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 ***This week's highlights from OUT-LAW News*** 1. Trade body overhauls data policy in light of lost conviction data A trade body has lost a laptop computer containing the personal details of 37,000 people and information on 1,900 people's driving convictions. The information was kept on an unencrypted laptop which was stolen from a locked vehicle. 20/08/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-10309 2. Consumers and businesses clash over EU consumer 'class action' suits The retail industry claims that there is not enough evidence of consumer harm to justify allowing for class action-like lawsuits against companies in the European Union. Consumer groups have said the action is needed to close a 'justice gap'. 20/08/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-10308 3. OFT to probe online advertising and pricing tactics Consumer protection watchdog the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) will investigate online pricing tactics and internet advertising techniques that mislead consumers, it has said. It will also probe price comparison sites and behavioural advertising. 19/08/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-10307 4. Directors to face tougher penalties for competition law breaches The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) plans to extend company director bans to include not just those who were directly involved in competition law offences but those who should have done more to prevent them. 19/08/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-10303 5. Government details how Digital Britain Report will become reality The Government has announced the details of how it will implement the recommendations of the Digital Britain report. It said that though preparatory work on the recommendations will be complete by autumn, some work will not be finished until 2012. 18/08/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-10300 6. 38% of large US companies have full-time email monitoring staff, claims research Nearly four in ten companies have staff whose main job is to monitor the outgoing email of colleagues, according to US data security research. More than a third of the companies surveyed hired staff to perform only that monitoring function. 17/08/2009 http://www.out-law.com/page-10290 ***OUT-LAW Radio: Crowds fill VC funding gap*** We find a company that is coping with a recessionary funding drought by turning investment on its head. Instead of asking few people for lots of money, Trampoline Systems is asking many for a little. 20/08/2009 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.