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This week's news on Out-Law.com
TMT & Sourcing and IP
Net neutrality not possible without ISP transparency, says EU telecoms
regulators
Providing consumers with transparent information about the quality and
restrictiveness of their internet service is "fundamental" if net neutrality it
to be achieved, European telecoms regulators have said.
06/10/2011
Controversial IP rights treaty signed by eight countries
The US and Japan have joined a six other nations in signing a controversial
new anti-counterfeiting treaty, the countries have confirmed. The European
Commission has not signed it on EU member countries' behalf.
06/10/2011
More online traders needed to help stimulate cross-border market, report says
More companies need to participate in cross-border online trading in order to
improve competition and help attract more consumers with lower prices, a new
report by consumer organisations has said.
05/10/2011
Advertising watchdog will report record complaint figures following extension of its remit
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has said that it is set to report
record annual complaints figures as a result of changes to its responsibilities
earlier this year. It said that almost one third of complaints are now about
online advertising.
05/10/2011
EU free trade and copyright laws allow use of foreign decoders in pubs, rules ECJ
Pub owners can use foreign decoders to show live Premier League football
after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the practice was not
contrary to EU copyright law.
04/10/2011
ICO seeks views on transparency of public bodies
The UK's data protection and freedom of information watchdog has launched a
new consultation with a view to amending its guidance on what information public
sector organisations should be forced to disclose and how.
30/09/2011
Tax
HMRC will allow limited 'grandfathering' on VAT arrangements for existing salary
sacrifice schemes
HMRC will allow limited 'grandfathering' on VAT arrangements for existing salary
sacrifice schemes
Companies which allow employees to give up some of their salary in exchange
for taxable benefits will be able to continue to do so free of VAT for a limited
period, HMRC has said.
06/10/2011
Litigation & International Arbitration
Force majeure clauses should be focussed and used to cement, not undermine,
customer relationships, says expert
OPINION: Things go wrong in business – what matters is how a company reacts
when they do.
06/10/2011
Planning
Right to buy "stacks up" says Shapps
Right to buy "stacks up" says Shapps
Housing Minister Grant Shapps has strongly backed the Government's "right to
buy" policy and has insisted that the initiative "stacks up".
05/10/2011
Government will redraft some elements of draft National Planning Policy Framework
The government has agreed to redraft the draft National Planning Policy
Framework (NPPF) to make the protections for rural England clearer, The Times
has reported.
03/10/2011
Energy
European Commission warns UK and 18 others on energy measures
The UK is one of 18 countries to receive a warning from the European
Commission for failing to tell it that they have fully implemented EU rules to
liberalise gas and electricity networks more than six months after the deadline,
the Commission has announced.
04/10/2011
Employment
Supreme Court 'missed opportunity' to clarify equal pay law, expert says
The Supreme Court "missed the opportunity" to clarify a complex area of
employment law when Sheffield City Council settled out of court an equal pay
test case by female workers who claimed they were being paid less than men to do
similar jobs, an expert has said.
03/10/2011
Regulatory
Plea bargaining a must for anti-corruption success says expert as authorities
plan discussions
OPINION: The evidence is that the UK is moving towards giving corruption
investigators the powers to broker agreements that will settle more cases and
encourage more organisations to identify corruption, and it is vital this push
succeeds.
03/10/2011
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