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The Government has outlined plans to modernise UK copyright laws to encourage business growth and development. It has now begun a public consultation on its proposed measures which are based on recommendations in the Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth. The proposals include: Creating an exception to allow limited acts of private copying –
The Background The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act provides that playing music on CD, radio on television at work is an infringement copyright. The owner of the rights may be entitled to a range of remedies including recovering damages for any losses or seeking an injunction to stop recordings being played. The infringer may even
All businesses which process personal data in an automated form (most commonly by inputting data onto a computer system) are obliged to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) that they are data controllers, unless they fall into one of the exemptions under the legislation. Businesses which do not comply can face fines of up to
The Government is planning radical changes to employment law to provide a fairer balance between reducing costs to business at the same time as protecting the rights of employees. The proposals are in response to public consultations, including the Red Tape Challenge, in which people were invited to suggest regulations that could be scrapped. The
Two directors of a car dealership have been disqualified for eight years after failing to keep adequate records for their company, which was experiencing trading difficulties. The company was placed into administration in 2009 with an estimated deficiency of £1.3m. It was then investigated by the Insolvency Service which was unable to find any of
The stakes have never been higher for businesses when it comes to dealing with the problem of late and non-payment of invoices. Record numbers of firms are going out of business every day. Their demise is often caused by their inability to recover money owed to them. Thankfully, there are many options available when it
Business “common sense” should be applied when interpreting and applying commercial contracts, the Supreme Court has ruled. Delivering the ruling, Lord Clarke said: “If there are two possible constructions, the court is entitled to prefer the construction which is consistent with business common sense and to reject the other.” The issue arose in the case
The original owner of the hotel had been granted a licence in 1973 to use the road to provide access for coaches and commercial vehicles. That licence was personal to the original owner and ceased to have effect when new owners acquired the hotel in 1980. In spite of this, however, the hotel continued to
The fact that a tenant has become bankrupt or obtained a debt relief order does not mean that they cannot have a possession order made against them on the grounds of rent arrears. That was the ruling of the Court of Appeal in two separate cases involving two tenants. Both tenants held assured tenancies and
Ministers have announced plans to boost the construction industry and help people to buy a new home. The two key measures are a £400m ‘GetBritainBuilding’ fund and a scheme in which the Government will provide indemnity for mortgages of up to 95% of the value of new houses. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, described the