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This week's news on Out-Law.com
TMT & Sourcing and IP
MEPs not immune unless comments directly relevant to duties, says ECJ
MEPs not immune unless comments directly relevant to duties, says ECJ
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) may not be granted legal immunity on
opinions they express unless there is an obvious, direct link between the
comments and the performance of their parliamentary duties, the European Court
of Justice (ECJ) has ruled.
08/09/2011
EU ministers likely to back performer copyright extension today
EU ministers will today vote on whether to approve a change to EU law that would
extend copyright in sound recordings from 50 to 70 years.
07/09/2011
Spamhaus award reduced from $11m to $3
A UK anti-spam company that had previously been ordered to pay more than $11
million in damages for 'blacklisting' a US marketing company will only need to
pay a nominal $3 amount following a US court ruling.
07/09/2011
Original Bucks Fizz members lose trade mark battle over name
The public would be likely to be confused if three original members of Bucks
Fizz were allowed to register a trade mark that included the band's name, the
Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has ruled.
06/09/2011
Advertising watchdog reports soar in complaints since online remit was widened
The UK's advertising watchdog has received a surge in the number of complaints
it has had to investigate since it was given oversight of digital marketing
regulation, it has said.
06/09/2011
Ofcom asked not to include general right to appeal under Digital Economy Act code
The Government has asked Ofcom to avoid giving alleged copyright infringers a
general right of appeal against warning letters they may receive about their
online activity in new regulations due out shortly, the telecoms regulator has
said.
05/09/2011
Energy
Commission proposes stricter third party energy rules
Governments negotiating major energy deals with countries outside the European
Union may need to get approval from the European Commission under proposed new
rules.
08/09/2011
Employment
Security concerns leading UK businesses to clamp down on social media, study
says
Security concerns leading UK businesses to clamp down on social media, study says
Almost a third of UK companies block or discourage employees' social media
access at work, according to a new study.
06/09/2011
Banking & restructuring
Ringfencing's economic impact 'not likely to be vast' but profitability could be
affected, report says
Ringfencing's economic impact 'not likely to be vast' but profitability could be affected, report says
Forcing banks to separate their retail and investment operations will only have
a limited impact on the UK economy despite bankers' concern, a new report says.
06/09/2011
Reported concerns over would-be academy's PFI payments should be cleared up, says expert
A Sheffield secondary school rebuilt ten years ago through a private finance
initiative (PFI) has had to delay its transition to academy status as a result
of legal concerns, according to industry reports.
05/09/2011
Regulatory
EU report to assess anti-corruption enforcement measures
A new bi-annual report will help tackle EU corruption, the European Parliament
has said.
05/09/2011
Corporate
Most top companies miss deadline for women on boards commitment
Just eight of the top 100 UK companies have formally announced that they will
meet a target of having women occupy a quarter of board places by 2015,
according to research. Nearly half of those companies are meeting current
targets, it found.
05/09/2011
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