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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO forces Serco Leisure to stop using facial recognition technology for employees

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

In what circumstances can facial recognition technology (FRT) be acceptable to monitor employees in the workplace?

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Thinking - Snapshot

Ofcom and ICO to collaborate on Online Safety and Data Protection

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

How are the data protection and broadcasting regulators collaborating to regulate online services from a safety and privacy perspective, and what does this mean for businesses and services regulated by both bodies?

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Thinking - Snapshot

ICO publishes guidance on content moderation

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

What steps should businesses operating content moderation systems in the UK be taking to comply with new guidance published by the UK’s Information Commissioner (ICO)?

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Thinking - Snapshot

The ICO’s strategic approach to regulating AI

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

How can the ICO’s recently published AI strategy paper help businesses navigate the evolving AI regulatory landscape, particularly in respect of data protection principles?

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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

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 - Publication

Regulatory Radar: quick takes May 2025

Published on 12 May 2025. By Gavin Reese, Partner, Head of Regulatory

Welcome to the latest edition of our bi-monthly Regulatory Radar: quick takes update, which collates the latest developments from across the UK’s regulators.

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Thinking - Blog

New developments in AI may put law firms at greater risk of phishing fraud

Published on 28 Apr 2023. By Will Sefton, Partner, Head of the Lawyers Liability and Regulatory Group

As the computing power of Artificial Intelligence continues to grow exponentially, we consider how generative technology may expand the reach of traditional phishing frauds aimed at law firms.

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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

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

Contract formation: use of emoji showed objective intention to enter into contract

Published on 10 May 2025. By Caroline Tuck, Partner and Eleanor Harley , Partner

Is the use of a “thumbs up” emoji sufficient to convey acceptance when forming general commercial contracts?

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Thinking - Snapshot

Supreme Court determines that the parties’ common intention decides whether a contract is varied or replaced

Published on 10 May 2025. By Caroline Tuck, Partner and Eleanor Harley , Partner

How will a court determine whether a contract has been varied or replaced?

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Thinking - Snapshot

Variation of contract by email valid without expressly referring to exercise of contractual right

Published on 10 May 2025. By Caroline Tuck, Partner and Eleanor Harley , Partner

How will a court determine the formality requirements for a valid contract variation?

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Thinking - Snapshot

Court of Appeal confirms financial claim caught by clause excluding liability for loss of anticipated profits

Published on 10 May 2025. By Caroline Tuck, Partner and Eleanor Harley , Partner

How did the Court of Appeal approach the construction of an exclusion clause to determine whether the Claimant’s financial claim for breach of an exclusivity provision was properly described as a claim for “anticipated profits” and as such was excluded by that clause?

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Thinking - Snapshot

Green claims update

Published on 09 May 2025. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

The CMA has recently consulted on draft guidance to help businesses comply with the revamped consumer protection rules under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The guidance summarises key changes including broader definitions of “commercial practices” and “misleading actions” making it easier to enforce against misleading green claims.

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Thinking - Snapshot

UK advertising codes to be amended to reflect new DMCCA

Published on 09 May 2025. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

What are the proposed key amendments to the CAP and BCAP Codes to align with the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024?

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Thinking - Snapshot

ASA gets tougher on brand advertising for “less healthy” food and drink products

Published on 09 May 2025. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

What does CAP and BCAP’s new “identifiability test” mean for the advertising of “less healthy” food and drink (LHF) products?

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Thinking - Snapshot

Harmful Online Choice Architecture: ASA criticises Nike and Sky for “dark pattern” tactics

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead

What must businesses do to ensure that their ads do not fall foul of the ASA and CMA’s ongoing investigations into harmful choice architecture and dark pattern tactics?

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Thinking - Snapshot

Agreements to agree: Price for goods “to be fixed” by agreement results in partially enforceable contract

Published on 10 Dec 2024. By Caroline Tuck, Partner and Eleanor Harley , Partner

Where a contract for the sale of goods did not expressly specify the price for a portion of the goods, was the contract for the sale of those goods, or an element of it, enforceable or unenforceable as a mere agreement to agree?

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