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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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In this issue: Electricity and gas market regulation and licensing Networks and network connections Renewable energy Oil and gas Air emissions, efficiency, and climate change International energy Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Latest Q& A Electricity and gas market regulation and licensing Ofgem announces energy price cap increase for Q1 2025 The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets ( Ofgem) has confirmed a 1.2% uplift to the energy price cap for the first quarter of 2025 (1 January to 31 March 2025), putting the typical annual bill for a dual-fuel household paying by Direct Debit at £1,738. This equates to a yearly rise of £21, yet the level is still 10% (£190) below the cap for January to March 2024 (£1,928) and 57.2% (£2,321) beneath the peak seen...
In this issue: Budgets, Autumn Statements and Finance Bills Regulatory issues Tax treatment Corporate governance Weekly highlights from other practice areas Budgets, Autumn Statements and Finance Bills CIOT responds to the Finance Bill 2025 changes to Employee Ownership Trusts The Chartered Institute of Taxation ( CIOT) has set out its views on the legislative changes to Employee Ownership Trusts ( EOTs), scheduled to come into force on 30 October 2024 and presently included in Finance Bill 2025, clause 31 and Schedule 6. The CIOT notes its satisfaction that a number of measures adopt its earlier recommendations, such as the requirements on trustees’ residence and independence. That said, the CIOT also expresses several concerns with the draft rules, including that: the reforms scarcely improve rewards for employees or foster engagement, with the tax-free bonus still fixed at £3,600 since 2014; given its significance, the CIOT would support a review of the bonus’s amount and...
R (on the application of the Welsh Language Commissioner) v National Savings and Investments [2014] EWHC 488 ( Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? This was the first judicial review concerning the Welsh language and the first conducted in Welsh. Although the governing law has since been replaced, it has consequences for all Crown bodies that have adopted Welsh language schemes. As a Crown body, National Savings and Investments is subject to a less onerous statutory framework than a public authority. It was not obliged to adopt a Welsh language scheme, yet did so. The scheme’s terms were found to create a legitimate expectation that NS& I would undertake a consultation before deciding to revoke it. The case underscores that where a procedural benefit—such as consultation—is legitimately expected, that expectation must be taken into account when exercising implied statutory powers. Failure to do so...
Shorts International Ltd v Google Llc [2024] EWHC 2738 ( Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? This decision underscores the challenge of enforcing marks with limited distinctiveness—particularly where parts of a sign, or the sign overall, have become generic in everyday language or entrenched trade usage. Protection for marks containing descriptive matter is tightly confined and, absent significant use leading to acquired distinctiveness, infringement claims will falter even where the impugned sign differs only modestly. The ruling also highlights the decisive role of brand reputation when assessing likelihood of confusion or passing off. Here, You Tube’s renown was so great that the judge held there was no prospect of confusion with SIL, nor of large numbers of consumers being deceived into thinking You Tube Shorts was SIL’s service. What was the background? The defendant, Google, owns and runs the You Tube video...
In this issue: Key DR developments Cross-border disputes Pre-action and limitation Litigation Dates for your diary Useful information Daily and weekly news alerts Key DR developments CPR updates 175th PD update: Approval has been given by the Master of the Rolls and the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for Justice to the 175th Practice Direction ( PD) update to the Civil Procedure Rules ( CPR). These amendments formally took effect on 20 November 2024. The 175th PD update revises the online Damages Claims Pilot ( DCP) under CPR PD 51ZB, addressing a mismatch between the wording of CPR PD 51ZB and how the DCP digital service functions regarding the automatic dismissal of claims within the system. The revision to CPR PD 51ZB clarifies that, within four months of the claim being issued, a claimant must not only tell the...
In this issue: Decision to prosecute and alternatives to prosecution Criminal procedure and evidence Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Decision to prosecute and alternatives to prosecution SFO flags potential DPA breach involving Güralp Systems Ltd The Serious Fraud Office ( SFO) has reported a possible breach of the Deferred Prosecution Agreement ( DPA) with Güralp Systems Ltd, concluded on 22 October 2019. Under the DPA, the company admitted conspiracy to make corrupt payments and failing to prevent bribery, and agreed to pay £2,069,861. On 21 November, the SFO notified the court of the suspected...
In this issue: Budgets and Finance Bills Taxes management and litigation Employment taxes Companies and corporation tax International Real estate tax Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers New and updated content Useful information Budgets and Finance Bills Finance Bill 2025 has second reading Finance Bill 2024–25 — also known as the Autumn Finance Bill 2024 and Finance Bill 2025 ( FB 2025) — was published on 7 November 2024 and reached its second reading on 27 November. The Bill remained unchanged from the version first released, and the House resolved that scrutiny would be divided between a Committee of the whole House and a Public Bill Committee......
In this issue: WTO Anti-dumping Customs Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content WTO WTO releases report on AI's impact on global trade landscape The World Trade Organisation ( WTO) has issued a report assessing how artificial intelligence ( AI) is affecting global commerce. The publication, titled ' Trading with Intelligence: How AI Shapes and is Shaped by International Trade', considers AI’s capacity to lower trading costs, reshape trade in services, and recalibrate comparative advantage. The WTO flags the danger of fractured regulation and an expanding AI divide, stressing the importance of co-ordinated oversight. It further highlights the WTO’s part in promoting policy alignment and in tackling trade-related dimensions of AI governance within a multilateral setting. See: LNB News 21/11/2024 62. WTO DSB addresses new panel requests and ongoing Appellate Body impasse The WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body ( DSB)...
In this issue: EU fundamentals Competition and state aid Data protection and cybersecurity Financial services Energy Environment IP Life sciences TMT Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals Council of the EU and European Parliament approve EU's 2025 budget Both the European Parliament and the Council of the EU have now signed off the EU’s general budget for 2025. Commitments stand at €199.4bn and payments at €155.21bn, a 6% rise on 2024, representing an additional €10bn. The Council stressed that the 2025 plan advances EU priorities while safeguarding careful stewardship of taxpayers’ money. With the twin votes concluded, the fifth annual budget under the 2021–2027 multiannual financial framework has been formally adopted. See: LNB News 26/11/2024 10 and LNB News 28/11/2024 10. European Parliament approves von der Leyen's second...
Introduction The wave of insolvencies across the construction sector is profoundly troubling, with firms still acutely exposed. Although contractor failure is not new in a market defined by thin profit margins, fixed‑price contracts and cash‑hungry, cash‑intensive delivery, ISG’s recent collapse starkly illustrates persistent challenges: heavy dependence on cash flow and the difficulty of steering multiple stakeholders on major, complex projects. Such pressures pervade large‑scale schemes throughout the industry. With the new Labour government unveiling ambitious infrastructure and housing programmes, the insolvency question is even more pressing, and lessons must be learnt to avert future industry failures. In this article, we outline the principal causes and the usual red flags that signal distress, before exploring particular insolvency concerns from both employer and contractor viewpoints. Building on that analysis, we then set out practical measures for managing risk effectively, followed by...
Malik v Malik; Malik and others v Malik [2024] EWCA Civ 1323 What are the practical implications of this case? Although several issues were resolved in the proceedings between the brothers, the key point for legal practitioners concerns estoppel by conduct. This doctrine bars a person from advancing a claim or right that conflicts with earlier statements or positions adopted through their actions. It arises where one party has relied, to their detriment, on the other’s representations or behaviour. In this appeal, the Court of Appeal determined that, at a prior application hearing in 2012, Vaqar made representations that stopped him from relying on any entitlement to the property said to arise from adverse possession. At the 2012 hearing, it was established that he told the Judge he was not advancing, and would not advance, a claim to the property by way of adverse...
In this issue: Internet Data protection Advertising, marketing and sponsorship Reputation management Technology sourcing Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Internet Commons Committee has launched inquiry into social media algorithms The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has begun an inquiry into how social media algorithms and generative AI relate to the spread of harmful online content. Triggered by the Summer 2024 anti-immigration riots, it will probe platforms’ roles in distributing false information. The review will evaluate the effectiveness of current and proposed rules, including the Online Safety Act 2023, and consider whether further interventions are needed. Written evidence is requested by 18 December, addressing issues such as algorithmic content ranking, business models, and responsibility for the dissemination of harmful material. See: LNB News...
In this issue: Horizon scanning Public sector Pay Benefits Tax Protected characteristics Maternity, parents, and carers Corporate governance Financial services and banking: employment issues Bribery, modern slavery, tax evasion and fraud Settlement Employment Tribunals Northern Ireland Dates for your diary Trackers New Q& As Employment resources on Lexis+® Daily and weekly news alerts Horizon scanning RPC publishes red-rated opinion on Employment Rights Bill Impact Assessments The Regulatory Policy Committee has issued its view on the Employment Rights Bill’s Impact Assessments, rating them not fit for purpose. The Bill, which intends to revise employment rights, redundancy procedures and labour market enforcement, was examined via a summary IA and 23 standalone IAs. Eight of those individual assessments were found wanting, with six in the highest impact bracket. The RPC advises adding...
In this issue: Practice and procedure Emergency procedures Financial provision Public children International children Enforcement Daily and weekly news alerts Updated content Useful information Practice and procedure Speeches by Lord Justice Jackson and Mr Justice Mac Donald Mr Justice Mac Donald’s address at the East London Family Justice Board Conference — 6 November 2024 Mr Justice Mac Donald’s speech to the Judicial Council, Dublin — 21 November 2024 Lord Justice Jackson: Four inspiring women and one idea whose time has come — 21 November 2024 Lord Justice Jackson: The case for FDAC — 21 November 2024 The Lady Chief Justice speaking at the FDAC Annual Conference — 22 November 2024 Emergency procedures Commencement of domestic abuse protection order pilot Among the significant measures in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 ( DAA 2021) are...
Motorola Solutions Inc and another company v Hytera Communications Corp Ltd and other companies [2024] EWHC 2891 ( Comm) What are the practical implications of this case? This judgment underscores several practical points for those seeking to enforce foreign judgments that may involve an aspect of ‘multiple damages’: First, practitioners must identify whether the overseas judgment comes within the meaning of ‘multiple damages’. Under the PTIA 1980, this refers to a judgment produced by ‘doubling, trebling or otherwise multiplying’ a compensatory amount for loss or damage. Where the applicable foreign statute compels the multiplication of an award, that situation plainly falls within the statutory prohibition. Conversely, where (as in this case) the foreign court elects—without any requirement—to increase damages on a punitive footing by applying a multiplier, it is similarly probable that the award will be caught by, and therefore offend against, the PTIA 1980......
In this issue: COP29 Air emissions and climate change Energy efficiency and buildings Energy efficiency of products Energy for environmental lawyers Environmental disputes and proceedings ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Water, flooding and drainage Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Updated Practice Notes Trackers COP29 COP29 round-up—20 November 2024 ( Urbanisation, Transport and Tourism) On 20 November 2024, day ten of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( COP29) centred on urbanisation, transport and tourism—the first occasion the COP Presidency has dedicated a day to tourism. The Presidency Stocktaking Plenary reviewed a number of matters, including progress towards the new collective quantified goal on climate finance ( NCQG). In...
In this issue: Banking and Finance case round-up Lending Security Debt capital markets Derivatives Regulation for derivatives lawyers Securitisation and structured products Restructuring Technology in banking & finance transactions Regulation for banking lawyers Scotland Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Useful information Banking and Finance case round-up Banking & Finance— November 2024 case round-up For a summary of the cases we flagged in Banking & Finance during October 2024, refer to News Analysis: Banking & Finance— November 2024 case round-up. Lending Re KRF Services ( UK) Ltd [2024] EWHC 2978 ( Ch) The judgment addressed a High Court application for an administration order, heard in that court, and centred on two key points of interest: (i) whether the sole director’s resolution to seek an administration order was effective; and (ii) the effect of the...
Key trends and opportunities Financial institutions are increasingly deploying AI to streamline processes, improve customer experiences and reduce risk. Current uses span the areas below. Customer service chatbots AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants provide instant, 24/7 answers to customer questions, use algorithms to assemble tailored client portfolios, and route complaints to the most suitable support teams. Financial crime prevention An early field of adoption sees machine learning applied to tasks from blocking suspicious payments and fraud through to supporting initial and ongoing customer due diligence—know your customer. Personalisation As data collection deepens and models grow more sophisticated, a major anticipated shift is greater product personalisation. Institutions already trial personalised financial guidance (robo-advice), yet AI could transform this—shaping offerings around a consumer’s life stage, spending patterns and future objectives. Looking forward, AI could construct personalised investment portfolios from real-time market data, individual risk profiles and long-term financial...
Banking & Finance— November 2024 case round-up Sata Internacional- Azores Airlines SA v Hi Fly Ltd and another company [2024] EWHC 2762 ( Comm) Aviation finance—unpaid rent—novation of lease—rectification of novation agreement The claimant, SATA Internacional- Azores Airline SA ( SATA), leased an aircraft from the defendant, Hi Fly Ltd ( Hi Fly). By 2019, SATA was experiencing financial difficulties and, following negotiations, Hi Fly sold the aircraft to a third party, AELF, with the lease simultaneously novated so that AELF became the lessor. AELF and SATA then agreed to terminate the lease early, providing for re-delivery on an ‘as is where is’ basis in return for a lump sum termination payment. When these arrangements were put in place, SATA owed Hi Fly just under US$3m comprising unpaid rent, maintenance reserve payments and default interest. Of that total, a little under US$1m related to amounts...
In this issue: PI and clinical negligence developments Clinical negligence Public authorities and the state Road traffic accidents Expert evidence CPR updates Court and the legal profession Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Useful information PI and clinical negligence developments Reforming the Personal Injury Pre- Action Protocols The Civil Justice Council ( CJC) has wrapped up its wide-ranging examination of the current pre-action protocols ( PAPs). Here we concentrate on the Personal Injury PAPs. See News Analysis: Reforming the Personal Injury Pre- Action Protocols. Reforming the Pre- Action Protocols— CJC second phase report ( November 2024) Part 2 of the CJC’s final report on PAPs has now been released. The report outlines several recommendations to revise a variety of litigation-specific PAPs, and also proposes creating two new PAPs, including one aimed at all...
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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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