Commercial Litigation UK

  • October 04, 2024

    Ex-Solicitor General Rejoins 3PB After Decade In Parliament

    Michael Tomlinson KC, a former solicitor general in England and Wales, has returned to 3 Paper Buildings to continue practicing as a barrister after he lost his seat following nearly a decade as a member of Parliament.

  • September 27, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Coca-Cola bring a trademark infringement claim against its former marketing director, Glencore face legal action by American Century ETF Trust, law firm Bishop Lloyd & Jackson defend itself against two solicitors it worked alongside during inquiries into Grenfell Tower, and a U.K. cruise line face a claim by a subsidiary of the sanctioned gambling platform GTLK.

  • September 27, 2024

    StanChart Seeks Approval For Rate Change In Libor Test Case

    Standard Chartered on Friday asked two judges to approve a change in the interest rate it pays on its preferred shares, in the first dispute to come before the High Court over the transition from the Libor benchmark.

  • September 27, 2024

    Citizens Advice Lawyer Loses Birthday Reward Scheme Claim

    A tribunal has chucked a solicitor's claim that Citizens Advice bosses forced her to quit following her online post criticizing a birthday reward scheme, ruling that the response to her message did not sever her trust in the bureau.

  • September 27, 2024

    Duncan Lewis Settles Legal Aid Fee Case Against UK Gov.

    Duncan Lewis Solicitors announced Friday that it has dropped its legal aid fee claim against the U.K.'s justice secretary, after the minister promised to make a decision on raising rates for immigration and asylum work after the first Labour budget next month.

  • September 27, 2024

    Ex-Centrica Employee Loses Bid For Pay In Blacklisting Claim

    A former Centrica PLC employee has lost his bid to be paid while he sues the energy giant for allegedly firing and blacklisting him for blowing the whistle.

  • September 27, 2024

    Labor Reforms To Shift Power To Unions, Lawyers Say

    Employers must adjust to a changed balance of power with trade unions, lawyers say, as they anticipate historic reforms to industrial law set out in legislation due to be published in October.

  • September 26, 2024

    Spain Can't Escape $26M Award, DC Judge Rules

    A D.C. federal judge on Thursday enforced a €23.5 million ($26.3 million) arbitral award issued against Spain after the country dialed back its renewable energy incentives, rejecting Madrid's argument that the tribunal had infringed the authority of European Union courts.

  • September 26, 2024

    ECJ Rejects Catalan Separatists' Bid For MEP Status

    The European Union's top court on Thursday rejected Catalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín's appeals to be recognized as members of the European Parliament following their 2019 elections in Spain.

  • September 26, 2024

    High Court To Tackle Past Sales In Oppo FRAND Trial

    Chinese mobile giant Oppo will meet InterDigital at a London court Friday to discuss whether findings in the Court of Appeal's high-profile Lenovo decision should apply in the company's own licensing dispute over 4G and 5G standard-essential patents.

  • September 26, 2024

    Lawyer Must Pay £8.7K For Late Exit In Case Against Ex-Firm

    A consultant solicitor must pay his former firm £8,700 ($11,700) in costs after bringing a claim that was obviously past due before waiting more than two months too long to withdraw it, a tribunal has ruled.

  • September 26, 2024

    Dental Receptionist Gets £9K Over Unfair Dismissal

    An employment tribunal ordered a dental practice to pay £8,945 ($11,953) to a receptionist who was fired for bad behavior that didn't seem to have taken place.

  • September 26, 2024

    Syrian Refugees' Terror Finance Case At Risk Over Costs

    Syrian refugees must provide £1.6 million ($2.2 million) in security or risk having their case dismissed against two major Qatari banks they accuse of waging a "campaign of intimidation" because of their claims that the lenders funded a terrorist group.

  • September 26, 2024

    ECJ Backs Strong Protection For Lawyer-Client Discussions

    Confidentiality of lawyer-client communications has enhanced protection under European Union law, including in cross-border tax disclosures, the European Court of Justice ruled Thursday.

  • September 26, 2024

    Sanctioned Billionaire Beats Claim Over $1B PhosAgro Stake

    A Russian oligarch has lost his case accusing a former friend of unlawfully taking away his stake in a £3.7 billion ($5 billion) fertilizer business, as a London court found on Thursday that his claim to have been granted the share in a handshake agreement was implausible.

  • September 26, 2024

    Ex-Linklaters Pro Accused Of Lying To Dodge $25M Judgment

    A former partner at Linklaters LLP forged documents in an attempt to avoid handing over two homes to settle a $25 million judgment against him, lawyers representing a Saudi princess told a London court on Thursday.

  • September 26, 2024

    Son Hits Back At Father In Spat Over Parking Software

    A former director of a parking company has hit back in a copyright battle with his father over the ownership of software, claiming that the rival business shut him out and took his technology.

  • September 26, 2024

    Cineworld Exec Says Chain Tried To Avoid Restructuring Plan

    A Cineworld executive said Thursday that he had not anticipated that the cinema chain's financial woes would lead to a U.K. restructuring plan, as he gave evidence at a London court seeking approval for a plan to prevent the business from falling into administration.

  • September 25, 2024

    Barry Manilow Sued By Hipgnosis Over Sony Royalties

    Music rights heavyweight Hipgnosis has sued Barry Manilow in London for allegedly failing to pay it royalties after Sony Records paid the American singer for his recordings, violating a more than $7.5 million deal that saw Hipgnosis acquire his catalog of 917 songs.

  • September 25, 2024

    HSF, BAT Prove EU Wrongly Denied Access To Tobacco Data

    Herbert Smith Freehills LLP and a British American Tobacco unit on Wednesday scored partial victories when a European Union court ruled that officials wrongly withheld certain data contributing to the bloc's decision to tighten regulations on heated tobacco.

  • September 25, 2024

    Music Rights Collective Fights Bands' Antitrust Claim

    The Performing Right Society has denied abusing a dominant market position by imposing fees and requirements on artists, hitting back at a claim by three rock bands and their rights management company.

  • September 25, 2024

    Pump Court Can't Keep £2.75M Embezzlement Case Private

    A London judge refused Wednesday to hear a case about the embezzlement of £2.75 million ($3.67 million) in barrister fees in private, ruling that the interests of open justice trumped those of Pump Court Chambers.

  • September 25, 2024

    Foster Carer Wrongfully Dismissed Over Unreported Incident

    A home care provider wrongfully fired a project manager for failing to report an incident involving a disabled adult, an employment tribunal ruled, saying there was no policy prohibiting the use of physical restraint.

  • September 25, 2024

    Pfizer, BioNTech Get New Shot To Ax Moderna's MRNA Patent

    Pfizer and BioNTech have won another shot at challenging the validity of one of Moderna's key mRNA vaccines as a judge ruled Wednesday that their appeal had a reasonable prospect of success.

  • September 25, 2024

    Crypto-Investors Can't Appeal Parts Of £10B Class Action

    The Competition Appeal Tribunal has denied crypto-investors permission to challenge its decision to dismiss parts of their claim over the approval of a £9.9 billion ($13 billion) collective action against Binance and other trading platforms.

Expert Analysis

  • PPI Ruling Spells Trouble For Financial Services Firms

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    The Supreme Court's recent decision in Canada Square v. Potter, which found that the claimant's missold payment protection insurance claim was not time-barred, is bad news for affected financial services firms, as there is now certainty over the law on the postponement of limitation periods, rendering hidden commission claims viable, say Ian Skinner and Chris Webber at Squire Patton.

  • UPC Decision Highlights Key Security Costs Questions

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    While the Unified Patent Court recently ordered NanoString to pay €300,000 as security for Harvard's legal costs in a revocation action dispute, the decision highlights that the outcome of a security for costs application will be highly fact-dependent and that respondents should prepare to set out their financial position in detail, says Tom Brazier at EIP.

  • Extradition Ruling Hints At Ways Around High Burden Of Proof

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    The U.K. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Popoviciu v. Curtea De Apel Bucharest confirmed that, in a conviction extradition case, the requested person must establish a flagrant violation of their right to a fair trial, but the court's reasoning reveals creative opportunities to test this boundary in the U.K. and Strasbourg alike, says Rebecca Hughes at Corker Binning.

  • IP Ruling Could Pave Way For AI Patents In UK

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    If implemented by the U.K. Intellectual Property Office, the High Court's recent ruling in Emotional Perception AI v. Comptroller-General of Patents, holding that artificial neural networks can be patented, could be a first step to welcoming AI patents in the U.K., say Arnie Francis and Alexandra Brodie at Gowling.

  • UK Review May Lead To Lower Investment Screening Burden

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    The government’s current review of national security investment screening rules aims to refine the scope of mandatory notifications required for unproblematic deals, and is likely to result in much-needed modifications to minimize the administrative burden on businesses and investors, say lawyers at Simpson Thacher.

  • What Prince Harry Privacy Case May Mean For Media Ethics

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    An English High Court recently allowed the privacy case brought by Prince Harry and six other claimants against the Daily Mail publisher to proceed, which, if successful, could embolden other high-profile individuals to bring claims and lead to renewed calls for a judicial public inquiry into British press ethics, says Philippa Dempster at Freeths.

  • How European Authorities Are Foiling Anti-Competitive Hiring

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    Lawyers at Squire Patton discuss key labor practice antitrust concerns and notable regulation trends in several European countries following recent enforcement actions brought by the European Commission and U.K. Competition and Markets Authority.

  • When Can Bonuses Be Clawed Back?

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    The High Court's recent decision in Steel v. Spencer should remind employees that the contractual conditions surrounding bonuses and the timing of any resignation must be carefully considered, as in certain circumstances, bonuses can and are being successfully clawed back by employers, say Merrill April and Rachael Parker at CM Murray.

  • The State Of UK Litigation Funding After Therium Ruling

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    The recent English High Court decision in Therium v. Bugsby Property has provided a glimmer of hope for litigation funders about how courts will interpret this summer's U.K. Supreme Court ruling that called funding agreements impermissible, suggesting that its adverse effects may be mitigated, says Daniel Williams at DWF Law.

  • Trial By AI Could Be Closer Than You Think

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    In a known first for the U.K., a Court of Appeal justice recently admitted to using ChatGPT to write part of a judgment, highlighting how AI could make the legal system more efficient and enable the judicial process to record more accurate and fair decisions, say Charles Kuhn and Neide Lemos at Clyde & Co.

  • Why It's Urgent For Pharma Cos. To Halt Counterfeit Meds

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    With over 10.5 million counterfeit medicines seized in the EU in 2023, it is vital both ethically and commercially that pharmaceutical companies take steps to protect against such infringements, including by invoking intellectual property rights protection, says Lars Karnøe at Potter Clarkson.

  • Nix Of $11B Award Shows Limits Of Arbitral Process

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    A recent English High Court decision in Nigeria v. Process & Industrial Developments, overturning an arbitration award because it was obtained by fraud, is a reminder that arbitration decisions are ultimately still accountable to the courts, and that the relative simplicity of the arbitration rules is not necessarily always a benefit, say Robin Henry and Abbie Coleman at Collyer Bristow.

  • How The Netherlands Became A Hub For EU Class Actions

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    As countries continue to implement the European Union Collective Redress Directive, the Netherlands — the country with the largest class action docket in the EU — provides a real-world example of what class and mass litigation may eventually look like in the bloc, say lawyers at Faegre Drinker and Houthoff.

  • Navigating The Novel Challenges Facing The Legal Profession

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    The increasing prominence of ESG and AI have transformed the legal landscape and represent new opportunities for lawyers, but with evolving regulations and the ever-expanding reach of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, law firms should ensure that they have appropriate policies in place to adapt to these challenges, say Scott Ashby and Aimee Talbot at RPC.

  • New Fixed Costs Rules May Have Unforeseen Consequences

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    The recent changes to fixed recoverable costs, which were intended to reduce costs and increase certainty, have profound implications for civil claims, but may unintentionally prompt more litigation and reduce access to justice as lawyers leave the market, says Paul Squires at Sedgwick Legal.

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