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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 the British Medical Association) v His Majesty’s Treasury and another; R (on the application of The Fire Brigades Union and others) v His Majesty’s Treasury and another [2024] EWCA Civ 355 What are the practical implications of this case? Barring any further appeal, the Court of Appeal’s ruling places the Mc Cloud Remedy’s costs on present scheme members, in the same way as other valuation components tied to member profiles (for example life expectancy and pay growth), rather than on scheme employers. Employers, together with the Exchequer, continue to shoulder variability from financial and technical assumptions, such as the discount rate and actuarial methods. Unsurprisingly, members are unlikely to view this favourably, particularly where it can fairly be said that the government’s own failure to avoid discriminatory treatment when setting up the new public sector pension...
Antitrust AG issues opinion recommending some FIFA rules on transfer of players may restrict EU competition law Advocate General Szpunar delivered his opinion in Case C‑650/22, FIFA, concerning a national reference from Belgium that seeks clarification on the application of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association’s ( FIFA) rules regulating contractual relations between players and clubs. The provisions at issue, known as the ‘ Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players’ ( RSTP), were adopted by FIFA, an international organisation responsible for governing football at a global level. Implemented by FIFA together with its member national football associations, these rules apply, among other things, to situations where a dispute arises between a player and a club regarding the termination of a contract without just cause. In such cases, the player and any club wishing to sign him are jointly and severally liable for any...
Ferguson- Davie and another v HMRC [2024] UKFTT 321 ( TC) These appeals were designated as lead cases pursuant to the Tribunal Procedure ( First-tier Tribunal) ( Tax Chamber) Regulations 2009, rule 18, with the related appeals of 24 other individuals, each a limited partner in the relevant limited partnership, stayed behind them pending determination. The issue was whether section 103KA of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, and following (the ‘ Carried Interest Legislation’, applying to carried interest arising on or after 8 July 2015), governed the relevant carried interest sums for the amounts at issue in dispute, or whether the transitional provision in section 43(2) of the Finance ( No 2) Act 2015 (the ‘ Transitional Provision’) applied, which would mean the carried interest sums were taxed in line with the position before the Carried Interest Legislation took effect. If the...
The London-based International Group of P& I Clubs On 26 April 2024, the London-based International Group of P& I Clubs reported that a fresh 'shadow fleet' of vessels transporting Russian oil has emerged due to stringent sanctions, operating without ties to the Group of Seven wealthy nations. Representing 12 insurers that underwrite around 90% of global shipping, the International Group issued its comments in response to a new parliamentary Treasury Committee inquiry into the effectiveness of UK sanctions on Russia. G7 countries introduced financial restrictions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Among these measures was a December 2022 condition allowing insurers to provide cover to ships carrying Russian oil when it was priced below US$60 a barrel. Ships run without any G7 connections are not constrained by the price cap......
High Court Judge Philippa Whipple found 'no merit' to MCML's case that the search of its business premises was 'disproportionate and unnecessary'. She stated there were very serious suspicions about MCML’s historic behaviour (previously ED& F Man Capital Markets Ltd), adding that it was naive to contend that production orders would have been effective and sufficient in the circumstances. According to the judgment, in September 2022 Judge Deborah Taylor granted search warrants at Southwark Crown Court after HM Revenue and Customs applied for them, following a request for legal assistance from authorities in both Denmark and Germany. As the written judgment notes. The ruling records that Judge Taylor concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe the suspects’ conduct, constituting an offence under Danish law, had been carried out. In June 2023, the broker was issued with a £17.2m penalty by the Financial Conduct...
Released on 24 April 2024, the initial review authored by Jonathan Fisher KC of Red Lion Chambers identifies where the seasoned silk thinks progress could be achieved in updating a disclosure regime designed nearly three decades ago. Fisher believes that engaging the defence and the prosecution at an earlier stage could deliver huge gains, and he expresses confidence about the potential of artificial intelligence ( AI). Yet he cautions that, in sprawling, data-rich matters, no flawless answer is available. Importantly, Zoe Osborne of Steptoe International ( UK) LLP observed that the exercise does not seem to press for sweeping reforms to the framework, changes that would require Parliamentary sign-off and would probably face fierce opposition. Instead, she remarked, piecemeal adjustments to what already exists are required. That, Osborne suggested, might amount to a squandered opportunity to confront the root problems and resolve them, opting...
Employment Tribunal Reform Project: Update for ET Professional Users ( April 2024) Employment Tribunals Reform: FAQ ( April 2024) What are the practical implications of this development? The core message is that HMCTS continues, albeit at a steady pace, to move forward with its modernisation programme. At present, My HMCTS is live only in the early adopter locations ( Glasgow, Leeds, Bristol and Nottingham). The most notable updates are: My HMCTS now covers all claim types within the early adopter sites Functionality allowing professional users to file an ET1 through My HMCTS will be launched shortly, and the current online ET1 submission route in those sites will be withdrawn The reformed service will be extended to the remaining offices soon, using a phased rollout over three months, meaning all employment tribunal offices should be operating the reformed service by the...
Special Report on Batteries and Secure Energy Transitions In its Special Report on Batteries and Secure Energy Transitions, the IEA unequivocally declares that batteries are absolutely vital if the world is to achieve energy security and climate objectives established at COP28 in the ongoing battle against global warming. Following a more than twofold rise in power‑sector deployment last year, batteries must spearhead a sixfold expansion of global energy storage capacity to put 2030 goals firmly within practical reach. According to the new IEA report, battery growth surpassed nearly every other major clean energy technology in 2023, as sharply declining costs, rapid innovation and supportive industrial policies worldwide boosted demand for a solution that will be essential to meeting the climate and energy targets set out at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai......
In addition to the stories covered in full in the Financial Services news feed on 29 April 2024 Subscribers may wish to note the following further developments: OJ: Council Implementing Regulation ( EU) 2024/1243 of 26 April 2024, giving effect to Regulation ( EU) 2023/888 on restrictive measures responding to actions destabilising the Republic of Moldova OJ: Council Implementing Regulation ( EU) 2024/1249 of 26 April 2024, giving effect to Regulation ( EU) No 401/2013 on restrictive measures relating to the situation in Myanmar/ Burma OJ: Council Decision ( CFSP) 2024/1242 of 26......
Original news Mr D ( CAS-32978- T3X8)—17 October 2023 Summary The PO found in favour of a complaint challenging a pension scheme’s decision not to return overpaid employer contributions. It concluded the surplus should be refunded to the member’s employer, which in this case was the complainant’s incorporated company. No proof was provided of any arrangement assigning the entitlement to a refund to a successor employer. Nor was there a sufficient link between the amount owed to the complainant’s company and a liability the successor employer owed the scheme to permit the scheme to net the two amounts off. The PO’s ruling underlines how critical it is to identify the proper parties to a complaint. Accordingly, the refund could neither be redirected nor set off against unrelated sums... What were the facts? Mr D served as the principal director and shareholder of Tower House School Torbay Ltd (...
BOC Aviation ( Ireland) Ltd A High Court order dated 24 April 2024 records that BOC Aviation ( Ireland) Ltd has reached a confidential agreement with Convex Insurance UK Ltd, bringing their quarrel over grounded aircraft to a close. The pair had been contesting matters within a wider US$129m action that also names another lessor and multiple insurers. BOC Aviation continues to press its case against the remaining insurers cited in the proceedings. Convex declined to provide comment. Requests for comment from BOC Aviation did not receive an immediate reply. The accord was reached just under a month after a High Court judge rejected efforts to stay the......
Antitrust CAT dismisses appeal regarding CMA’s penalty decision in hydrocortisone tablets cartel The CAT delivered its judgment in Allergan plc, Advanz Pharma Corp, Cinven ( Luxco I) S.a.rl and others, Auden Mckenzie ( Pharma) Limited and Accord- UK Limited and Intas Pharmaceuticals Limited and Others v CMA, an appeal pursued by Auden Mckenzie ( Pharma Division) Limited and Accord- UK Limited against a penalty the CMA imposed for breaching the Chapter I prohibition of the Competition Act 1998 concerning the supply of 20mg hydrocortisone tablets. On 15 July 2021, the CMA issued an infringement decision determining that Auden Mckenzie and Actavis UK (now Accord- UK) had contravened the Chapter II prohibition by charging excessively high prices for hydrocortisone tablets, and had also infringed the Chapter I prohibition by paying competitors to remain out of the market under...
Various Claimants v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2024] EWHC 902 ( Ch) What are the practical implications of this case? This notable judgment examines when it is right to direct a trial of a preliminary issue before the main hearing. The court emphasised that limitation issues are often apt for early determination, and warned that if such questions are left to be decided only at the final trial, the policy basis of limitation law would be weakened. It also confirms that the governing approach to ordering a preliminary issue trial lies in the ten factors identified by Neuberger J in Steele v Steele [2001] CP Rep 106 (not reported by Lexis Nexis®UK). In brief, while limitation is frequently suitable for preliminary resolution, the court must still apply those factors when deciding whether a discrete issue should be tried first......
Funded reinsurance an 'emerging risk' On 25 April 2024, Lisa Leaman, who leads insurance supervision at the central bank’s Prudential Regulation Authority ( PRA), described so-called funded reinsurance as an 'emerging risk' in a speech. The PRA’s anxiety is mounting over insurers’ reliance on funded reinsurance as they move to exploit booming demand in the bulk purchase annuity market. Under these arrangements, a UK insurer may sometimes transfer a slice of a pension scheme’s liabilities – together with the corresponding assets to back them – to a reinsurer based overseas. Industry watchdogs and regulators worry that, should the reinsurer fail, insurers could be left unable to meet or cover those liabilities because the assets have gone with the failed counterparty......
Findings from Social Market Foundation show that nearly three quarters of the 1,618 employees polled want the option for a single pension pot to accompany them each time they move job. When questioned about lifetime provider models, 73% of those aged 35 to 44 back the approach, and 69% of participants aged 45 to 54 express support as well, the study reports. In November 2023, the Department for Work and Pensions proposed changes that would allow staff to contribute to one retirement pot, rather than routinely opening a fresh scheme whenever they switch roles. That proposal differs from the prevalent pattern in which workers accumulate a more cumbersome mix of multiple pension pots as they change employers. The government has encountered opposition from private sector to these plans......
Under EU GDPR, personal data must be correct, and people must be able to view it in full, including its source. Yet Open AI openly concedes it cannot fix inaccurate details produced by Chat GPT, nor explain where the data originates or what Chat GPT stores about particular individuals. The company acknowledges the problem but seems indifferent, asserting instead that 'factual accuracy in large language models remains an area of active research'. Consequently, Noyb lodged a complaint against Open AI with the Austrian DSB on 29 April 2024. Complaint against Open AI Chat GPT continues to hallucinate — and even Open AI cannot halt it. The November 2022 debut of Chat GPT sparked an unprecedented AI frenzy, with people relying on the chatbot for countless tasks, research included. The issue is that, by Open AI’s own account, the system simply generates 'responses to user...
Too many claimants–litigating multiple claims on one claim form ( Morris v Williams & Co Solicitors ( A Firm)) Morris v Williams & Co Solicitors ( A Firm) [2024] EWCA Civ 376 What are the practical implications of this case? This ruling is a key judgment for practitioners who advise and act for claimants and defendants in multi-party litigation that is not expressly representative or group litigation. It will also interest a broader audience concerned with how the CPR is interpreted and developed. What was the background? About 134 claimants (the ‘ Claimants’) issued a single claim form against the law firm Williams & Co Solicitors (the ‘ Solicitors’). Each Claimant sought damages for alleged breaches of the Solicitors’ duty properly to advise regarding their investments in one or more of nine separate development projects promoted by the same corporate group. Northern Powerhouse Development Ltd ( Northern...
Original news Mr T ( CAS-35991- Q6G0)—6 December 2023 Summary The PO has partly upheld a complaint concerning the information supplied with a pension increase exchange offer. The employer was not liable for negligent misstatement because the material—although not fully specific and not distinguishing between increases on pre- and post- April 1988 Guaranteed Minimum Pension ( GMP)—was still accurate. By contrast, the adviser on the offer committed maladministration by wrongly indicating that all of the member’s GMP would increase. The PO’s decision underlines how vital it is to issue precise, reliable information and advice for a pension increase exchange ( PIE). What were the facts? Mr T was a member of the Electronic Data Systems 1994 Scheme (the Scheme). The Scheme’s employer introduced a PIE offer. Mr T was provided with information about the PIE offer......
Hargreaves Property Holdings Ltd v HRMC [2024] EWCA Civ 365 What are the practical implications of this case? The Court of Appeal’s handling of ‘beneficial entitlement’ signals that the judiciary will interrogate legal notions through the prism of the statute and, where fitting, adopt a purposive reading. For this taxpayer, however, beneficial entitlement was a settled legal concept that resisted a purposive gloss. As Lady Justice Falk made clear, no statutory notion enjoys immunity from purposive interpretation. The WHT regime is designed to secure collection where the payee of taxable income is outside the UK, and the disputed exemption recognises that those within the corporation tax net are not, for that reason, problematic. That rationale is not engaged on these facts. In addition, the Court of Appeal’s view of ‘yearly interest’ underlines an ongoing readiness to look past discrete steps and to focus on the...
Original news Mr N ( CAS-57256- T1V5)—3 November 2023 Summary The DPO dismissed a grievance concerning a delayed transfer payment. As the transfer was completed within the statutory six-month timeframe, the complaint was not upheld, and it was judged reasonable and proportionate for the scheme to undertake further due diligence to confirm the independence of the financial advice obtained by the complainant. This determination underlines that pension schemes should exercise care to avoid unduly deferring the payment of a transfer value, while still performing appropriate checks. What were the facts? Mr N was a member of the Nat West Group Pension Fund (the Scheme). He wished to transfer his Scheme benefits to the St James Place Personal Retirement Plan (the Plan)......
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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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