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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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STS Seatoshore Group Pte Ltd… Claimant and Wansa Commodities Pte Ltd… Defendant [2024] SGHC 266 What are the practical implications of this case? This decision underscores the importance of international comity when there has been delay in asking for anti-suit protection, even where overseas litigation is brought contrary to an arbitration clause. The longer the foreign case has progressed, the weightier the comity concerns become, since an anti-suit injunction (if followed) would squander the judicial effort already invested by the foreign court. Judges are likewise more reluctant to issue anti-suit orders where tardiness has led to a foreign judgment being handed down, because such orders would indirectly impede the enforcement of that judgment in its own forum. Therefore, a party intending to seek anti-suit relief should act at once, as soon as proceedings abroad are started. It is no excuse that the party is...
Antitrust Estonia fined for failure to implement ECN+ Directive The Court of Justice delivered its judgment in Case C-577/23, Commission v Estonia, a proceeding triggered by Estonia’s omission to transpose Directive ( EU) 2019/1 (the ECN+ Directive)—legislation designed to empower national competition authorities ( NCAs) to enforce EU competition rules more effectively. The Court concluded that Estonia had breached its obligations under Article 34 of the directive and Article 258 TFEU. Consequently, it ordered Estonia to pay the Commission a lump sum of €400,000, together with a daily penalty of €3,000, due to its failure to implement the ECN+ Directive within the required period. Background Adopted in December 2018, the ECN+ Directive seeks to ensure that NCAs are provided with sufficient independence, resources, and enforcement powers to give full effect to Articles 101 and 102 TFEU. Member States were obliged to transpose the directive into...
In this issue: Air emissions and climate change Energy efficiency and buildings Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental disputes and proceedings Environmental enforcement and prosecutions ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Key developments and materials Marine Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Waste producer responsibility regimes Water, flooding and drainage Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content New Q& As Air emissions and climate change DESNZ publishes response to consultation on NRMM decarbonisation options The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero ( DESNZ) has released a synopsis of feedback to its December 2023 call for evidence on decarbonising non-road mobile machinery ( NRMM). Replies underlined the wide variety of NRMM and their many roles across the economy, and pointed to the probable need for a mix of...
In this issue: Planning policy Environmental impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment and appropriate assessment Flood risk and development Nationally significant infrastructure projects Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content New Q& As Related Documents Planning policy Court of Appeal: no duty on Welsh authorities to adopt an LDP endorsed by an inspector ( Re Jones v Wrexham County Borough Council) The Court of Appeal in Jones v Wrexham County Borough Council and others [2024] EWCA Civ 1603 confirms that, as in England, Welsh local planning authorities retain discretion whether to adopt a local development plan ( LDP) even where an inspector recommends adoption. Adoption—whether with or without modifications—remains a choice for the democratically accountable authority. However, under section 65 or 71 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 ( PCPA 2004), the Welsh Minister may...
In this issue: Practice Compliance forecast Financial crime prevention Data protection Daily and weekly news alerts Other Practice Compliance updates this week New and updated content Practice Compliance forecast New Practice Compliance forecast as at 21 January 2025 Our latest Practice Compliance forecast (as at 21 January 2025) is now available. This month we highlight: (1) draft guidance from the Information Commissioners Office ( ICO) on deploying storage and access technologies and sharing information securely; (2) the launch of a consultation proposing measures to address the ransomware threat; (3) the first reading of a Private Members’ Bill to create an independent Office of the Whistleblower to safeguard whistleblowers and whistleblowing; and (4) ICO statements signalling several guidance documents expected during 2025. See News Analysis: New Practice Compliance forecast as at 21 January 2025. Financial crime prevention Key points from trade sanctions office 'no- Russia' guidance Law360, London: On 7 January 2025, the UK Office of Trade...
In this issue: Court of Protection Elderly and vulnerable clients UK taxes for Private Client HMRC Manuals tracker Tax avoidance, evasion and non-compliance Insolvency— Private Client 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 Court of Protection Court of Protection determines it has jurisdiction to consider whether P’s mother should continue as property and affairs deputy ( P, Re ( Property & Affairs Deputyship: Jurisdiction)) This matter involved P, an adult who suffered a brain injury in an accident and was entitled to a...
Global by Nature Ltd v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 24 ( TC) Under VATA 1994, Sch 8, Group 1, the zero rate of VAT applies to food; however, the legislation also identifies excepted items that are chargeable at the standard rate. Note 1 confirms that references to food extend to drinks as well. Excepted Item 4A captures sports drinks that are advertised or otherwise marketed as products intended to improve physical performance, hasten post-exercise recovery, or promote bulking, together with comparable beverages. It further includes, in either case, syrups, concentrates, essences, powders, crystals, or other products used in preparing such drinks. The appeal focused on whether three products fell within the scope of Item 4A......
Mergers The Commission approved the establishment of a joint venture between DP World Logistics Europe B. V. and Arcese Transporti S.p. A...
Our Practice Compliance outlook as at 21 January 2025 maps proposed regulatory developments directly affecting law firm compliance, helping you to prepare in good time for any shifts that may impact your organisation and plans. Please review it thoroughly and carefully; key points that deserve particular attention are highlighted immediately below for ease. New items we’re tracking this month ICO draft guidance on the use of storage and access technologies— At the end of December 2024, the ICO opened a consultation on draft guidance covering how data protection law (including PECR 2003, SI 2003/2426) applies to storage and access technologies such as fingerprinting. The consultation ends on 14 March 2025. See: Data protection, AI and cybersecurity. Ransomware— The government has begun a consultation on proposals to counter the ransomware threat, including options for compulsory reporting of ransomware incidents. The...
Although EU financial services firms have been advancing their preparations to be ready for the Digital Operational Resilience Act ( DORA), some entities may ultimately be unable to reach full compliance by the DORA implementation deadline of 17 January 2025 in practice. Accordingly, comments from the Central Bank of Ireland ( CBI), the European Supervisory Authorities ( ESAs) and the European Central Bank ( ECB) on DORA implementation and on supervisory expectations for operational resilience should be considered carefully. This briefing summarises the principal messages from those remarks briefly here. ‘ Day 1/ Day 2’ and multi-year approach to supervision We have previously noted that Gerry Cross, Director of Capital Markets and Funds at the CBI, and chair of the ESAs’ ‘ Sub- Committee on DORA implementation’, highlighted the value of adopting a ‘ Day 1/ Day 2 perspective’ for supervisory...
EU Law analysis This News Analysis reviews legislative and policy shifts in EU Law during 2024, highlighting effects across Banking and finance, Commercial, Data protection and cybersecurity, Employment, Financial services, Energy, Environment, IP, Life sciences, and TMT, and flags what to expect in those fields in 2025. Further information on forthcoming measures will follow once the European Commission releases its 2025 Work Programme. Banking and finance—2024 review Key 2024 banking and finance developments are summarised below: Regulation ( EU) 2024/2809, part of the EU Listing Act package, took effect on 4 December 2024, amending the EU Prospectus Regulation. Certain amendments applied immediately, offering reliefs and consolidating existing guidance and supervisory practice. Others carry 15 or 18–month transition periods, i.e. from 5 March 2026 and 5 June 2026. These later reforms are more material, reshaping the format, content, scrutiny, and approval of the prospectus. See Practice Note: The EU...
Beginning on 21 January 2025, the first case will examine how claims function under so-called composite policies, which are issued to groups of companies, and will additionally address issues arising in so-called non-damage denial of access clauses as well. The second case, commencing on 28 January 2025, will consider whether insurers are entitled to lawfully subtract the value of state financial assistance from the sums that policyholders may recover under their policies. Both matters have been long-standing points of dispute since the conservative government imposed a series of national lockdowns in 2020 in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus. Firms compelled to shut during those times have spent years contesting claims for business interruption payments under their policies from insurers......
Brands now have the tools to allow them to challenge supermarket packaging that strays too close to their own branding, according to analysis in the sector. However, in-house counsel must carefully check their businesses possess adequate and relevant trade mark cover from the outset before mounting any such case through the courts. Securing these rights upfront is therefore critical to any enforcement strategy in practice. Addleshaw Goddard LLP’s co-head of IP, Geoff Steward, said that with appropriate packaging trade mark registrations in place, UK brand-owners can effectively call time on supermarket own-brands free-riding on their brand IP. Thatchers’ Cider Co Ltd issued a trade mark infringement claim against Aldi in 2022. It argued the German budget supermarket had adopted packaging for its Taurus cloudy lemon cider that infringed a trade mark Thatchers held for its own...
Underhill v Thackray Williams Solicitors [2024] Lexis Citation 3830 What are the practical implications of this case? This ruling underscores for practitioners the need to deliver timely, accurate guidance on costs and to supply cost information at the outset of an engagement, followed by further notices as fees escalate. It is noteworthy that the judge refused the firm’s assessment costs even though the recovery achieved was sufficient to engage section 70(9) of the Solicitors Act 1974, which ordinarily places the costs of assessment on the client, as the party challenging the bill, where the firm secures a figure exceeding the total reduced by 20 per cent. The court highlighted that there remains a discretion to deviate from that default position where the circumstances justify doing so, pursuant to SA 1974, s70(10), and exercised it here to deprive the firm of its assessment costs...
Plans to apply tax to unused pension funds and death benefits from April 2027 The Society of Pension Professionals ( SPP) warns that proposals to levy a charge on unspent pension pots and death benefits from April 2027 could spark multiple issues. The professional body highlighted that beneficiaries may encounter avoidable hardship due to likely holdups in settling payments. Potentially lengthy delays in distributing benefits, causing unnecessary difficulty for some recipients The measures were set out by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in October 2024, as part of her first Budget. According to the trade body, the scope of the reforms remains unclear and the implementation deadlines risk being “unrealistic and impractical”. Up to now, retirement savings of as much as £1,073,100 have fallen outside inheritance tax. Under the new approach, however, anyone receiving lump-sum pension assets exceeding £325,000 from a deceased person’s estate would face a 40% tax...
As an initial move, the incoming administration, Trump promised, will set up an external revenue authority to collect import tariffs and duties. Core to his campaign is tariffs as high as 60% on goods from China and 25% on products from other economies, including Canada and Mexico. He intends to channel proceeds from these duties into cuts in income tax for US citizens. ‘ I will at once commence a transformation of our trade regime to safeguard American workers and families nationwide......
AP Wireless II ( UK) Ltd v ON Tower UK Ltd [2024] UKUT 429 ( LC) The Upper Tribunal’s judgment in AP Wireless II ( UK) Ltd v ON Tower UK Ltd [2024] UKUT 429 ( LC), published on 18 December 2024, examines the central question of whether an operator taking an assignment of a licence concerning electronic communications apparatus under the Code should be regarded as ‘a party to a Code agreement’ for Part 5 purposes, even where that assignee owes no obligations to the licensor (site provider) to perform the agreement. Part 5 of the Code addresses the termination of Code agreements and sets out a key procedure, for example where a property owner intends to redevelop and must bring the Code agreement to an end. The ruling applies solely to licences or wayleaves entered into before 28 December 2017....
Subsidy control The Subsidy Advice Unit has issued its final report, setting out guidance to Belfast City Council on its planned subsidy to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council—see further, report. The Subsidy Advice Unit has also released its concluding report advising City of Doncaster Council on its proposed subsidy to Fly Doncaster Limited—see further, report. NOTE— For all decisions referred to the Subsidy Advice Unit under the Subsidy Control Act 2022, see further, UK subsidy control—ongoing cases tracker. Private actions The CAT has published the application in Mr Patrick Mc Auley v Faculty of Advocates Services Ltd, a damages claim under section 47A of the Competition Act 1998, brought by Mr Mc Auley against the Faculty of Advocates Services Ltd, alleging infringements of Chapter I and Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998—see further, summary of...
Morais v Ryanair DAC [2025] EWCA Civ 19 The Court of Appeal confirmed earlier employment tribunal decisions backing 29 pilots who alleged Ryanair placed them on a “prohibited list”, holding that the tribunals had rightly concluded that striking workers fall within the scope of the Employment Relations Act 1999 ( Blacklists) Regulations 2010 ( Blacklisting Regulations 2010), SI 2010/493. Writing for a three-judge panel, Justice David Bean stated that it is unlawful to blacklist an employee for engaging in trade union activities, which includes industrial action organised or endorsed by a trade union. The pilots, all members of the British Airline Pilots’ Association ( BALPA), took strike action in summer 2019 and said Ryanair then threatened to withdraw concessionary travel benefits. The 29 claimants pursued tribunal proceedings and succeeded. Ryanair contended that the tribunals had misread the phrase “activities of trade unions” in the...
Abel Estate Agent Ltd and others v Reynolds [2025] EAT 6 This news analysis refers to the ET Rules 2013, which were in force until 5 January 2025 and were the rules applying at the relevant times in this case. For details of the ET Rules 2024, which came into effect on 6 January 2025, see: Employment tribunal rules of procedure 2024—destination table [ Archived]. What are the practical implications of this judgment? This detailed judgment examines the consequences of a claimant’s non-compliance with the EC requirement. Firstly, Swift J found that the employment tribunal had, regrettably, not been taken to the Court of Appeal’s decision in Clark and, in consequence, erred by rejecting the claim at a late point in the proceedings, rather than adopting the correct procedural route. Clark makes clear that, where a tribunal has not rejected a claim in...
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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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