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Perspective - Blog

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.

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Perspective - Blog

Thaler v Comptroller [2023] UKSC 49: the UKSC rules that AI cannot be an 'inventor'

Published on 10 Jan 2024. By Matthew Jones, Partner

To the surprise of no one, the UK Supreme Court (UKSC) has finally ruled that an artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be an inventor for the purposes of UK patent law. This judgment accords with the decisions of the lower courts in the UK and the initial ruling of the UKIPO. It also reflects similar findings from most of courts around the world where the claimant, Dr Thaler, brought similar actions.

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Perspective - Blog

Generative AI and intellectual property rights—the UK government's position

Published on 03 May 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner and Jani Ihalainen, Associate and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

The IPO is to produce a code of practice by the summer that will provide guidance to support AI firms in accessing copyright protected works as an input to their models.

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Perspective - Blog

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).

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Perspective - Blog

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.

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Perspective - Blog

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.

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Perspective - Snapshot

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.

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Perspective - Snapshot

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.

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Perspective - Snapshot

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.

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Perspective - Snapshot

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.

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Perspective - Snapshot

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.

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Perspective - Snapshot

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.

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Perspective - Blog

New Digital Regulators on the 2023 Horizon: the Digital Markets Unit and the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency

Published on 02 Dec 2022. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech and Chris Ross, Partner and Leonia Chesterfield, Of Counsel

For a number of years, the UK Government has been laying the groundwork to bring in a digital markets regime to regulate digital firms designated as having ‘strategic market status’ (SMS). To be designated as having SMS, a firm must have 'substantial and entrenched market power' in at least one activity. Companies having SMS are likely to include the largest tech firms such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft and Meta (the so called 'GAMMA' firms).

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Perspective - Blog

Digital services providers—Commission to focus on implementation phase of EU consumer protection legislation

Published on 31 Oct 2022. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech and Leonia Chesterfield, Of Counsel and Ellie Chakarto, Associate

The Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) are published in the Official Journal and the plenary vote of the European Parliament on the proposed text of the AI Act is expected once amendments are agreed by negotiators. The Commission is now turning its focus to the implementation phase of these landmark regimes. So, what does the future hold for the European tech sector and how might it differ for the UK?

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Perspective - Blog

The EU Digital Markets Act - a focus on gatekeeper obligations and sanctions

Published on 12 Oct 2022. By David Cran, Partner, Head of IP & Tech and Leonia Chesterfield, Of Counsel and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

What key obligations will the Digital Markets Act (DMA) impose on online platforms designated as gatekeepers?

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Perspective - Snapshot

UK Government sets out proposals for regulation of AI

Published on 10 Oct 2022. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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

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Perspective - Snapshot

UK government announces the launch of an AI standards hub

Published on 12 Apr 2022. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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

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Perspective - Blog

Changes to the One Stop Shop

Published on 09 Oct 2023. By Richard Breavington, Partner and Laura Thackeray, Senior Associate

In July 2023 the European Commission issued a Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down additional procedural rules relating to the enforcement of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the 'GDPR' Regulations).

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Perspective - Snapshot

ICO publishes guidance on compliance of game design with the Children’s Code

Published on 31 Mar 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

What steps can game designers take to ensure their games comply with the Children’s Code?

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Perspective - Blog

RPC Law x Web3: Gambling regulations – Don't Play Games of Chance with the Law

Published on 22 Feb 2023. By Nick Lauw, Partner and Pu Fang Ching, Senior Associate

This is part of a series of RPC x Web3 articles designed to help Web3 participants and enthusiasts understand their rights in this rapidly evolving space.

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Perspective - Snapshot

ICO publishes updates to its guidance on Transfer Risk Assessments

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Perspective - Snapshot

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

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Perspective - Snapshot

ICO launches consultation series on generative AI and data protection

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Perspective - Snapshot

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

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Perspective - Snapshot

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

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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

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Perspective - Snapshot

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

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Perspective - Snapshot

New ICO guidance on content moderation and data compliance

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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

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Perspective - Snapshot

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

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Perspective - Snapshot

New Development: EU Data Act published in Official Journal

Published on 17 Apr 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Perspective - Snapshot

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

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Perspective - Snapshot

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

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Perspective - Snapshot

ICO publishes guidance to ensure lawful monitoring in the workplace

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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

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Perspective - 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

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

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Perspective - Snapshot

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

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Perspective - 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

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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Perspective - Snapshot

ICO updates its guidance on AI and data protection

Published on 07 Jul 2023. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner

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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Press and Media

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.

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Perspective - Blog

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.

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Perspective - Blog

UK Government wants understanding of video games to move to the next level

Published on 12 Jun 2023. By Gowri Chandrashekar, Senior Associate and Zoe Harvey, Associate

On 30 May 2023, the UK Government published a Video Games Research Framework which encourages research on video games and emerging game-related technologies.

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Perspective - Blog

CMA ends its investigation into online console gaming subscription practices

Published on 14 Jun 2022. By Jonathan Greenway, Senior Associate and Joshua Charalambous, Partner

The UK Competition Markets Authority (CMA) has now closed its investigation into subscription practices in the online console gaming sector after key players Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft committed to making improvements to their contract terms with a view to better protecting customers.

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Perspective - Blog

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

Published on 24 Jun 2024. By Rachel Ford, Partner and Helen Monachan, Associate

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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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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Perspective - 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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Perspective - 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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Perspective - Blog

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

Published on 24 Mar 2023. By Ciara Cullen, Partner and Harpreet Kaur, 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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Perspective - Blog

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

Published on 07 Nov 2022. By Ciara Cullen, Partner 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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Perspective - 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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Perspective - Blog

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

Published on 16 Jun 2021. By Ciara Cullen, Partner 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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Perspective - 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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Perspective - 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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