Search results

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.

Silicon Valley, Signature and Credit Suisse: what do they all share(holder) in common?

Published on 28 Mar 2023. By James Wickes, Partner and Oliver Knox, Partner and Jessica Pease, Associate

In what has been termed "the biggest banking crisis since 2008", both Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank have collapsed, and Credit Suisse has been rescued. Whether more banks are to follow suit is yet to be seen.

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

Published on 31 May 2024. By Paul Joukador, Partner and Praveeta Thayalan, 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 and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

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

Leading media litigator Lindsay Warwick joins RPC as Partner

Published on 15 Jan 2024. By Lindsay Warwick, Partner

International law firm RPC announced today that Lindsay Warwick, a leading media litigator, joins as Partner. An already powerful bench of over ten media litigators, the appointment cements the firm's reputation as having the UK's leading media defence practice.

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

Published on 12 Jan 2024. By Jessica Kingsbury, Associate

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 and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

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

Snapshots Autumn 2023

Published on 25 Oct 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

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 and Nadia Tymkiw, Senior Associate and Jessica Kingsbury, Associate

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 and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

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

Snapshots Spring 2023

Published on 31 Mar 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

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

Snapshots Winter 2022

Published on 23 Dec 2022. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech

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

Technology in Insurance

Published on 22 Jun 2022. By William Hogarth, Partner

On 16 June 2022 RPC hosted an afternoon of talks and panel sessions on the theme of 'Technology in Insurance', the culmination of the firm's TechWeek which brings market experts and lawyers together to discuss risks and opportunities with new technologies within different business sectors.

Model Articles deemed unsuitable for sole director companies

Published on 24 May 2022. By Rupert Wyles, Senior Associate

A recent decision of the High Court in Hashmi v Lorimer-Wing [2022] EWHC 191 (Ch) has suggested that the model articles for private companies are not suitable for companies with a sole director appointed.

A guide to buying and selling English residential property

Published on 16 Nov 2020.

With the advent of COVID-19, Brexit and global market volatility, the mature, fast-moving English real estate sector faces unprecedented challenges. However history has shown the English residential property market to be particularly resilient and many consider this a time of unique opportunity.

A licence to kill... a licence

Published on 11 Mar 2019. By Tim Anderson, Partner

In the second of a number of short articles we are producing in relation to businesses in the tech space, we will be discussing a real life example of what not to do when diligencing a tech company and its third party IP licence agreements.

New regulations to permit assignment of receivables under commercial contracts now in force

Published on 11 Jan 2019. By Edward Colville, Partner

After more than four years of consultation, draft regulations and revisions, the Business Contract Terms (Assignment of Receivables) Regulations 2018 (the Regulations) have now taken effect, and apply to all relevant contracts entered into on or after 31 December 2018.

Huawei and UK National Security - A new technology cold war?

Published on 11 Dec 2018. By Neil Brown, Partner and Charles Buckworth, Partner

Chinese technology giant, Huawei, has been making plenty of headlines recently. First, a number of Western governments (including the US, Australia and New Zealand) have banned Huawei equipment from being used in 5G networks, citing national security concerns. Next, Huawei's CFO was arrested in Canada in connection with alleged breaches of international sanctions.

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.

Going Green - Draft Sustainability Guidance from the CMA

Published on 03 Apr 2023. By Ciara Cullen, Partner and Melanie Musgrave, Of Counsel and Sophie Tuson, Senior Associate

Following its public consultation, the CMA has published its advice to government on how competition and consumer laws can help meet the UK's environmental goals.

Hype Economics: the haves and the have bots

Published on 01 Nov 2022.

With the most wanted items selling out in the blink of an eye, consumers are leveraging automation to get ahead. Is the use of bots creating more than a moral dilemma for retailers?

Ten tips for retailers entering the metaverse

Published on 25 Oct 2022. By Paul Joukador, Partner and Hettie Homewood , Senior Associate

Once the province of online gaming and social media, the metaverse is the new hot topic in retail.

Vertical Agreements: The New Reality

Published on 07 Oct 2022. By Melanie Musgrave, Of Counsel

For those operating in the retail sector (amongst others), 1st June 2022 saw changes to the UK and EU competition law rules and the "safe harbour" or exemption from the application of competition law for certain types of vertical agreements, i.e. for contractual parties operating at different levels of the supply chain.

Low2NoBev Show - RPC takes front row seat as exclusive legal sponsor as the "No/Lo" alcohol drinks category soars

Published on 21 Sep 2022. By Ciara Cullen, Partner and Harpreet Kaur, Associate and Samuel Coppard, Senior Associate

Ahead of RPC acting as the exclusive legal sponsor of the Low2NoBev Show taking place at Olympia London later this month (26 – 28 September 2022), it is useful to understand the fundamental changes happening in this growing sector and the potential discussion points that may arise relating to the marketing of these products.

What'SUP? Single-Use Plastics (SUP) are next target in UK government's war on plastic waste

Published on 17 Aug 2022. By Eleanor Harley , Senior Associate

It only takes a short walk along London's Regent's Canal to witness the sheer volume of littered single-use plastics (SUP).

The Summer of ‘Pre-Love’: Has Fast Fashion been Dumped by the British Public?

Published on 20 Jul 2022. By Ela Broderick-Basar, Associate

ITV’s Love Island is back on our screens, officially marking the British summer. This year the show is dumping fast fashion and ‘coupling up’ with its first-ever second-hand clothing sponsor, eBay, with contestants now donning pre-loved pieces sourced from the resale platform.

Tips for approaching innovations using consumer data

Published on 19 Jul 2022. By Jon Bartley, Partner and Amy Blackburn, Senior Associate

Now more than ever, retailers are faced with a wide array of opportunities to use customer data to achieve their commercial objectives. By spotting and assessing key risks early, organisations will be better equipped to avoid breaches of data protection law that may lead to costly fines or claims, failed projects and reputational damage.

Are the brakes on for Quick Commerce?

Published on 20 Jun 2022. By Luke Stewart , Associate and Eleanor Harley , Senior Associate

With consumers continuing to prioritise speed and convenience in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been significant consumer uptake in the use of ultra-fast grocery delivery apps such as Zapp, Gorillas and Getir since early 2020.

Fake it till you make it? The Government says no more to fake reviews plus tightens up on subscription models

Published on 30 May 2022. By Stevie Vella , Associate

The UK Government has confirmed that new consumer rules will come into force to "shield the public from rip-offs and boost competition". Although not confirmed when these will be introduced, the top three issues on its hit list are fake reviews, "subscription traps" and prepayment schemes.

CMA pushing for more powers on sustainability

Published on 17 Mar 2022. By Ciara Cullen, Partner and Sophie Tuson, Senior Associate

Following its public consultation, the CMA has published its advice to government on how competition and consumer laws can help meet the UK's environmental goals.

Hire Heels: why the rental clothing market matters

Published on 16 Sep 2021.

The old saying that "you can't wear the same outfit twice" doesn't fit well with younger consumers in particular, who are concerned about sustainability and the environmental hazards posed by fast fashion outlets.

Buy-Now-Pay-Later under the regulatory microscope

Published on 07 Sep 2021. By Whitney Simpson, Of Counsel

Growth in the Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) sector is showing no signs of slowing. Square's recent $29 billion acquisition of BNPL behemoth Afterpay being the latest signal that the market is on an upward trajectory. In 2020 alone over 10 million Brits used BNPL to purchase goods online, accounting for nearly 4% of online retail sales. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that usage had very nearly quadrupled to account for £2.7 billion of spending in 2020. Such popularity, particularly among Gen-Z and Millennials, spans the globe with American consumers spending an estimated $20 billion to $25 billion in 2020 by way of deferred payments.

A meaty debate: traditional vs lab-grown alternatives

Published on 13 Aug 2021. By Ben Mark, Partner and Noonie Holmes, Associate

The number of vegans and vegetarians in the UK has skyrocketed in recent years and there are an increasing number of 'flexitarians' aiming to reduce their meat intake for health and environmental reasons. Barclays predicts the meat-alternatives market could be worth £140bn by 2029, which is equivalent to 10% of the global meat industry. This market includes both plant-based foods and newer lab-grown meats.

Marketing mishap costs Papa John's

Published on 14 Jul 2021. By Jon Bartley, Partner and Kiran Dhoot, Associate

Last month, the Information Commissioner's Office ("ICO") has issued a £10,000 fine to Papa John's for sending over 165,000 marketing messages without properly meeting the requirements of the "soft opt-in" rule.

Retailers to be consulted on new legislation for protection from terrorist attacks

Published on 22 Jun 2021. By Gavin Reese, Partner, Head of Regulatory

The Government is currently consulting with the public and retailers to seek their views on proposed legislation requiring the occupiers of "publicly accessible locations" to implement measures to protect employees and members of the public in the event of a terrorist attack.

Re-commerce: the future of luxury fashion?

Published on 21 Jun 2021. By Paul Joukador, Partner and Harpreet Kaur, Associate

With Gen Z successfully catapulting fashion resale platforms like Depop, StockX and Vinted into the limelight over the last decade, has the time come for the luxury market to enter the world of re-commerce?

The Great British (Local) High Street

Published on 14 Jun 2021. By Dea Gagoshidze, Associate

There is no doubt that the UK high street has been hit hard in recent years, not least by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. But alongside the headline grabbing news of shop closures, there were in fact over 7,500 new shop openings between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2020.

TerraLex virtual meeting: The new wave of M&A

Published on 18 Jun 2020. By Neil Brown, Partner and Paul Joukador, Partner

In this video presentation, RPC's Neil Brown and Paul Joukador meet with Lori Green and Rick McGuirk to discuss issues related to force majeure, frustration of purpose, material adverse change, and how they’ve been impacted and will likely change in the post-pandemic world.

The November 2023 AI safety summit and the UK's direction of travel

Published on 29 Aug 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner and Charles Buckworth, Partner and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

The government has confirmed that the UK AI safety summit will be held at Bletchley Park on 1 and 2 November 2023.

Telecoms supply agreement excludes "loss of profit" claim under "anticipated profits" liability exclusion (EE v Virgin Mobile)

Published on 25 Aug 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner and Ben Harris, Associate and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

In line with a number of recent cases, in EE Limited v Virgin Mobile Telecoms Limited [2023] EWHC 1989 (TCC) the courts have shown that parties generally cannot avoid clear wording contained in exclusion clauses in order to recover losses that have been expressly excluded (in this case, loss of profits).

Rolls-Royce entitled to hit the brakes in dispute over termination of a software services agreement (Topalsson v Rolls-Royce)

Published on 14 Aug 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner and Ben Harris, Associate and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

In Topalsson GmbH v Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited [2023] EWHC 1765 (TCC), the High Court has provided useful guidance on how to determine whether a software implementation timeline agreed by the parties is binding, when implementation is considered complete and in what circumstances failing to complete implementation by the contractual deadlines entitles the customer to terminate the contract.

A narrow escape – software services provider entitled to rely on single aggregate liability cap (Drax v Wipro)

Published on 25 Jul 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner and Ben Harris, Associate and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

When it comes to bespoke software development projects, a lot can go wrong. There's risk for the customer such as project delays, software defects, functionality issues and a lack of meeting of minds in terms of project requirements.

Restructuring Plans – A Sea Change?

Published on 26 Oct 2022. By Paul Bagon, Partner and Will Beck, Of Counsel and Knowledge Lawyer

Full and frank disclosure means more than just putting relevant matters in evidence – a new year warning in UKIP v Braine & Others

Published on 24 Jan 2020. By Geraldine Elliott, Partner

New year, new reminder of the obligation to make full and frank disclosure in without notice applications, this time in the context of a falling out within the UKIP party. The obligation can only be satisfied by drawing the court's attention to legal or factual matters which could undermine the applicant's own application; it is not enough to simply put relevant matters in evidence before the court (UKIP v Braine & Others). Injunction, confidential, publication and non-disclosure.