In April 2025, and subject to parliamentary approval, a selection of court and tribunal fees, including many in family matters, are expected to rise. The plan is for the revised charges to apply from 1 April 2025 to applications received by courts or tribunals on or after that date. Until then, the existing fees listed in the Schedule to the Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008, SI 2008/1054, will remain in place. Changes are also anticipated for certain civil and magistrates’ court fees. See: Court and tribunal fees: updates from April 2025. What are the reasons for the changes? The Ministry of Justice has indicated that most affected fees will go up by 3.2%, reflecting the CPI movement from March 2023 to March 2024. A smaller group will increase by 13.5% to account for inflation...
Government response to consultation: Tackling non-compliance in the umbrella company market What could this signify?...
Besides other market distortions, relief on capital gains tax can lead people to prefer fast-growing holdings over income-focused ones, and prompt firms to boost share repurchases instead of paying dividends, OECD report indicates as well......
Original news Mr S ( CAS-110689- M5K1)– 26 November 2024 Summary The Pensions Ombudsman dismissed a complaint concerning discretionary pension increases. A scheme newsletter had indicated an intention to provide RPI-linked rises up to 10%. The employer declined to approve inflation-matching increases, pointing to the need to preserve the scheme’s long-term financial security. The Pensions Ombudsman found that the scheme had correctly followed its rules. The newsletter did not amount to a commitment that inflation-linked rises would be paid. The employer’s refusal to award any increase was neither perverse nor irrational. This outcome highlights how challenging it is to overturn the exercise of an employer’s discretion. What were the facts? Mr S was a deferred member of the Smiths Industries Pension Scheme (the Scheme)......
Government response to the consultation on strengthening remedies against abuse of rules on collective redundancy and fire and rehire What are the implications? The government explains in its consultation reply that it aims to strike a balanced course: ensuring employers cannot consciously sidestep their obligations, and removing any chance that doing so could ever be financially worthwhile. It considers that raising the maximum length of the protective award to 180 days is the most proportionate measure. Employment tribunals will still have discretion to adjust the protected period’s duration, up to a limit of 180 days, where they deem it just and equitable in all the circumstances, reflecting the seriousness of the employer’s conduct and any mitigating elements. The government believes this will deliver a stronger deterrent against cynical, deliberate infringements of the collective redundancy rules, while also allowing tribunals to continue to assess the context of the...
Mergers The CMA said it is assessing proposed undertakings from the parties instead of referring the completed purchase by Topps Tiles Plc of certain assets of Tildist Realisations Limited (formerly CTD Tiles Limited) to a phase 2 investigation—see the case page for details. Note— For all live mergers before the CMA, see the UK mergers—ongoing cases tracker. Subsidy control The Subsidy Advice Unit has agreed to prepare an advisory report for Portsmouth City Council on its proposed subsidy to First Hampshire & Dorset Limited—see the case page. Note— For all referrals to the Subsidy Advice Unit under the Subsidy Control Act 2022, see the UK subsidy control—ongoing cases tracker. NSI Act The Cabinet Office confirmed it has issued a Final Order under the National Security and Investment Act 2021, conditionally clearing ESCO Maritime Solutions Limited’s acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital in Ultra PMES...
Re Revolution Bars Ltd [2024] EWHC 2949 ( Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? Concisely distilling and referencing the pertinent common law, this decision serves as a pointed reminder to practitioners about circumstances in which a 'meeting' may fail to qualify as a meeting for creditor/member meetings and for cross-class cram downs under sections 901F and 901G of the Companies Act 2006 ( CA 2006), including considerations around headcount, who is physically in attendance, and the role of proxies. It further illustrates when the fairness of a plan for 'out of the money' creditors ought properly to be weighed, marking an exception to what could otherwise be treated as the default position. The court endorsed, without hesitation, the High Court’s earlier conclusion that the opinions of 'out of the money creditors' carry minimal weight because they lack any real economic stake in the...
With just over 20 working days left until submission, financial entities within DORA’s scope will be required to lodge their first Register of Information (‘ Ro I’). Although a number of topics remain under consideration by the European Supervisory Authorities (‘ ESAs’), an updated set of FAQs on DORA registers of information reporting was published at the start of this month for firms. Key updates to the FAQ Compared with the July 2024 FAQ, there are also substantial revisions across the document; however, firms should take comfort that the bulk of removed questions relate primarily to the Dry‑ Run Exercise held in Q3 2024. In turn, many of the new questions are framed as responses to issues that the ESAs had previously dealt with in their joint Q& As, echoing earlier clarifications. Put simply, the latest FAQ trims dry‑run material and...
After stepping away from merger talks with low-cost peer Frontier, Spirit proceeded with a Chapter 11 plan that it said would significantly reduce leverage and set it up for long-term success. The carrier trimmed US$795m from its US$3.6bn liabilities, yet emerges into challenging macroeconomic conditions, experts noted. Spirit, which declined to comment on 27 February 2025, will swap US$1.6bn of secured borrowings for US$840m of new five-year exit notes and equity. It will also clear a US$300m revolving credit facility at emergence, replace it with a new US$275m revolver, and secure US$350m in fresh equity. ‘ It certainly marks progress for Spirit to have both converted sizeable debt to equity and attracted an equity injection’, bankruptcy lawyer Anthony Sabino of Sabino & Sabino PC told Law360. ‘ So, the overarching question is, “ Will it suffice?”’ As of the petition date, Spirit held...
It’s in the wording—two recent UK rulings show how collaboration agreements and employment arrangements with people engaged in R& D can unravel Bionome Technology Ltd v Clearwater [2024] EWHC 3155 ( Ch) Hill v Touchlight Genetics Ltd and other companies [2025] EWHC 107 ( Pat) Key takeaways The upshot from these disputes is that the Courts of England & Wales will focus on the natural, ordinary meaning of the chosen words—assessed in their full context—when reaching an interpretation. An assignment of IP rights may fail to take effect for a range of reasons: for example, non-compliance with required legal formalities, or a conclusion that—on the proper construction of the instrument—it was not sufficiently explicit that the IP was intended to pass, and therefore ineffective in law. Accordingly, assignment wording must be prepared and reviewed with real care and precision, with drafters keeping...
Staley is challenging the Financial Conduct Authority’s prohibition, which bars him from senior roles at regulated financial firms, in a two‑week hearing before the Upper Tribunal. This was the first time a senior banker in Britain faced such a ban, and observers view the proceedings as a litmus test for the embattled watchdog. ‘ Failing to see off Mr Staley’s challenge could be extremely damaging for the FCA,’ said Tom Bushnell, an associate barrister at Hickman & Rose. ‘ It has had a torrid time of late, not least after an all‑party parliamentary group’s scathing review last November [2024], which branded it incompetent.’ The FCA prohibited Staley and levied a £1.8m fine in 2023 after concluding he had ‘recklessly’ approved a Barclays letter to the regulator containing two misleading claims about the nature of his relationship with Epstein, a convicted...
Balancing innovation, expansion and regulatory adherence is rarely straightforward. With supervisors intensifying their oversight and supervision of payment and e‑money firms, Arthur Cox stands ready to help you to ‘move fast and fix things’. Move Fast: A shifting paradigm Experience repeatedly shows that adopting a ‘move fast and break things’ mindset can carry hefty financial consequences. As Frei and Morriss (2023) note in Move Fast & Fix Things: The Trusted Leader’s Guide to Solving Hard Problems, the most effective leaders tackle problems at speed while taking responsibility for the outcomes and well-being of their customers, employees and shareholders; they move fast and fix things. As regulators strive to keep pace with relentless innovation across financial services and fintech, payment and e‑money firms should anticipate a more sophisticated and technologically advanced approach to regulatory supervision and scrutiny. To prepare, we have outlined some of the key shifts and...
Mergers The Commission approved the purchase of shared control of Yondr Group Limited by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Digitalized Group, Inc.......
Private equity drives 60% of insurance broking M& A Marsh Berry, an adviser on insurance mergers and acquisitions ( M& As), reported on 27 February 2025 that private equity or private equity-backed buyers accounted for 60% of 2024 transactions involving brokers and managing general agents. It added that this momentum is set to persist through 2025, as more US firms, in particular, pursue acquisition opportunities notably across the UK or European markets. With interest rates easing and capital markets steadying, the firm noted, conditions look increasingly favourable for heightened private equity activity and a material uplift in cross-border M& A activity overall......
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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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