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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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R (on the application of Hawes) v Tower Hamlets London Borough Council and Transport for London [2024] EWHC 3262 ( Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? Low traffic neighbourhood schemes in London remain contentious, with communities and vehicle users in affected boroughs notably divided. Their primary objective is to reduce congestion and pollution, and they sit as a key policy of the MOL and Transport for London. This judgment demonstrates the limits of judicial review’s supervisory reach: where London boroughs undertake a proper consultation, they may lawfully exercise their powers to decide outcomes, including discontinuing existing schemes, even when Transport for London supports them. The case also underscores the complex interaction between local authority guidance—namely London Borough Mayors and the Mayor of London—statutory obligations, and competing community interests. In the context of urban traffic management, it confirms that decisions made by...
New Risk & Compliance forecast as at 21 January 2025 Our Risk and Compliance forecast dated 21 January 2025 monitors forthcoming regulatory developments affecting risk & compliance, helping you to prepare in good time for any shifts that could impact your organisation and plan the necessary responses. Please read it closely; however, we’ve highlighted a few matters that should already be on your radar below for ease of reference. New items we’re tracking this month ICO draft guidance on storage and access technologies— In late December 2024, the ICO opened a consultation on draft guidance explaining how data protection law (including PECR 2003, SI 2003/2426) applies to storage and access tools such as fingerprinting. This consultation ends on 14 March 2025. See: Data protection, AI and cybersecurity. Ransomware— The government has issued a consultation setting out proposals to address the ransomware threat, including plans for...
Brierley v Otuo and others [2024] EWHC 2549 ( Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? This decision is a reminder that where enforcement takes place and an order for sale is obtained but no ultimate sale of the charged property occurs, a charging order may leave a judgment creditor who does not pursue redemption in a different position from a mortgagee. A mortgagee may benefit from express provisions in a written security document enabling recovery of the costs of sale and the enforcement of a charged property. In this matter, the court made final charging orders together with orders for sale; however, a series of historic orders were also made which, in combination, had the overall effect of releasing the security before any actual sale or redemption took place. The claimant had not taken earlier steps to secure recovery of such costs, and that...
The King’s youngest son has settled his claim against News Group Newspapers Ltd., the company behind The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, which closed in 2011, just a day before a High Court trial over alleged privacy breaches by unlawful means was set to commence. Labour peer Tom Watson, who had also been suing the publisher, alleging he was targeted while a junior minister, likewise reached a settlement in his own case. In a statement delivered in court by Prince Harry’s counsel, David Sherborne of 5RB, News Group extended to the royal a ‘full and unequivocal apology’ for the serious intrusions into his private life, ‘including instances of unlawful activity carried out by private investigators acting for The Sun’. The publisher has agreed to pay ‘substantial damages’, Sherborne confirmed. News Group further apologised for the...
HMRC v Sonder Europe Ltd [2025] UKUT 14 ( TCC) The UT characterised the matter before it and the FTT as a novel point. It observed that none of the authorities cited by either party dealt with the point in issue. There was, nonetheless, common ground that the TOMS Order ought, so far as possible, to be construed in line with the EU legislation it was intended to implement, namely Articles 306 to 310 of the Principal VAT Directive. Article 3 of the TOMS Order concerns a supply that is procured and then supplied for the benefit of a traveller without material alteration or further processing. It emphasised that this was the question tribunals were required to address in determining the appeals. The overarching question was whether that prerequisite was fulfilled......
HMRC v Bluecrest Capital Management ( UK) LLP [2025] EWCA Civ 23 The LLP operated investment funds while also delivering support services to fellow group entities. Portfolio managers oversaw the portfolios and were allocated tranches of capital, over which they exercised discretion in deciding how to invest. Other members undertook functions including technology, facilities, legal and compliance, across the firm and its wider operations, on a continuing basis as required. Members’ remuneration featured discretionary allocations. HMRC took the view that, bar four individuals, the LLP’s members satisfied the three tests under the salaried members rules, so they were to be treated as employees of the LLP for income tax and NICs, with PAYE and NICs to be withheld by the LLP. The LLP appealed. The FTT concluded that all affected members met Condition A, but only those who were not portfolio managers met...
Mittal and another v Berthier and others [2024] EWHC 3122 ( Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? A single creditor, or several together, can help determine the fate of a company as it emerges from administration, including whether it is dissolved or moved into liquidation. Frequently, creditors look on while administrators finish their tasks and state that no viable recovery claims exist against past directors or other parties, yet those creditors may harbour doubts. Even when administrators have liaised suitably with creditors, they can still be left thinking that more could be pursued and that their opinions have not been taken into account. In short, the decision can be shaped by creditor influence......
On 17 January 2025, the High Court authorised an order for the white-collar anti-fraud authority, marking the first occasion the SFO has attempted to exercise a power brought in seven years earlier to pursue the contaminated wealth and holdings of corrupt elites in practical application to date. Yet instead of deploying the order to chase oligarchs' holdings, the SFO used it to obtain financial details concerning a property owned by Timothy Schools' former wife in order to inform ongoing inquiries. The lawyer received a 14-year sentence in 2022, having been found guilty of fraud for siphoning off millions of pounds earmarked for a legal aid fund improperly. The SFO considers this the first instance of a UWO being pursued post-conviction to restrain potentially tainted assets and compel accounts of the provenance of the property and acquisition. Securing the order...
See Q& A: In broad terms, companies incorporated under the Companies Acts are able to hold land, and a legacy or devise can be made in favour of a registered company. Where an individual plans, via an English will, to gift land in England to a UK company owned by his adult children, the issue is whether the company must be set up in advance and named in the will, or whether incorporation can occur after the individual’s death. As you have highlighted, Practice Note: Contents of Wills—beneficiaries who can take under a Will notes that, in general, companies registered under the Companies Acts have the capacity......
Proposals to levy tax on unspent pension pots and death-related pay-outs from April 2027 are set to create a wide range of very significant and complex difficulties, the Society of Pension Professionals ( SPP) has warned. The trade body said these may include sizeable and prolonged delays to paying benefits, bringing needless financial hardship for some beneficiaries. Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled the measures in October 2024 as part of her first Budget. It further noted that what falls within the scope of the plans remains very unclear at present and warned that the timetable is 'unrealistic and impractical'. Pension savings up to £1,073,100 have, until now, been outside inheritance tax. However, the new regime states that recipients of lump-sum pension assets worth over £325,000 from a deceased person’s estate will......
Olsen and Another v Finansiel Stabilitet A/ S [2025] EWHC 42 ( KB) What are the practical implications of this case? The High Court’s determination—that registering a foreign judgment does not reset the enforcement limitation period—is scarcely surprising; here, the claimant attempted to leverage Denmark’s ten‑year limit alongside England’s six‑year period, aiming for a 16‑year span to pursue the defendants. Kerr J voiced no misgivings about that outcome. He acknowledged that, while a valid debt remained unpaid, that is the ordinary consequence once a claim is statute‑barred, and the appellants are in no better position than any other judgment debtor able to rely upon a limitation defence. He further indicated that it would be the more inequitable result if time effectively ran for 16 years from the Danish judgment. As he said: (98) I arrive at that view without remorse. I am not...
What is the new FPC? Any company, regardless of size, may opt in to the FPC by applying for a bronze, silver or gold tier, provided it has a registered UK address. The framework for awards is: Gold: At least 95% of invoices settled within 30 days Silver: At least 95% of all invoices within 60 days, with a minimum of 95% to small businesses paid within 30 days Bronze: A minimum of 95% of all invoices within 60 days Alongside the tiers, the FPC sets out fair payment principles that every applicant must endorse, committing to being ‘clear, fair and collaborative’ with suppliers. Local authorities, NHS trusts and government departments cannot join the FPC. When it comes into force, they will be governed by section 68 of the Procurement Act 2023, requiring 30-day terms for all undisputed invoices....
Mergers The Commission approved the acquisition of exclusive control over Simon Hegele Group by Nippon Express Holdings, Inc...
Competition Policy Doug Gurr appointed as interim Chair of CMA following resignation of Marcus Bokkerink The Department for Business and Trade ( DBT) and the CMA issued a formal joint statement confirming that the Secretary of State for Business and Trade has accepted the resignation of the CMA Chair, Marcus Bokkerink, and that Doug Gurr has been named interim Chair. According to the statement, these changes came after a meeting the Business Secretary and the Chancellor held with leading regulators, who were urged to ‘tear down the barriers hindering business and refocus their efforts on promoting growth’. Mr Gurr takes on the interim role ‘in a bid to boost growth and support the economy’. Mr Bokkerink commenced a five-year term as the CMA Chair in September 2022. Mr Gurr presently serves as Director of the Natural History Museum. He previously held senior roles as...
True Coin LLC v Techteryx, Ltd [2024] SGHC 296 Background The dispute concerned True Coin, a Delaware entity engaged in creating digital currency offerings such as stablecoins. Through two contracts governed by Delaware law, True Coin conferred on Techteryx, a BVI company, certain exclusive entitlements over its True USD stablecoin ( TUSD). Each contract stipulated SIAC rules with arbitration seated in Singapore. Later, the two parties jointly issued an instruction notice (the Notice) to an escrow agent to release and transfer the digital assets to Techteryx’s agent. The Notice was subject to Hong Kong law and named the Hong Kong courts as having non-exclusive jurisdiction. When Techteryx allegedly defaulted on payment commitments, True Coin commenced two SIAC arbitrations, which were subsequently consolidated. Techteryx, for its part, began proceedings in Hong Kong, initially against the escrow agent and two further parties under separate...
Shri Binaya Kumar Naik v Sanjay Kumar Naik and another , ARB P No 9 of 2024, High Court of Orissa What are the practical implications of this case? In practical terms, the ruling is useful as it again affirms the arbitrability of copyright disputes in India. However, it provides no detail on the factual matrix of the dispute (including the terms of the arbitration agreement), and it neither examines jurisprudential principles nor engages with, or cites, decisions of other High Courts in India on this question. That said, the Orissa HC has properly applied Vidya Drolia and Others v Durga Trading Corporation, [(2021) 2 SCC 1] ( Vidya Drolia). The Supreme Court of India there emphasised the distinction between in personam and in rem proceedings (including in copyright infringement contexts), and reiterated that the arbitrability of copyright matters depends on the nature of the...
Jones v Wrexham County Borough Council and others [2024] EWCA Civ 1603 What is the legal background? Under section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 ( PCPA 2004), planning proposals are decided in line with the development plan unless other material factors suggest a different outcome. In Wales, the development plan covers the local development plan ( LDP) for the area, alongside the National Development Framework and any strategic development plan. In England, it comprises local development plan documents ( DPD) but excludes the National Planning Policy Framework. PCPA 2004, s 67 addresses how LDPs are adopted in Wales. It provides that a planning authority ‘may’ adopt an LDP if the examining inspector advises adoption, whether or not modifications are proposed. Comparable rules apply to adopting DPDs in England under PCPA 2004, s 20(7)–(7C). It was accepted before the Court of Appeal that...
Scottish Power ( SPCL) Ltd and others v HMRC [2025] EWCA Civ 3 The taxpayers are prominent suppliers in the energy market. From 2013 to 2016, they reached settlements with Ofgem, their regulator, resolving investigations into consumer protection. Although Ofgem first proposed hefty fines, it ultimately agreed to a token penalty of £1. That outcome depended on the taxpayers paying significant sums to consumers, charities and an energy consumer campaign, and on their having implemented, or promising to implement, enhancements to compliance and customer service processes. The investigations and settlements were pursued under Ofgem’s statutory powers. HMRC refused corporation tax deductions for the consumer redress outlays. The First-tier Tax Tribunal ( FTT) upheld HMRC’s position, apart from one element of the payments. Both sides appealed, and the Upper Tribunal ( UT) concluded that every payment was...
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council v Cheshire East Borough Council and others [2024] EWCA Civ 1565 What are the practical implications of this case? It was observed in the judgment that much of the appeal revisited issues already addressed. Nonetheless, fresh matters were examined at paras [48] and [49] and at paras [64]–[73], concerning the construction of ‘institution’ in section 105(6) of the Children Act 1989 ( Ch A 1989). Distinct from the appeal grounds, the court also set out helpful ‘points of general application’ drawn from earlier authorities on designation (para [46]). The court stopped short of a conclusive ruling on whether a hospital is an institution, but the clear inference was that it is not. That approach aligns with the observations of Lord Justice Thorpe in C ( A Child) v Plymouth County Council [2000] 1 FLR 875. Cobb J further recorded that Ch A...
Mergers Commission cleared: (i) Luxshare Limited taking sole control of one LEONI AG segment and (ii) Luxshare Limited with Mr Stefan Pierer taking joint control of another segment, following phase I ( M.11783)—see Midday Express; and GTCR LLC and Insight Venture Management, LLC acquiring joint control of Tricentis Corporation after phase I ( M.11834)—see Midday Express Notifications: BNPP LCtief/ MET 6/ Arkolia ( M.11831) (simplified); Pinnacle Media/ Redbird/ NAI/ Paramount ( M.11744) (simplified); Repsol/ Bunge/ BISA ( M.11575) (normal); Nissan/ Mitsubishi/ JV ( M.11865) (simplified) NOTE— For live merger investigations before the Commission, see further, EU mergers—ongoing cases tracker Antitrust The Commission issued Summary Decision, Advisory Committee’s Opinion, and Hearing Officer’s Final Report in Teva—see further, Summary Decision, Opinion of the Advisory Committee and Final Report of the Hearing Officer NOTE— For live behavioural investigations before the Commission, see EU behavioural...
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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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