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The High Court has ruled that a housing development next to a protected wildlife area can go ahead despite protests that the correct procedures were not followed. The developer had received planning permission to build 65 houses, but a local protester claimed the fact that the proposed site was next to an area of special
A company has won its appeal against a £400 fine for late submission of its Employer Annual Return. The directors said they had made genuine attempts to submit their form but had not been able to do so because they didn’t receive an online activation code from the Revenue & Customs commissioners. The company first
The makers of the board game Scrabble have lost a trademark dispute involving an online game named Scramble. Scrabble argued that the use of the word Scramble, and the presentation of the word in the game’s logo, with the ‘M’ turned on its side so as to look like a capital letter B, would cause
When couples separate, emotions can often hinder difficult issues being discussed. Mediation is a process that is designed to help people reach an early agreement, with the minimum of cost, delay and confrontation. It can ease the pain of a family breakdown or separation, encourages people to be open and discuss the implications of their
Read the latest copy of our Employment Bulletin addressing Tupe and Insolvency
An investment company has upheld its legal right to make an employee spend 12 months on garden leave before taking up a post with a rival firm. The issue arose when the employee said he was resigning after working for the company as an investment adviser for 14 years. During that time, he had built
A landlord has lost his appeal to increase the rent on a property which had benefited from substantial improvements over two years. The issue arose after the landlord made a set of improvements in 2008. He applied to the Rent Control Committee to be allowed to increase the rent but was turned down. He made
A firm providing storage and distribution services has failed to prove that a commercial client was in breach of contract by not granting it exclusive rights as discussed during negotiations. The firm had nothing in writing to prove its claim and had to rely on oral agreements which were far from conclusive. The court heard
A cafe bar has won damages from a rival firm that set up using a similar name. Bocacina Ltd had operated a successful bar, restaurant and gallery inBristolsince 2005. It was sometimes referred to locally as the Bocabar or just Boca, and some of its meals and services were provided under the mark of ‘boca’.
The government is increasing the number of sensitive words that can be used in company names. Words such as Authority, Board, European, Group, National and International are being taken off the restricted list. It means businesses will be able to use them without getting prior permission from Companies House. However, words that could be misused