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Thinking - Snapshot

New development: DPDI Bill fails to become law

Published on 01 Aug 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (DPDIB), the proposal for post-Brexit data protection laws in the UK, did not pass through Parliament before its dissolution on 24 May 2024 ahead of the general election on 4 July 2024. This means that the DPDIB has failed to become law and any proposals for data reform in the UK will largely need to start afresh in the new Parliament.

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Thinking - Publication

The Role of AI in Disputes

Published on 03 Jun 2024. By Daniel Hemming, Partner and Ricky Cella, Senior Associate and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

While lawyers have had various forms of AI available to them for years, it is generative AI and the development of large language models (LLMs) which is likely to represent a fundamental shift for dispute resolution. This technology now offers language capabilities that have never been seen before, and is likely to transform the way lawyers conduct proceedings.

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Thinking - Publication

What is AI and why is it topical?

Published on 03 Jun 2024. By Paul Joukador, Partner and Helen Armstrong, Partner and Charles Buckworth, Partner and Caroline Tuck, Partner

Whilst there is no universal definition of what constitutes artificial intelligence, at its core, AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn like humans. This encompasses the ability to reason, learn from experience, understand complex concepts, interact with their environment and look to solve problems.

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Thinking - Publication

What is a foundational model?

Published on 03 Jun 2024. By Caroline Tuck, Partner and Rory Graham, Associate

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Thinking - Snapshot

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology consults on proposed data infrastructure statutory framework

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

What statutory obligations could the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s (DSIT) proposed statutory framework impose on UK data centre providers?

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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO publishes updates to its guidance on Transfer Risk Assessments

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

How will recent updates to the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) guidance on Transfer Risk Assessments (TRAs) affect how UK organisations conduct their TRAs?

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Thinking - Snapshot

New ICO guidance on content moderation and data compliance

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

How can organisations using content moderation technologies and processes best comply with data protection laws?

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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO launches consultation series on generative AI and data protection

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

What is the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) intended approach to developing guidance on how data protection law should be applied to the development and use of generative AI?

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Thinking - Snapshot

CJEU rules on what constitutes “automated decision-making” under the GDPR

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

Does the production of a credit score constitute “automated decision-making” for the purposes of Article 22 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)? What wider impact will this have for AI technologies?

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Thinking - Snapshot

EDPB adopts opinion on “main establishment” of a controller in the EU

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

What is meant by “main establishment” under article 4(16)(a) of the GDPR for the purposes of determining the application of the one-stop-shop mechanism?

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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO warns UK’s most visited websites to improve cookie choices

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

What steps is the ICO taking to ensure that website cookie banners are compliant with law?

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Thinking - Snapshot

New Development: EU Data Act published in Official Journal

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

The EU Data Act (the Act) came into force on 11 January 2024. The Act sets out rules regarding the fair access to and use of data, aiming to enhance the data economy for individuals and businesses by overcoming barriers to data sharing and establishing frameworks around data access and use.

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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO fines HelloFresh £140,000 after 7-month spam marketing campaign

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

Where did HelloFresh go wrong with their email and text marketing campaign and what lessons can be learned from the ICO’s investigation and subsequent fine?

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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO issues preliminary enforcement notice against Snap for its “My AI” Chatbot

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

How can organisations who wish to join to the world of generative AI ensure that they adequately assess the risks from the perspective of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)?

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Thinking - Snapshot

New Development: EDPB provides clarification on tracking techniques covered by the ePrivacy Directive

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

On 14 November 2023, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted a set of new guidelines (the Guidelines) on the technical scope of Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive (the ePD).

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Thinking - Snapshot

Clearview AI cleared of £7.5m ICO fine for processing data outside the UK

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

Just how did the processing of personal data by Clearview AI (Clearview) fall outside the scope of UK GDPR?

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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO publishes guidance to ensure lawful monitoring in the workplace

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

How can employers monitor their workers whilst maintaining their trust and complying with data protection regulation?

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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO publishes its draft “Data Protection Fining Guidance” for public consultation

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

How will the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) calculate the amount of a fine under the UK GPDR and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018?

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Thinking - Snapshot

EU Advocate General’s opinion on data subjects’ rights to compensation for non-material damage under the GDPR

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

Does the theft of an individual’s sensitive personal data by a wrongdoer give rise to compensation for non-material damage under Article 82 EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), if the wrongdoer has not used, or taken steps to use, the sensitive personal data for any purpose?

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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO updates its guidance on AI and data protection

Published on 07 Jul 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

What are the key data protection principles which the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) expects organisations to follow when integrating AI into their product and service offerings?

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Thinking - Blog

How will the "Genny lec" impact the world of cyber and tech?

Published on 24 Jun 2024. By Rachel Ford, Partner

On 22 May 2024, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stood in the pouring rain to announce a General Election, thus commencing a summer of political and meteorological uncertainty for those in the UK.

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Thinking - Blog

Fines for PDPA Breaches: How Clear is the Crystal Ball?

Published on 16 Nov 2023. By Nick Lauw, Partner and Pu Fang Ching, Senior Associate

The Singapore Personal Data Protection Commission ("PDPC") has recently issued a number of new enforcement decisions.

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Press and Media

Cybersecurity breaches at financial services firms more than trebles

Published on 25 Sep 2023. By Richard Breavington, Partner

Cybersecurity breaches reported by financial service providers rose from 187 in 2021/22 to 640 in 2022/23 UK pension schemes report the biggest increase, 4,000%, in data breach reports to the ICO

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Thinking - Blog

EU Design regulation changes coming on 1 May 2025: What businesses need to know

Published on 14 Apr 2025. By Louise Morgan, Senior Associate and Georgia Davis, Of Counsel

1 May 2025 sees the first in a series of implementations of the long-awaited changes to EU design law.

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Thinking - Blog

Aesthetic appeal and craftsmanship are not enough: WaterRower fails to secure copyright protection as a UK work of artistic craftsmanship

Published on 13 Dec 2024. By Ciara Cullen, Partner, Retail & Consumer Sector Lead and Emma Dunnill, Senior Associate and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

The term "artistic craftsmanship" has no statutory definition under UK copyright law – a position that has only been made more challenging by a conflict between EU and UK case law in this area. In this hotly anticipated judgment, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) sought to determine what it means to be a work of artistic craftsmanship in the context of s 4(1)(c) of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA).

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Thinking - Blog

McDonald's BIG MAC trade mark – General Court gives decision on evidence of genuine use

Published on 30 Jul 2024. By Ciara Cullen, Partner, Retail & Consumer Sector Lead and Emma Dunnill, Senior Associate and Harpreet Kaur, Associate

In a decision that, practically, provides for only a tiny loss of protection for the behemoth brand and trade mark, on 5 June 2024 the European General Court (General Court) partially revoked McDonald's BIG MAC trade mark (the EUTM) in the EU (Supermac's (Holdings) Ltd v EUIPO (Case T 58/23)).

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Thinking - Blog

Ginfringement: Success for M&S in the Court of Appeal in registered design spat with Aldi

Published on 15 Mar 2024. By Rory Graham, Associate and Georgia Davis, Of Counsel

M&S and Aldi's gin bottle battle over design rights has reached a conclusion (for now) as the Court of Appeal has unanimously upheld the IPEC's decision that Aldi's bottle infringed M&S' design.

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Thinking - Blog

Clear as gin: M&S and Aldi take liquor bottle battle to the Court of Appeal

Published on 26 Jan 2024. By Rory Graham, Associate and Georgia Davis, Of Counsel

Intellectual property enthusiasts' favourite supermarket adversaries were back at loggerheads this week as M&S and Aldi appear before the Court of Appeal. The pair sought to thrash out a first instance decision handed down in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) regarding alleged infringement of M&S' registered design rights in a gin bottle.

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Thinking - Blog

M&S v Aldi – lookalike claims lit up by design rights

Published on 24 Mar 2023. By Ciara Cullen, Partner, Retail & Consumer Sector Lead and Harpreet Kaur, Associate and Jack McAlone, Associate

As lookalike products rise in prominence, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court's (IPEC) recent ruling that the sale and advertisement of Aldi's 'Infusionist' range of favoured gins infringed M&S's UK registered designs protecting the light-up bottles containing its 'Snow Globe' gin range (Marks and Spencer PLC v Aldi Stores Limited [2023] EWHC 178) highlights the utility of registered design rights in circumstances where other intellectual property rights (IPR) are often less able to provide protection.

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Thinking - Blog

Lookalikes and passing off—bottle design get-up claim (Au Vodka)

Published on 07 Nov 2022. By Ciara Cullen, Partner, Retail & Consumer Sector Lead and Sarah Mountain, Partner and Samuel Coppard, Senior Associate

Currently there's significant activity in the lookalikes space. The Au Vodka claim (Au Vodka v NE10 Vodka [2022] EWHC 2371), which focuses on bottle design 'get-up', arrived in the courts for an interim injunction hearing in September 2022. Au Vodka's application was dismissed. The judgment shows that passing off—get-up claims based on shape can be challenging to bring, particularly at the interim stage, and prompts the question of whether it's possible to bring Cofemel and copyright into the lookalikes arena.

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Thinking - Blog

Sky Kick Back! High Court finding of bad faith overturned by Court of Appeal in long-running Sky v Skykick saga

Published on 09 Aug 2021. By Ben Mark, Partner and Sarah Mountain, Partner

On 26 July 2021, the Court of Appeal (CoA) handed down its much-anticipated decision in the latest instalment of the Sky v Skykick trade mark dispute.

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Thinking - Blog

William Grant & Sons v Lidl: where to be-gin?

Published on 16 Jun 2021. By Ciara Cullen, Partner, Retail & Consumer Sector Lead and Ben Mark, Partner and Sarah Mountain, Partner

On 25 May 2021, the Scottish Court of Session (SCOS) granted an interim interdict (akin to an interim injunction), which prevents Lidl from selling its own brand 'Hampstead gin' in Scottish stores, pending the outcome of the matter at trial.

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Thinking - Snapshot

Copyright: Online platform operators’ liability for users illegally uploading copyright material

Published on 02 Nov 2020. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

C-682/18 Frank Peterson v Google LLC and others and C 683/18 Elsevier Inc. v Cyando AG EU:C:2020:586 – A-G opinion

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Thinking - Blog

Landmark case sees trade mark specifications cut down on grounds of bad faith.

Published on 29 Apr 2020. By Ben Mark, Partner and Sarah Mountain, Partner

Today, the High Court handed down judgment in Sky v SkyKick. The judgment follows the CJEU's 29 January 2020 decision, which answered various questions that the High Court had referred to it, back in June 2018.

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Thinking - Blog

COVID-19 prompts changes to working arrangements for the Court of Justice of the European Union

Published on 09 Apr 2020. By Louise Morgan, Senior Associate

Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CJEU announced, on 19 March 2020, that it will be temporarily changing its working arrangements.

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Thinking - Blog

15% increase in counterfeit goods seized in 2015

Published on 11 Oct 2016. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech and Ben Mark, Partner

According to the "Report on EU Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights: Results at the EU Border 2015", the number of goods that were detained at the EU's external borders for suspected infringement of an IP right grew by an estimated 15% in 2015 compared with 2014.

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Thinking - Blog

EU AI ACT-ion stations

Published on 29 Sep 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner and Charles Buckworth, Partner

The EU is forging ahead with its vision for AI. With wrapping up talks on the EU AI Act between the EU governments, the Commission and the parliamentary negotiators imminent, we bring you up to date on the EU's risk based approach, the scope of the Act, a timeline, key points that will form the basis of the discussions and next steps.

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Thinking - Blog

What To Know About AI Fraudsters Before Facing Disputes

Published on 29 Aug 2023. By Dan Wyatt, Partner and Christopher Whitehouse, Of Counsel

Fraudsters are quick to weaponise new technological developments and artificial intelligence is proving no exception, with AI-assisted scams increasingly being reported in the news, including most recently one using a likeness of a BBC broadcaster.

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Thinking - Publication

Sports Ticker (27 April 2023) – PL gambling sponsor ban, WWE x UFC merger and Schumacher's AI interview – a speed-read of commercial updates from the sports world

Published on 28 Apr 2023. By Jeremy Drew, Partner, Head of Commercial and Joshua Charalambous, Partner and Samuel Coppard, Senior Associate and Joseph Akwaboa, Associate

In a fortnight which saw Corach Rambler win the Grand National, the UK & Ireland submit its bid to host the UEFA Euro 2028 men's tournament, and 48,000 runners take to the streets for the London Marathon, we bring you updates on Spotify's new integration with Strava and Team GB's collaboration with Birds Eye. We also feature stories on a controversial AI-generated interview with Michael Schumacher and our own Kate O'Malley's sub-three hour marathon success.

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Thinking - Snapshot

UK Government sets out proposals for regulation of AI

Published on 10 Oct 2022. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

What are the UK Government’s plans for the future regulation of artificial intelligence (AI)?

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Thinking - Snapshot

UK government announces the launch of an AI standards hub

Published on 12 Apr 2022. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

What does the new artificial intelligence (AI) standards hub mean for businesses seeking to develop AI technologies?

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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO publishes guidance on AI decision making

Published on 02 Nov 2020. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

How can companies comply with data regulation when using AI to make decisions affecting individuals?

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Thinking - Snapshot

The EU’s Work Programme 2025 – ePrivacy Reg and AI Liability Directive dropped!

Published on 09 May 2025. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

What are the main takeaways for the tech industry from the European Commission’s Work Programme 2025?

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Thinking - Snapshot

EU Guidance on the AI Act

Published on 09 May 2025. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

How is the European Commission helping businesses interpret the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act)?

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Thinking - Snapshot

The Online Safety Act: Illegal Harms Codes officially in force, focus now on children

Published on 09 May 2025. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

What are service providers’ new obligations under Ofcom’s new Codes of Practice on Illegal Harms and its Age Assurance and Children’s Access Guidance?

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Thinking - Snapshot

The UK Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI

Published on 09 May 2025. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

How is the UK Government considering striking the balance between the protection of copyright in materials and the training of AI?

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Thinking - Snapshot

UK’s new AI Cyber Security Code of Practice

Published on 09 May 2025. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

How is the UK Government seeking to protect AI systems from growing cyber security threats, in particular in respect of deployable AI systems using GenAI?

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Thinking - Snapshot

UK’s “AI Opportunities Action Plan”

Published on 09 May 2025. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

How will the UK Government’s new AI Opportunities Action Plan (Plan) impact businesses?

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Thinking - Blog

Online Safety Act 2023: Children Codes published by Ofcom

Published on 06 May 2025. By Rupert Cowper-Coles , Partner and Mafruhdha Miah, Senior Associate

On 24 April 2025, Ofcom published the Protection of Children Codes and Guidance (the Codes), as part of the second phase of its three-phase process to implement the Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act). In-scope service providers are now required to complete their first children's risk assessments by 24 July 2025, and subject to parliamentary approval of the Codes, those service providers will need to comply with the Codes from 25 July 2025.

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Thinking - Snapshot

EU publishes draft Code for general-purpose AI models

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

What measures are proposed by the EU AI Office to regulate general-purpose AI (GPAI) models?

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