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Regulatory Radar - Summer 2025

Published on 30 Jun 2025. By Gavin Reese, Partner, Head of Regulatory

Welcome to the Summer 2025 edition of RPC's bi-annual Regulatory Radar – a guide to the key regulatory changes worth having on your radar.

Falling Fowl in personal injury claims: the Animals Act 1971, fundamental dishonesty, quantum and forum shopping

Published on 11 Jun 2025. By Gavin Reese, Partner, Head of Regulatory and Sally Lord, Knowledge Lawyer Manager

Whether you're dealing with claims under the Animals Act 1971, fundamental dishonesty, quantum disputes or what forum to choose, Boyd v Hughes [2025] deals with it all. Here we discuss the principles before the court in a claim that arose out of a personal injury claim after a fall from a horse and what it means for personal injury cases going forwards.

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.

Regulatory Radar - quick takes - March 2025

Published on 13 Mar 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.

Regulatory Radar - Winter 2025

Published on 10 Mar 2025. By Gavin Reese, Partner, Head of Regulatory

Welcome to the Winter 2025 edition of RPC's bi-annual Regulatory Radar – a guide to the key regulatory changes worth having on your radar.

Green claims update: February 2025

Published on 27 Feb 2025. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and Ciara Cullen, Partner, Retail & Consumer Sector Lead and Hettie Homewood , Senior Associate and Sophie Tuson, Senior Associate, Environment and Climate Change Practice Lead

Welcome to our round-up of the key legal and regulatory developments relating to green claims.

The EU Compliance headache you don't know you have? A priority primer on the European Accessibility Act

Published on 31 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and Hettie Homewood , Senior Associate

It is now less than a year until the EU Accessibility Act (EAA) comes into force, which will require businesses to ensure a range of products (eg smartphones and computers) and services (eg e-commerce services, consumer banking services, and ebooks) are accessible for persons with disabilities.

Seeing the wood for the trees: preparing for new deforestation due diligence rules in the UK and EU

Published on 24 Oct 2024. By Sophie Tuson, Senior Associate, Environment and Climate Change Practice Lead

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive expert briefing

Published on 08 Jul 2024. By Sophie Tuson, Senior Associate, Environment and Climate Change Practice Lead and Thomas Jenkins, Of Counsel and Sarah Barrie, Associate and Eve Matthews, Associate

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) was adopted on 24 May 2024 and was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 5 July. It entered into force on 26 July, and will apply to companies from 26 July 2028.

Regulatory Radar - January 2024

Published on 08 Jan 2024. By Gavin Reese, Partner, Head of Regulatory

Hello and welcome to the January 2024 edition of RPC’s bi-annual Regulatory radar – a guide to the key regulatory changes worth having on your radar. We hope this will be a useful resource, helping you scan the regulatory horizon and highlight changes that could impact your business.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Weighty issues for diet app developers

Published on 04 Jan 2022. By Dorothy Flower, Partner

2022 is set to be the year of the diet app. The distinction between what is a mere lifestyle app and what should in fact be a regulated medical product or service can be difficult to assess.

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.

Stay on top of Intellectual Property

Published on 20 Apr 2021. By Ciara Cullen, Partner, Retail & Consumer Sector Lead and Ben Mark, Partner and Sarah Mountain, Partner

Whether you’re just starting out or launching a new product, there are a wealth of intellectual property issues to consider in the world of distilling. Here, Ciara Cullen, Ben Mark and Sarah Mountain outline those do’s and don’ts, the changing landscape and how to thrive in 2021 and beyond.

Snapshots Spring 2025

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

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

Snapshots Winter 2024

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

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

Snapshots Autumn 2024

Published on 17 Oct 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of Disputes

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

Snapshots Summer 2024

Published on 01 Aug 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of Disputes

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

Parliamentary 'wash up' – which Bills made it through?

Published on 31 May 2024. By Paul Joukador, Partner and Praveeta Thayalan, Senior Knowledge Lawyer and Shahil Goodka, Trainee Solicitor

On 22 May 2024, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that a General Election will take place on 4 July 2024. Parliament was then prorogued on 24 May 2024 which allowed a mere 2 days for 'wash up' - the process by which outstanding bills may be rushed through the parliamentary process.

Snapshots Spring 2024

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of Disputes

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

Ofcom's 'Roadmap to Regulation' underway with its consultation on illegal harms duties under the Online Safety Act

Published on 12 Jan 2024.

In November, Ofcom, as new online safety regulator, published the first of four major consultations under the Online Safety Act ("OSA"), which sets out its proposals for how "user-to-user" ("U2U") services (essentially any online website or app that allows users to interact with each other) and online search services (i.e. Google, Bing and similar) should approach their illegal content duties under the new legislation. The consultation provides guidance in a number of areas including governance, content moderation, reporting and complaints mechanisms, terms of service, supporting child users, and user empowerment.

Snapshots Winter 2023

Published on 12 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of Disputes

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

The Times recognises RPC among Best Law Firms 2024

Published on 30 Oct 2023.

International law firm, RPC, has been recognised by The Times in its Best Law Firms 2024 report, an annual ranking of the top 250 law firms in England and Wales.

Snapshots Autumn 2023

Published on 25 Oct 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of Disputes

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

The Online Safety Bill is set to become law

Published on 21 Sep 2023. By Rupert Cowper-Coles , Partner, Media

The Online Safety Bill will shortly become law in the UK as soon as it receives Royal Assent. The legislation will introduce a new regulatory regime for online platforms and search engines which target the UK, imposing wide-ranging obligations on in-scope services with serious consequences for non-compliance.

Snapshots Summer 2023

Published on 07 Jul 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of Disputes

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

Snapshots Spring 2023

Published on 31 Mar 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of Disputes

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

Snapshots Winter 2022

Published on 23 Dec 2022. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms Sector Lead and David Cran, Partner, Head of Disputes

A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.

All is not (necessarily) lost: Crypto crime recovery

Published on 30 Jun 2022. By Adam Craggs, Partner

With over 2 million people in the UK now holding and using cryptocurrency, and the Chancellor announcing that a government backed non-fungible token ("NFT") is to be issued by the Royal Mint this summer, the market for crypto-assets is expected to continue to grow in the coming months and years; so much so that legislation is planned to implement a new regulatory regime for the crypto market.

Tribunal allows taxpayer's appeal in respect of overdrawn director's loan account

Published on 17 Jul 2025. By Daniel Williams, Associate

In Quillan v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 421 (TC) the FTT held that a director's loan was neither written off nor released in the absence of a formal acknowledgment from the company's liquidator.

Tribunal accepts taxpayers' Ramsay argument and allows their appeals

Published on 10 Jul 2025. By Alexis Armitage, Senior Associate

In The Vaccine Research Ltd Partnership & Anor v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 402 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) allowed the taxpayers' appeal, concluding that under the Ramsay principle of statutory interpretation, licence fees received as part of a tax-planning scheme, were neither annual payments nor income not otherwise charged of the partners, within sections 683 or 687 of Income Tax (Trading & Other Income) Act 2005.

HMRC directed by tribunal to issue closure notices

Published on 03 Jul 2025.

In Refinitiv Ltd and others v HMRC [2025] UKFTT 415 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal directed HMRC to issue closure notices on the basis it had failed to meet the burden to keep the relevant enquiries open as ongoing judicial review proceedings do not constitute "reasonable grounds" for not issuing a closure notice.

Tax Bites - July 2025

Published on 01 Jul 2025. By Adam Craggs, Partner and Daniel Williams, Associate

Welcome to the latest edition of RPC's Tax Bites – providing monthly bite-sized updates from the tax world.

Taxing Matters: When tax advice goes wrong: professional negligence in tax disputes

Published on 26 Jun 2025.

In this episode, our host and Senior Associate at RPC, Alexis Armitage, is joined by colleagues Helen Kerr and Tom Wild from RPC's Professional Liability team to explore how professional negligence claims can arise during the lifecycle of a tax dispute.

Upper Tribunal dismisses IR 35 challenge

Published on 26 Jun 2025. By Jasprit Singh, Senior Associate

In George Mantides Ltd v HMRC [2025] UKUT 00124 (TCC), the Upper Tribunal dismissed the company's appeal against an income tax determination and national insurance decision. Whilst the UT set aside the earlier decision of the First-tier Tribunal on the basis that there were errors in the assessment of the hypothetical contract, ultimately it came to the same conclusion that the hypothetical contract was one of employment for the purposes of IR35.

Improving HMRC’s Approach to Dispute Resolution

Published on 19 Jun 2025. By Adam Craggs, Partner and Liam McKay, Of Counsel

This article considers the recently launched consultation aimed at modernising HMRC’s approach to resolving tax disputes.

No Retreat on UK Digital Services Tax – For Now

Published on 12 Jun 2025. By Adam Craggs, Partner and Liam McKay, Of Counsel

This blog considers recent speculation concerning the future of the UK's Digital Services Tax in the context of trade negotiations between the UK and the USA.

Court of Appeal confirms pre-construction costs qualify for capital allowances

Published on 05 Jun 2025. By Daniel Williams, Associate

In Orsted West of Duddon Sands (UK) Ltd and others v HMRC [2025] EWCA Civ 279, the Court of Appeal held that expenditure incurred in designing windfarms and on studies informing the installation could qualify for capital allowances.

Tax Bites - June 2025

Published on 03 Jun 2025. By Adam Craggs, Partner and Daniel Williams, Associate

Welcome to the latest edition of RPC's Tax Bites – providing monthly bite-sized updates from the tax world.

Blowing the whistle!

Published on 29 May 2025. By Adam Craggs, Partner

Adam Craggs and Tom Holden consider the US and Canadian 'whistleblower' models in light of the government's plans for a new reward scheme inspired by these, as well as the existing HMRC rewards scheme this initiative will complement.

Contentious Tax Quarterly Review – Spring 2025

Published on 22 May 2025. By Adam Craggs, Partner and Liam McKay, Of Counsel

This Contentious Tax Review provides an update on a number of recent important decisions in the tax disputes arena.

Former England captain's IR35 battle with HMRC ends in a score draw

Published on 15 May 2025. By Alexis Armitage, Senior Associate

In Bryan Robson Ltd v HMRC [2025] TC09408, the First-tier Tribunal considered the IR35 legislation in relation to ex-England footballer Bryan Robson. It found payments made for his ambassadorial role at Manchester United fell within the scope of the IR35 legislation, while payments made to him in respect of his image rights did not.

Taxing Matters: Mental Health Awareness Week: breaking down mental barriers in the mind with Jo Maughan

Published on 13 May 2025.

In this special Mental Health Awareness Week episode of Taxing Matters, host Alexis Armitage welcomes Jo Maughan, career coach and former tax director, to discuss how professionals can manage their critical inner voice and break down mental barriers in their mind.

Challenging HMRC's Debt Management Actions - Lessons Learned from Local Fuel Ltd

Published on 08 May 2025. By Michelle Sloane, Partner and Daniel Williams, Associate

Michelle Sloane and Daniel Williams consider when a private law action, rather than judicial review, is appropriate to challenge a decision taken by HMRC's debt management team.

Tax Bites - May 2025

Published on 01 May 2025. By Adam Craggs, Partner and Daniel Williams, Associate

Welcome to the latest edition of RPC's Tax Bites – providing monthly bite-sized updates from the tax world.

Tribunal allows capital allowances claim for expenditure on construction of a quay wall at the Port of Liverpool 

Published on 01 May 2025. By Jasprit Singh, Senior Associate

In The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company Ltd v HMRC [2024] UKFTT 1163 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal allowed the company's claim for capital allowances in respect of expenditure incurred on the construction of a quay wall at a new deep-water container terminal at the Port of Liverpool.

Taxing Matters: Tax risk for professionals and professional businesses with Thomas Slipanczewski, Associate Director at Deloitte

Published on 29 Apr 2025.

In this episode of Taxing Matters, Senior Associate and Taxing Matters host, Alexis Armitage is joined by Thomas Slipanczewski, who is an Associate Director at Deloitte in their tax controversy team, to discuss task risk for regulated professionals and professional businesses.