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This week's news on Out-Law.com
TMT & Sourcing and IP
Search and ISP companies may be asked to help tackle copyright infringement,
says minister
Search and ISP companies may be asked to help tackle copyright infringement,
says minister
Search engines and internet service providers (ISPs) could be forced to make it
harder for users to access copyright infringing content online under new UK
communications laws, the Culture Secretary
15/09/2011
US privacy law could learn from Europe, say consumer advocates
US privacy laws "lag woefully behind" the demands of current technology and the
US should emulate EU data protection laws, a group of consumer groups including
the UK's Which? and Consumer Focus has said.
15/09/2011
Debt and claims companies the real blagging culprits says Information Commissioner
Companies involved in financial services, debt collection and claims management
are involved in routine 'blagging' of personal data, the Information
Commissioner has said. Moves to deter them are being hampered by press phone
hacking claims, he said.
14/09/2011
Ofcom bans phone companies' automatic rollover contracts
Automatic re-subscription to phone services through 'rollover' contracts will be
banned from the end of December, telecoms regulator Ofcom has said.
14/09/2011
Copyright protection rights extended for music performers
Music performers will receive 70 years of copyright protection on recordings
under new EU laws that have been formally approved.
13/09/2011
Twitter contests advertising company's 'tweet' trademark
Twitter has launched a legal bid to cancel a firm's registered trademark that
includes the word 'tweet', according to a copy of its lawsuit.
13/09/2011
Energy
Government will review energy laws in red tape reduction bid
Government will review energy laws in red tape reduction bid
The Government will review over 300 energy regulations as part of its bid to
reduce red tape.
15/09/2011
Projects and construction
Government promises to 'accelerate' infrastructure spending
Major infrastructure projects including rail, road and high-speed broadband will
be prioritised to boost the economy, the deputy prime minister has said.
14/09/2011
Tax
Mirrlees Review recommends "radical" tax reform
Mirrlees Review recommends "radical" tax reform
Stamp duty on property transactions is "inefficient and damaging" and should be
abolished, while VAT should be levied on financial services business and income
tax merged with national insurance, an independent report on taxation in the UK
has claimed.
14/09/2011
Banks
Government to respond to ICB recommendations 'by the end of the year'
Government to respond to ICB recommendations 'by the end of the year'
The Government will provide a response to recommendations to separate retail and
investment banking activities "by the end of the year", the Chancellor has said.
14/09/2011
Banks have until 2019 to separate retail and investment banking activities, says ICB
Banks taking customer deposits and providing overdrafts will have to do so
separately from their commercial and investment activities, according to bank
reform plans proposed to the Government.
12/09/2011
Litigation and arbitration
New 'holistic' arbitration rules incorporate amicable dispute resolution
A new version of the most frequently used international arbitration rules will
provide for an increasing number of multi-party, multi-contract disputes when it
comes into force on 1 January 2012.
13/09/2011
Public sector
Parliament should decide whether European Court of Human Rights rulings are
binding, Government advisor says
European countries should be able to "override" rulings by the European Court of
Human Rights (ECHR) if there is there a "democratic will" to do so, a Government
advisor has said.
12/09/2011
Property
Land registration to become easier as a result of Scottish property law reform
Registering land in Scotland should become easier as a result of a bill
introduced in the Scottish Government's 2011/12 legislative programme, an expert
has said.
12/09/2011
Insurance
OFT to probe rising cost of motor insurance
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is gathering information on the motor insurance
industry to find out why the cost of cover has risen so dramatically in the last
year.
09/09/2011
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