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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.

Perspective - Blog

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

Published on 28 Apr 2023. By Will Sefton, Partner and Head of Professional and Financial Risks and Tom Morris, Associate

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.

Perspective - Blog

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.

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.

Perspective - Blog

Navigating the impact of AI on work: challenges, opportunities, and the human touch

Published on 20 Mar 2024. By Patrick Brodie, Partner

The fear of job losses because of technology and automation, including artificial intelligence, has been with us since the 1960s. For some time, academics have predicted the decline of routine, rules-based and process-driven roles.

Perspective - Blog

AI in auditing: Embracing a new age for the profession

Published on 08 Jul 2024. By Ash Daniells, Senior Associate

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rather new concept for many (ignoring those versed in 80’s Sci-Fi movies); it’s something many don’t know much about and certainly don’t use in our day-to-day lives (or at least appreciate we are using). However, that’s not the case for everyone. Auditors have long been reaping the benefits of AI, but are auditors just scratching the surface of what AI can offer and what impact will an increased use have on their insurance requirements and claims they face?

Perspective - Blog

Virtual billboards: the future of immersive advertising?

Published on 15 Jan 2024. By Oliver Bray, Senior Partner and Elizabeth Alibhai, Partner and Nick Lauw, Partner

With the deployment of immersive technologies poised to become the norm, the implementation of infrastructure for "virtual billboards", and the "property digital rights" which they demand, is demonstrating a lucrative gap in the market and huge growth potential.

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.

Perspective - Podcast

AI and ChatGPT in Law firms

Published on 04 Aug 2023.

First published by 39 Essex Chambers, in this episode Patrick Brodie, Head of Employment, Engagement and Equality at law firm, RPC, discusses with Katherine Apps KC the issues raised by the use of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT in a law firm environment.

Perspective - Snapshot

Ethics in the age of AI: new Institute of Directors checklist

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

What are the key considerations for boards regarding the ethical use of AI within their companies based on the Institute of Directors’ (IoD) Checklist for Boards (Checklist)?

Perspective - Snapshot

Government White Paper sets out UK approach to AI regulation

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

How is the UK Government looking to regulate AI?

Perspective - Podcast

Unlocking Generative AI’s Potential: Ethics, Creativity, and Impact

Published on 29 Jun 2023.

What if you could unlock the full potential of Generative AI and its impact on your life and company?

Perspective - Blog

The "Unicorn Kingdom's" AI White Paper

Published on 12 May 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner and Ricky Cella, Senior Associate and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

The UK's pro-innovation AI White paper has been published. It landed almost simultaneously with an open letter from the Future of Life Institute which called for a six-month halt in work on AI systems more powerful than the generative AI system: GPT-4.

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.

Perspective - Blog

Understanding and managing the risks in artificial intelligence (AI) technology projects

Published on 12 Apr 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner and Ricky Cella, Senior Associate and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

How do you go about managing the risks and challenges that might arise during the deployment of AI technology?

Perspective - Blog

AI technology projects – the regulatory landscape

Published on 24 Feb 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner and Ricky Cella, Senior Associate and Joshy Thomas, Knowledge Lawyer

Parties engaged in AI technology projects should be mindful of the regulatory landscape, and the changes taking place within it. A failure to do so could result in an AI solution that is not compliant from a regulatory perspective, the use of which potentially creates risk for the technology provider and user.

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.

Perspective - Blog

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.

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.

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.

Perspective - Blog

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.

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.

Perspective - Blog

The Online Safety Bill and the risk of unintended consequences

Published on 31 Mar 2023. By Nadia Tymkiw, Senior Associate

The Online Safety Bill was reintroduced to Parliament late last year, with new amendments receiving scrutiny in the House of Commons in December, before the bill entered the House of Lords in January. The bill continues to evolve, most notably with the government removing the requirement for user-to-user platforms and search engines to prevent adult users from encountering "legal but harmful" content, instead requiring online platforms to provide users with enhanced content controls (i.e., choice as to what content is seen), and imposing further obligations around transparency and enforcement of online platforms' terms and conditions. "Legal but harmful" obligations remain in place for under 18s. The government has recently agreed to introduce criminal sanctions for senior managers who fail to take proportionate measures to protect children from potentially harmful content.

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.

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.

Perspective - Publication

Retail Compass Spring 2024

Published on 15 Apr 2024. By Jeremy Drew, Partner and Karen Hendy, Partner and Ciara Cullen, Partner

Welcome to the Spring edition of Retail Compass, where we guide you through key upcoming legal and policy changes affecting retailers and consumer brands and provide our thoughts on those crucial, need-to-know issues.

Perspective - Blog

12 top tips for using AI in retail and consumer businesses

Published on 18 Dec 2023. By Praveeta Thayalan, Knowledge Lawyer

Last year, we set out our top ten tips for retailers entering the metaverse. This year, AI is the hot topic in retail and pretty much everywhere else! AI is redefining the retail and consumer industry. It can improve consume engagement, aid decision-making, curate tailored promotions, improve efficiencies, and reduce costs. So what do retailers and consumer bran need to be mindful of when deploying AI?

Perspective - Publication

Retail Compass Autumn 2023

Published on 17 Oct 2023. By Jeremy Drew, Partner and Karen Hendy, Partner and Ciara Cullen, Partner

Welcome to our Autumn edition of Retail Compass, where we guide you through the key legal and policy changes affecting retail and consumer brands and provide our thoughts on those crucial, need-to-know issues.

Perspective - Publication

Retail Compass Spring 2023

Published on 27 Apr 2023. By Jeremy Drew, Partner and Karen Hendy, Partner

Welcome to our Spring edition of Retail Compass, where we guide you through the key legal and policy changes affecting retail and consumer brands and provide our thoughts on those crucial, need-to-know issues.

Perspective - Publication

What if the CEO asks me about... using Artificial Intelligence in our Retail stores?

Published on 28 Mar 2023. By Paul Joukador, Partner

The term "artificial intelligence" (AI) describes a range of technologies that enable machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as the ability to comprehend, act and learn.

Perspective - Blog

AI in Construction

Published on 16 Jul 2024. By Georgina Haynes, Senior Associate

There is a lot of discussion around Artificial Intelligence ("AI") and its application to industry. We have considered what AI is, the benefits and risks, how it fits into the construction industry, the effect on insurers and what the future holds.

Profile

Kim Wright

Senior Associate

Perspective - Blog

Property Digital Rights – A New Revenue Stream in a Digital World

Published on 13 Jul 2023. By Elizabeth Alibhai, Partner

Advances in technology are opening up exciting new frontiers for property owners and managers. Almost two billion people globally use augmented reality (AR) on their mobile phones and nearly 400 million engage in a virtual metaverse reality.

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).

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.

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.

Perspective - Blog

Code of Conduct for Leasing of Retail Premises to take effect from 1 February 2024

Published on 11 Dec 2023. By Bonnie Wong, Of Counsel

Following from the passing of the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Bill which mandates compliance with the Code of Conduct for Leasing of Retail Premises in Singapore ("Code") for qualifying leases of retail premises earlier this year, the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Act ("Act') is expected to take effect from 1 February 2024.

Perspective - Publication

Going Green – staying on the right side of competition law

Published on 15 May 2023. By Melanie Musgrave, Of Counsel and Leonia Chesterfield, Of Counsel

Environmental issues are high on the agenda for many consumers and businesses alike. They are also increasingly an area of focus for competition authorities around the world, including the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), who are keen to ensure that competition law concerns do not unnecessarily prevent businesses from collaborating legitimately on environmental sustainability initiatives.

Perspective - Blog

Coming to a bank near you? How "investment AI" could transform financial mis-selling claims

Published on 09 Nov 2023. By Daniel Hemming, Partner and Olivia Dhein, Knowledge Lawyer

Living under a rock is probably the only way anyone might have escaped the media attention given to ChatGPT and generative AI in recent months. Beyond the (considerable) hype, this technology could have a profound impact on financial mis-selling claims where financial institutions and fund managers turn to the new technology to help them select investments and products.

Profile

Jessica Kingsbury

+44 20 3060 6000

Email Jessica Kingsbury

London

View profile

Perspective - Blog

Menopause discrimination: Where are we now?

Published on 16 Nov 2023. By Ellie Gelder, Senior Editor Employment & Equality and Kelly Thomson, Partner, ESG strategy lead

October heralded an important legal first when a Leicester employment tribunal began hearing the case of Rooney v Leicester City Council. It is the first case where a person's menopausal symptoms have been deemed by an appeal court to potentially amount to a disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010.

Perspective - Blog

Adjusting your recruitment process for a candidate with a disability: What is reasonable?

Published on 18 Sep 2023. By Ellie Gelder, Senior Editor Employment & Equality and Charlotte Reid, Senior Associate

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has held that a failure to make enquiries into a job applicant's disability amounted to a failure to make reasonable adjustments.

Perspective - Blog

Recent judgment on ad hoc admission of overseas counsel tells of wider COVID-19 story

Published on 10 Dec 2021. By Samuel Hung, Partner and Jennifer Leung, Associate and James Lee, Associate

Applications for ad hoc admission, pursuant to section 27(4) of the Ordinance, are fact dependent and the relevant legal principles are well-established.

Perspective - Blog

UK tech cases warn of liability clause drafting pitfalls

Published on 21 Sep 2023. By Helen Armstrong, Partner

Excluding and limiting liability is a vital part of any commercial contract. The irony, though, is that despite its importance, almost any exclusion or limitation of liability — if pored over to the nth degree — will have some ambiguity in the face of complex and often unforeseen consequences of breach.

Perspective - Blog

Thirty minutes in Decentraland: A metaverse adventure

Published on 14 Jun 2023. By Christopher Whitehouse, Senior Associate and Becky Baker , Associate

Decentraland is one of the best known 'metaverses' that currently exist. It is a giant virtual world where users can create 'avatars' (a digital representation of yourself) and interact with one another. Users can also buy and develop virtual land, the mechanics of which involve purchasing an NFT (non-fungible token) connected with the relevant land plot. Users can then develop their land and build unique 3D environments.

Perspective - Blog

The summer of discontent?

Published on 31 Jul 2020. By Kelly Thomson, Partner, ESG strategy lead and Ben Roberts, Partner

What comes to mind when you hear the word "summer"? The unbridled joy of no more school for 6 whole weeks? Buckets, spades and wind-swept beaches? Perhaps the call of a sun-soaked tropical island? For most, summer means taking some time out to recharge and switch off.

Perspective - Publication

Disputes Yearbook 2021: Retail disputes

Published on 04 May 2021. By Jeremy Drew, Partner, Head of Commercial

As part of the acclaimed Disputes Yearbook, Legal Business interviewed members of our disputes team exploring the litigation landscape and what RPC brings to the table.

Press and Media

Whistle-blowing on illegal cartels drops 70% in 5 years

Published on 18 Sep 2023. By Chris Ross, Partner and Arash Rajai, Partner

Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently increased award to £250,000 Calls to the CMA hotline have plummeted from 1,442 in 2017 to 427 in 2022

Perspective - Blog

The CAT's new approach: I can't afford a carriage (dispute)

Published on 02 Jun 2023. By Chris Ross, Partner and Leonia Chesterfield, Of Counsel

Since the collective proceedings regime in the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) kicked off, a number of carriage disputes have arisen. So-called 'carriage disputes' arise when there are two or more competing proposed class representatives (PCRs) seeking certification (and therefore 'carriage') of overlapping class actions.

Perspective - Publication

The Role of AI in Disputes

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

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.