Commercial Litigation UK

  • October 04, 2024

    CAT Head Stepping Down After Love Letter To Junior Staffer

    The president of the Competition Appeal Tribunal is leaving his post, the judiciary announced this week — two months after he received a serious warning for misconduct for declaring his love to a junior staff member in a handwritten note.

  • October 04, 2024

    WealthTek Distribution Plan Was Approved For Expediency

    England's High Court had the power to approve a plan to distribute client assets held by collapsed wealth manager WealthTek LLP even though the plan does not conform with investors' "strict rights" to their investment, a judge said Friday in giving his full reasons for sanctioning the plan earlier this year.

  • October 04, 2024

    Google Director Denies 'Shorts' Is Brand In Trademark Fight

    A senior Google director said Friday during questioning in a London trial that the tech giant's 'YouTube Shorts' video platform does not function as a brand in isolation, contradicting the accusation of the international film distributor behind ShortsTV that the moniker infringed its trademarks.

  • October 04, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen GMB Union sued by the makers of Tetley Tea after a staff walkout in September, boxer Mike Tyson hit with legal action from a marketing company and the Met Police face a misuse of private data claim from a woman who had a relationship with an undercover police officer. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • October 04, 2024

    FIFA Transfer Rules Limit Movement In Breach Of EU Law

    The transfer rules laid down by the world footballing body that force players and their new clubs to compensate their former employers when they cut their contract to switch teams hinder competition and restrict players' freedom of movement, the European Union's top court ruled Friday.

  • October 04, 2024

    SFO Squares Off With ENRC Again In Media 'Leaks' Trial

    ENRC's decade-long legal onslaught against the Serious Fraud Office resumes at trial in London on Monday over allegations its officials fed investigative journalists confidential information to boost its ill-fated corruption probe into the Kazakh miner.

  • October 04, 2024

    Injury Claims Made Through Irish Board Rose 10% In 2023

    Personal injury claims made to the Irish government grew 9.8% in 2023 over the previous year, the Injuries Resolution Board said Friday, citing a rise in road traffic accident claims.

  • October 04, 2024

    Thyssenkrupp, Tata Lose Fight Against EU Joint Venture Veto

    Europe's highest court ruled Friday that the European Commission was right to block plans by Thyssenkrupp and Tata Steel to jointly acquire a steel products venture under the antitrust rules of the bloc.

  • October 04, 2024

    Bahamian Bank Claims No Fault In $3M Loan Row

    A Bahamian bank has argued it did not breach a $3 million loan agreement with a director of an American biotech company, arguing the deal was justifiably terminated and that it does not owe him $15 million for any alleged losses.

  • October 04, 2024

    Bahrain Loses State Immunity Bid In UK Spyware Claim

    The Court of Appeal ruled Friday that two Bahraini dissidents can bring a damages claim in the U.K. against the Gulf state for alleged psychiatric injury stemming from the discovery that their laptops had been hacked with spyware.

  • October 03, 2024

    Panasonic Chided For 'Indefensible' Conduct In FRAND Case

    A London appeals court ruled Thursday that Panasonic did not act in good faith in licensing talks with Xiaomi for its suite of telecom patents, calling the Japanese tech giant's conduct during licensing negotiations "indefensible."

  • October 03, 2024

    Joyvio's British Salmon Fraud Claim Moved To Chile

    A London court ruled Thursday that a dispute between Chinese food giant Joyvio Group and the former owner of one of its salmon-farming businesses in England over the alleged artificial inflation of the value of the company should be heard in Chile.

  • October 03, 2024

    Putin Seized Planes In Political Act, Insurers Say At UK Trial

    A group of aviation insurers are fighting to limit potential payouts for aircraft stranded in Russia, telling a London court on Thursday that orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin kept hundreds of Western-owned planes from being returned to their lessors in a political act after sanctions were imposed.

  • October 03, 2024

    Health Worker Unable To Rescind Resignation Wins Claim

    A support worker at an adult care provider proved she was victimized for complaining about bias in the workplace but couldn't sway the employment tribunal to rule that discrimination had actually taken place.

  • October 03, 2024

    Lufthansa Demands Profits From Power Outlet Patent Breach

    Lufthansa claimed in a London trial Thursday that three avionics companies found to have infringed its patent on a method of allowing airline passengers to access power outlets should turn over all profits from sales of the infringing system.

  • October 03, 2024

    Cutrale Family Fails To Crush Orange Juice Cartel Claims

    A London appeals court refused to strike over 1,300 claims from Brazilian orange farmers who allege t​he father and son at the helm of juice giant Cutrale participated in a price-fixing cartel, saying the family can defend the claims at trial by arguing they weren't brought in time.

  • October 03, 2024

    Christian Worker's LGBT Posts Not Free Speech, School Says

    A school that fired an administrator over her anti-LGBT social media posts told an appeals court on Thursday that her posts could be too offensive to be protected by her right to express religious beliefs.

  • October 03, 2024

    Whisky Fund Manager To Pay £51K Over Sexist Treatment

    An employment tribunal has ordered an investment consultancy specializing in rare whiskies to pay £51,800 ($68,000) to a female staff member after employees harassed her and forced her out with sexist treatment.

  • October 03, 2024

    Freeths Says Developer At Fault In £7M Warehouse Value Row

    Freeths has hit back at a developer's £7.5 million ($9.8 million) negligence claim accusing the law firm of tanking the value of a warehouse, arguing that it had no prospect of avoiding the imposition of noise conditions when it started demolishing the building.

  • October 02, 2024

    FCA Wins Appeal In $700M BlueCrest Investor Redress Case

    The Financial Conduct Authority can resume its bid to impose a redress scheme of more than $700 million for investors of hedge fund BlueCrest Capital Management, an appeals court said Wednesday, ruling that a tribunal wrongly held that the regulator did not have that power.

  • October 02, 2024

    'YouTube Shorts' Hurts Image Of Short Films, Distributor Says

    Google has damaged the descriptive brand of short films by leading consumers to associate them with the tech giant's 'YouTube Shorts' video platform, international film distributor ShortsTV said Wednesday on the first day of a London trial accusing the tech giant of infringing ShortsTV's trademarks. 

  • October 02, 2024

    Lawyers Fail To Overturn EU Ban On Legal Services To Russia

    The European General Court on Wednesday dismissed an attempt by French and Belgian lawyers to overturn prohibitions on providing legal advice to Russia, clarifying that the ban only applies when the advice has no link to judicial proceedings.

  • October 02, 2024

    'Petsure' Name Infringes 'Vetsure' TM, Appeals Court Says

    A pet insurance company has convinced an appeals court that shoppers would likely confuse its "Vetsure" trademark with its rival's "Petsure" name, given the conceptual similarity between the two.

  • October 09, 2024

    Shoosmiths Adds Privacy & Data Partner From BCLP

    Shoosmiths LLP has hired a new partner to its privacy and data unit in London from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, with the new arrival saying Wednesday that an immediate rapport with Shoosmiths' partners led her to jump ship.

  • October 02, 2024

    Christian School Worker Appeals Firing For Anti-LGBT Posts

    A Christian teaching assistant who was sacked for sharing anti-LGBT posts online asked an appeals court on Wednesday to rule that she was discriminated against for her religious beliefs, because there was "no justification" for interfering with her free speech.,

Expert Analysis

  • Factors To Consider In Protecting Software With Trade Secrets

    Author Photo

    With trade secrets protecting subject matter that would not otherwise be eligible for a patent now a mainstay of many multinationals’ intellectual property strategies, software developers have a number of considerations in deciding whether this is a viable alternative to protect their invention, says Dave Clark at Potter Clarkson.

  • What ClientEarth Ruling Means For Shareholder Climate Suits

    Author Photo

    The High Court recently confirmed its earlier decision in ClientEarth v. Shell, illustrating that environmental groups seeking to bring a derivative action against corporate directors' strategic decision making may find it challenging to obtain admissible evidence to establish a prima facie case of a breach, say lawyers at Herbert Smith.

  • Directors Should Beware Reinvigorated UK Insolvency Service

    Author Photo

    The recent lengthy disqualification of Carillion directors serves as a salutary lesson to executives on the level of third-party scrutiny to which their actions may be exposed, and a reminder that the directors’ fiduciary duty to creditors is paramount once a company is irretrievably insolvent, says Ben Drew at Fladgate.

  • EU Privacy Plan Finally Resolves Data Transfer Woes

    Author Photo

    Previous attempts by the European Commission to facilitate data transfers to the U.S. have been unsuccessful, but the recent EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework may bring greater legal certainty through new control mechanisms and clearer supervisory authority functions, say Joaquín Muñoz and Robbie Morrison at Bird & Bird.

  • The New Accountability Landscape For Financial Regulators

    Author Photo

    The preliminary-stage success of a group of U.K. lawmakers in a case against the Financial Conduct Authority highlights the significant hurdles for review of regulatory actions, but the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 creates additional visibility into the regulators' decision making, which may lead to an increase in judicial review activity, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Director Responsibilities Amid Russian Asset Seizures

    Author Photo

    Following Russia's recent takeover of several companies, shareholders may argue that directors failed to properly guard the companies' assets and choose to bring derivative claims or unfair prejudice petitions, say lawyers at Collyer Bristow.

  • Investors Should Prepare For Possible EU Energy Treaty Exit

    Author Photo

    Following the European Commission’s recent call for the European Union and Euratom to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, investors in the energy sector should assess the legal structure of their existing investments and consider restructuring to ensure adequate protections, says Philipp Kurek at Kirkland.

  • What Trustees Must Know About Virgin Media Pension Case

    Author Photo

    The High Court's recent decision in Virgin Media v. NTL Trustees could have significant consequences for salary-related contracted-out schemes, making it necessary for trustees to start examining any deeds of amendment during the affected time period, says James Newcome at Wedlake Bell.

  • EU Illumina-Grail Fine Cools Cos.' Merger Control Approach

    Author Photo

    The European Commission's recent record-breaking fine on Illumina for acquiring Grail without approval underscores its tough stance on merger control enforcement, showing that companies in Europe need to be vigilant in complying with regulatory requirements, say Salomé Cisnal de Ugarte and Raphaël Fleischer at King & Spalding.

  • UK Top Court Ruling Spells Uncertainty For Litigation Funders

    Author Photo

    The U.K. Supreme Court's recent decision in Paccar Inc. v. Competition Appeal Tribunal has called litigation funding agreements impermissible, causing astonishment in the legal industry and raising questions over how funders should now approach litigation, say Mohsin Patel at Factor Risk Management and Imran Benson at Hailsham Chambers.

  • 4 ADR Techniques To Know In Employment Cases

    Author Photo

    With increasing pressure on Employment Tribunal resources and recent presidential guidance highlighting alternative dispute resolution methods, practitioners should know the key types of ADR available for employment claims, how they differ and what the likely future implications are for those involved in tribunal litigation, says Sarah Hooton at Browne Jacobson.

  • EU Privacy Framework Will Aid Int'l Data Transfer Compliance

    Author Photo

    The underlying certification mechanism in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework recently adopted by the European Commission has pros and cons, and by understanding its mechanics businesses and organizations can grasp the means to ensure General Data Protection Regulation compliance in their data transfers, say lawyers at Chiomenti.

  • Opinion

    Plea For A New Int'l Tribunal For Russia's Crime Of Aggression

    Author Photo

    Legal experts worldwide should support the International Bar Association and other organizations calling for a United Nations special criminal tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, or risk standing by as war atrocities and threats to global security increase, says Olga Kostina at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

  • EU Case Shows Wide Approach To Blocking Telecom Mergers

    Author Photo

    The EU court's recent judgment in Commission v. CK Telecoms may make it more challenging to secure clearance for telecom and other companies pursuing mergers, illustrating its broad approach to mergers that risk harming competition without creating a dominant position, say Dominic Long and Christopher Best at Allen & Overy.

  • Protecting Reputation In The Age Of Shareholder Activism

    Author Photo

    With the rise in investors using equity ownership to influence the management of a company, shareholder activism has taken on fresh impetus, and general counsel have a critical part to play in safeguarding an organization's reputation by engaging in open communication and implementing effective corporate governance, says Neil McLeod at The PHA Group.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Commercial Litigation UK archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!