Hi, here is your weekly round-up of highlights from OUT-LAW News. As always, there are plenty of other stories from this week. You can also access our archive of weekly emails.
This week's news on OUT-LAW.COM
Swine flu may become a force majeure event, so check your contracts now
Companies should dig out their major contracts and read the clauses on 'force
majeure' to prepare for arguments that a swine flu pandemic could render
contracts meaningless, a legal expert has said.
22/07/2009
Information Commissioner enjoys new powers to fine from April 2010
Privacy regulator the Information Commissioner will be handed new powers to
issue fines next April. The Commissioner's office has confirmed for the first
time the date on which it will be able to hand out new fines.
22/07/2009
Government resists bringing US-style class actions to English courts
The Government will not be introducing a right to bring class actions in English
courts for all types of civil claim, the Ministry of Justice announced this
week.
22/07/2009
Government will fight Brussels over EU consumer rights law
The Government will fight the European Commission over UK consumers' right to
reject goods, it has said. It said it was 'optimistic' about changing the
Commission's mind about its proposed new EU law the Consumer Rights Directive.
21/07/2009
Google is not liable for defamatory snippets in search results, rules High Court
Google is not the publisher of defamatory words that appear in its search
results, the High Court ruled yesterday. Even when Google had been told that its
results contained libellous words, it was not liable as a publisher, said Mr
Justice Eady.
17/07/2009
Companies to stay outside Freedom of Information regime
Companies that carry out functions of a public nature will not have to handle
Freedom of Information requests, the Ministry of Justice announced yesterday.
Proposals to extend the regime to the private sector will not progress at this
time.
17/07/2009
OUT-LAW Radio: Software mismanagement
23/07/2009: We look at research that shows that companies manage their
software badly, leading to legal troubles and extra costs.
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