Hi, Here is your weekly round-up of highlights from OUT-LAW News. As always, click the links to read the full stories of the summaries below or see these and many other stories from this week's news at http://www.out-law.com/page-5951. You can also access our archive of weekly emails at http://www.out-law.com/page-7793. The OUT-LAW Team ***Free OUT-LAW Breakfast Seminars*** April: Cloud Computing – legal issues for business users May: How to manage supply chain distress London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow Edinburgh See: http://www.out-law.com/page-6024 ***This week's highlights from OUT-LAW News*** 1. MEPs back consumer class actions in competition cases The European Parliament has backed European Commission proposals that would allow consumers to band together to take action against companies that breach competition law. 26/03/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-9909 2. Businesses are not always free to change lawyers, rules tribunal Companies may begin to use complex commercial services contracts when engaging law firms after a case underlined the rights of workers whose jobs are transferred to another firm. 25/03/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-9904 3. Privacy group asks web's biggest names to reject Phorm system A digital rights group has written to the internet's major companies asking them to opt out of a controversial behavioural advertising system in order to protect site users' privacy. Companies can choose to have their sites excluded from the system. 24/03/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-9900 4. Courts must read effect into ambiguous contracts, says Court of Appeal When a contract is poorly drafted and its effect unclear courts should interpret it in order to give it force rather than to render it void, the Court of Appeal has said. 24/03/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-9898 5. Lawyer-client privilege can't stop surveillance, says House of Lords The state is allowed to bug communication between lawyers and their clients, the House of Lords has said. The UK's highest court ruled that spy law the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) allows lawyers' conversations to be bugged. 23/03/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-9897 6. How to protect your brand in China FEATURE: Intellectual property laws have come a long way in China. Brands entering the territory just need to make a few preparations, warns Hong Kong lawyer Alison Ross. 20/03/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-9893 ***OUT-LAW Radio: Will ancient law stifle journalists?*** We look at a 90 year old law that could help some news organisations but hinder the spread of news, plus we discover just how much cybercriminals make in a day 26/03/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-7212 ***About this email*** This is a weekly email for subscribers of OUT-LAW.COM, a website with more than 8,000 pages of free legal news and guidance. If and when you need further advice, we hope you'll choose Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind OUT-LAW.COM. Feel free to forward this email to your friends. If someone forwarded this email to you and you'd like your own subscription, register free at http://www.out-law.com. Existing subscribers: you can manage your profile at http://www.out-law.com/page-520. The email address for this subscription is <>. Feel free to give us your feedback by replying to this email. To unsubscribe, please reply with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. (We'd also appreciate you telling us why you've decided to unsubscribe.) This email is sent on behalf of Pinsent Masons LLP, a limited liability partnership registered in England & Wales (registered number: OC333653) and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The word 'partner', used in relation to the LLP, refers to a member of the LLP or an employee or consultant of the LLP or any affiliated firm who has equivalent standing and qualifications. A list of the members of the LLP, and of those non-members who are designated as partners, is displayed at the LLP's registered office: CityPoint, One Ropemaker Street, London EC2Y 9AH, United Kingdom.