May 2008
Fri, May, 30 2008
Consumers will have new rights when buying travel insurance along with a holiday from the beginning of next year, but firms must prepare for the new regime now, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has warned.
Fri, May, 30 2008
Consumer insurance law is in urgent need of reform, according to consumer groups, lawyers, brokers and most insurance firms responding to a consultation by the English and Scottish Law Commissions. The responses were published this week.
Thu, May, 29 2008
German prosecutors have begun an investigation into allegations of data misuse by telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom. Today's announcement follows the company's admission earlier in the week that phone call records had been misused.
Thu, May, 29 2008
Nearly half of UK companies have fired workers in the past year because of abuses of email. Over half of UK firms regularly audit employees' email to make sure they are complying with company rules, a survey has found.
Thu, May, 29 2008
Two British newspaper publishers have been fined in French courts because they violated French privacy laws. The publishers were liable because the articles were viewed in France on the internet.
Thu, May, 29 2008
Dell has been criticised by the advertising watchdog for not making it clear enough that a laptop would incur a £60 delivery charge. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said that the charge "added significantly" to the cost of the computer.
Wed, May, 28 2008
One of the patents at the heart of a landmark UK ruling on patentable subject matter has been revoked. Aerotel has lost the right to its patent for telephone systems in a case against phone service provider WaveCrest.
Wed, May, 28 2008
The group of Belgian newspapers which is suing Google over its Google News service claims that Google's alleged infringements have cost its members up to €49 million. The group, Copiepresse, wants Google to pay €4 million immediately.
Wed, May, 28 2008
A Seattle man is free to sell second-hand software on eBay, a US court has said. It found that the maker of the software, Autodesk, could not stop the resale by claiming that its software is licensed rather than sold.
Tue, May, 27 2008
Viacom's copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube threatens the way that hundreds of millions of people use the internet, YouTube owner Google has said in its court defence.
Tue, May, 27 2008
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has criticised proposals to build one Government-owned database to hold a log of phone calls, email and internet use in the UK. The ICO has said that the move would be unjustified.
Fri, May, 23 2008
Microsoft has announced a major concession on the question of software interoperability, but the European Commission has said that it will take time to decide if the move will affect its competition probe into the company.
Thu, May, 22 2008
UPDATED: A US woman has been indicted on charges of perpetrating an online hoax because she violated MySpace's terms and conditions. Prosecutors reason that a violation of contract terms can lead to criminal convictions.
Thu, May, 22 2008
A Leeds man has had to be restrained by an ASBO from posting evidence of his own anti-social behaviour online. Andrew Kellett, 23, has been given the order to stop him posting films of his exploits on YouTube.
Thu, May, 22 2008
Facebook has suspended the use of a Google service which allowed people to export their Facebook friends list to other websites, claiming that the Google service violates users' privacy.
Thu, May, 22 2008
The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) made 250 rulings on alleged media breaches of privacy last year, it has said. The printed media's self-regulatory body said that it had received 100 privacy complaints during the year.
Wed, May, 21 2008
A social networking site has deleted most of its users over the age of 36 because it claims older users pose a danger of sex offending. It claims to be forced into the action by the Government, but the part of a law it cites is not yet in force.
Wed, May, 21 2008
Businesses will be able to display their employers' liability insurance certificates on their intranets under proposals confirmed by the UK Government this month. The move could end the practice of hanging framed certificates in every place of business.
Wed, May, 21 2008
Home Office ministers are poised to give the green light for the establishment of a central e-crime reporting and investigation agency in the UK.
Wed, May, 21 2008
The Government has agreed a deal with unions and business that will give agency workers equal treatment, but one employment law expert has warned that the deal could damage the very workers it was designed to protect.
Tue, May, 20 2008
Imitating a consumer to promote your business will become a criminal offence from Monday. New laws banning unfair commercial practices will outlaw any practice that fails to make a trader's commercial intent clear.
Tue, May, 20 2008
OPINION: Due diligence sometimes overlooks the people who are essential to a business. But the cost of failing to value key people only becomes apparent when they leave, says consultant Kevin Parry.
Mon, May, 19 2008
OPINION: Despite many calls from Parliamentary Select Committees and other commentators, I have come to the conclusion that a separate, security-breach notification law is not needed in the UK.
Mon, May, 19 2008
The Government is planning fundamental changes to UK consumer law, to benefit consumers, reduce burdens for business and help enforcers. A consultation on new proposals was launched earlier this month.
Mon, May, 19 2008
More than 5,000 companies in Manchester have been asked to check that they have adequate licences for the software they use. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) began a six-week campaign to stamp-out software piracy in the city today.
Fri, May, 16 2008
Controversial online television re-broadcaster Zattoo.com says that it will have five million users across Europe by the end of the year, more than doubling its size in the next six months.
Fri, May, 16 2008
Unwilling to collect the Empire State's new "Amazon Tax," Patrick Byrne and Overstock.com have jettisoned their New York-based affiliate marketers.
Fri, May, 16 2008
Nintendo has vowed to fight a court order demanding it pay $21m (£10.7m/€13.5m) to a US gaming company for patent infringements associated with controllers for the Wii and GameCube.
Fri, May, 16 2008
The NHS IT project, one of the world's largest public sector IT programmes, is already four years late.
Thu, May, 15 2008
Phone and internet companies will soon be forced to keep logs of internet usage to be made available to the police under a new law announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown this week.
Thu, May, 15 2008
The Government agency responsible for technology in the classroom has complained about Microsoft to the European Commission. It has added its voice to critics who believe that Microsoft is blocking competition in the software market.
Wed, May, 14 2008
A man has been found liable for stealing a company's website design in order to then pursue that same company's customers. A US court found the man liable for copyright infringement and in breach of contract in his property business.
Wed, May, 14 2008
Virgin Media misled consumers with an advert claiming its service offered the cheapest way to watch subscription sports channel Setanta TV, the advertising watchdog has ruled. The company has said it will not use the ad again.
Wed, May, 14 2008
Over half of business leaders fear the emergence of a US-style compensation culture in Europe and Asia that will mire them in costly litigation, according to a survey by insurance market Lloyd's.
Tue, May, 13 2008
The outgoing Italian government put all the country's citizens at risk of identity theft and physical attacks when it published the names, incomes and amounts of tax paid by every citizen.
Tue, May, 13 2008
Two men have been sentenced for a total of 15 months for advising people how to bypass security settings on their set-top boxes.
Tue, May, 13 2008
One in three European airline ticket websites is breaking consumer protection laws, the European Commission has said. It said that almost 60% of investigated sites published misleading pricing details.
Tue, May, 13 2008
The Financial Services Authority plans to close a gap in the Financial Services Compensation Scheme that affects insurance sold through branches of UK insurers located elsewhere in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Tue, May, 13 2008
Some insurance price comparison websites are unclear, unfair and provide inaccurate information, the financial industry regulator the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has warned.
Mon, May, 12 2008
Microsoft will appeal a €899 million European Commission fine, it has said. The company said that it wanted a court to review the fine in order to "seek clarity" on the issue.
Mon, May, 12 2008
Denial of service attacks will not be criminalised in England and Wales for another six months despite measures lying unused in existing laws since 2006. Changes to the Computer Misuse Act will not be activated until October.
Mon, May, 12 2008
The Information Commissioner has been given the ability to fine organisations if their operational procedures cause a gross breach of data protection principles. The move, which had not been expected, follows a Government defeat in the House of Lords.
Fri, May, 9 2008
MEPs today voted against* 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.
