This month's news
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Fri, May, 9 2008
MEPs today voted for a bigger role for intellectual property in sports, stoking a copyright head-to-head between the powerful governing bodies of world sport and the media organisations that seek to report it.
Thu, May, 8 2008
JK Rowling's court victory against a paparazzi agency has confirmed that the scope of privacy law is wide and will make it easier for others to gain its protection, a privacy law expert has said.
Thu, May, 8 2008
The Court of Appeal's ruling in JK Rowling's privacy case confirms that a breach of other laws can result in an automatic breach of the Data Protection Act, an expert has said.
Thu, May, 8 2008
ITV has been fined £5.67 million by Ofcom for abuse of premium-rate phone lines in television competitions. It is the highest fine the media regulator has ever imposed and is added to the £7.8m ITV has already pledged to repay viewers or give to charity.
Thu, May, 8 2008
Adidas has won a $300 million trade mark case against a rival shoe maker over its three stripe logo. The sportswear giant alleged that the rival's two- and four-striped shoes violated its trade mark rights.
Wed, May, 7 2008
OUT-LAW.COM has won the internet's most prestigious award, a Webby. It won in the category of best law website after being the first ever non-US site to be nominated in that category in the awards' 12 year history.
Wed, May, 7 2008
Arbitration body ACAS has published a new draft Code of Practice for disciplinary and grievance procedures. If approved in its current form it will take effect when the Government abolishes the current statutory dispute resolution procedures.
Wed, May, 7 2008
A Canadian toddler has died after a VOIP-based 911 call sent an ambulance to the wrong address.
Wed, May, 7 2008
The domain name myspace.co.uk will not be transferred to MySpace Inc. after a ruling in favour of the social networking giant was overturned on appeal. MySpace was told to take its fight to the courts if it disagreed with the decision.
Tue, May, 6 2008
Wikipedia, the free, user-generated online encyclopedia, faces a court battle to protect itself from liability for everything that users post on the site. The company behind the site will argue that it should be granted immunity under US law.
Tue, May, 6 2008
Police and trading standards officers in Yorkshire have seized counterfeit goods and equipment at a Bradford computer fair. The full retail value of the goods would have been £1 million, they said.
Tue, May, 6 2008
The company behind the controversial computer game Grand Theft Auto 4 has sued the Chicago Transit Authority, accusing it of stifling its right to free speech.
Fri, May, 2 2008
A US court has ordered a company to use 'negative keywords' to avoid being associated with another firm's trade mark. The innovative order was one of a series of measures ordered by the judge.
Fri, May, 2 2008
Abuse of premium-rate phone lines has taken a sharp upturn this year, according to figures released by premium rate regulator PhonepayPlus. Over three-quarters of complaints received now relate to mobile services, it said.
Thu, May, 1 2008
EDITORIAL: Critics have branded Phorm a regulatory rogue. Its targeted advertising technology will bend our laws and even break them. But these will be hairline fractures – even if Phorm's operation makes you wince.
Thu, May, 1 2008
An internet start-up is re-broadcasting UK television from Switzerland without the stations' permission. It is re-broadcasting all five UK terrestrial channels online but claims it is not breaking the law.
Thu, May, 1 2008
The Competition Commission will establish a new set of rules and obligations on supermarkets forcing them to deal fairly with suppliers.
Thu, May, 1 2008
The marketplace for personal savings and investments in the UK could be changed radically under new proposals published this week by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) as part of its Retail Distribution Review.
