Landlords threaten council with legal action over selective licensing plans- Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 5th, 2018 in judicial review, landlord & tenant, licensing, local government, news by sally

‘The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) has threatened Great Yarmouth Borough Council with a judicial review challenge over the local authority’s selective licensing plans.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 5th November 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Reformation Publishing Company v CruiseCo Limited (and another) – Blackstone Chambers

Posted November 2nd, 2018 in copyright, damages, licensing, news by sally

‘The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (Nugee J) has handed down judgment in a claim for damages for infringement of the copyright in two songs by Spandau Ballet. The judgment clarifies two important principles which will be relevant to similar damages claims.’

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Blackstone Chambers, 1st November 2018

Source: www.blackstonechambers.com

Acid attacks: offenders face jail for possession without licence – The Guardian

Posted November 1st, 2018 in assault, hazardous substances, licensing, news, sentencing by sally

‘Possessing potentially lethal acid without a licence is now a criminal offence, with offenders facing a two-year prison sentence.’

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The Guardian, 1st November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Court of Appeal considers FRAND: Unwired Planet v Huawei – NIPC Law

Posted October 30th, 2018 in appeals, competition, EC law, injunctions, licensing, news, patents by sally

‘FRAND stands for “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory”. It is an acronym to describe the terms upon which licences should be granted for standard essential patents (“SEPs”). SEPs are patents for inventions that are crucial for compliance with a technical standard. I attempted an introduction to FRAND terms and SEPs in FRAND on 8 Oct 2017. Lord Kitchin gave a much better one in the first five paragraphs of his judgment in Unwired Planet International Ltd and Another v Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Another [2018] EWCA Civ 2344 (23 Oct 2018).’

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NIPC Law, 28th October 2018

Source: nipclaw.blogspot.com

Taxi licences issued to convicted criminals in private – BBC News

Posted October 29th, 2018 in criminal records, licensing, news, taxis by sally

‘Taxi licences are being issued behind closed doors to drivers convicted of offences including child sex crimes and reckless driving, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has revealed.’

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BBC News, 27th October 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Couples across UK could soon be allowed to marry outdoors – The Guardian

Posted October 29th, 2018 in licensed premises, licensing, marriage, news by sally

‘Couples could soon be allowed to get married outdoors as part of changes to the 180-year-old laws in an attempt to make the ceremonies more affordable.’

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The Guardian, 27th October 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Patents: multiple FRAND terms possible, says UK court – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 24th, 2018 in appeals, competition, EC law, injunctions, licensing, news, patents, telecommunications by tracey

‘It is possible for more than one set of proposed licensing terms for standard-essential patents (SEPs) to be fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND), the Court of Appeal in London has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 24th October 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Court of Appeal offers clarity on patent ‘standards’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 24th, 2018 in appeals, injunctions, licensing, news, patents, telecommunications by tracey

‘A battle over appropriate licensing methods for patents deemed essential for a particular industry’s technical standards could be heading to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal today upheld a lower court’s ruling. Companies that own SEPs are required to license those patents at a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory rate, known as FRAND. In Unwired Planet v Huawei, the Court of Appeal accepted the High Court’s determination that an owner of a standard-essential patent (SEP) for mobile phones can meet its obligations to making rights available fairly by offering a worldwide licence. Lord Justice Kitchin’s ruling added that if that offer is refused, an alleged infringer may be subject to an injunction.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 23rd October 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

The rogue landlord’s loopholes: how the law fails renters – The Guardian

Posted October 24th, 2018 in enforcement, housing, landlord & tenant, licensing, local government, news by tracey

‘The legislation designed to catch rogue landlords is vast and very complex. Landlords can be prosecuted under various pieces of law, including the Housing Act (2004), the Protection from Eviction Act (1977), the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (2005). All of that legislation creates a confusing landscape. It can be difficult to work out how it all fits together, and even within individual acts there are loopholes.’

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The Guardian, 23rd October 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

High Court upholds suspension of barrister who stole purse – Legal Futures

‘The High Court has upheld the year-long suspension of a barrister who was captured on CCTV stealing a purse in a Cardiff night club.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd October 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

SRA wins right to recover £800,000 costs from Blavo – Legal Futures

‘The Court of Appeal has allowed the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to try and recover the £800,000 it spent intervening in collapsed law firm Blavo & Co.’

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Legal Futures, 17th October 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Council loses Supreme Court battle over HMO licence conditions – Local Government Lawyer

‘Nottingham City Council has lost a Supreme Court case over whether it was right to prohibit the use of two attics as bedrooms.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th October 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Jail for PI lawyer who lied in witness statements – Legal Futures

‘A solicitor described by a High Court judge as a “thoroughly dishonest man” has been jailed and a medical expert who produced an “astonishing” 32 reports a day handed a suspended prison sentence for civil contempt of court.’

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Legal Futures, 10th October 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Teacher banned for life after marrying 13-year-old girl – Daily Telegraph

‘A physics teacher has been banned from the classroom for life after travelling abroad to marry a 13-year-old girl.’

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Daily Telegraph, 9th October 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Cab drivers to challenge decision to grant Uber 15-month licence in London – Local Government Lawyer

Posted September 28th, 2018 in bias, judges, licensing, London, magistrates, news, taxis by tracey

‘London cab drivers have applied for judicial review against Westminster Magistrates’ Court in a dispute over whether a judge’s decision to grant a licence to the taxi app firm Uber was tainted with bias.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 27th September 2018

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Mobile home security – Nearly Legal

Posted September 14th, 2018 in housing, landlord & tenant, licensing, news, planning by tracey

‘In John Romans Park Homes Ltd v Hancock [2018] UKUT 249 (LC), Martin Rodger QC, Deputy President of the Upper Tribunal, made an interesting, tricky, but important distinction concerning the criteria for when a park provides security for a mobile home. Mobile home security is dependent on whether the park is a “protected site”: Mobile Homes Act 1983, s 1. A protected site is defined in the Caravan Sites Act 1968 as being “land in England in respect of which a site licence is required [ie a caravan site] … not being land in respect of which the relevant planning permission or site licence — (a) is expressed to be granted for holiday use only …”.

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Nearly Legal, 13th September 2018

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Government to ban unethical puppy and kitten farms in England – The Guardian

Posted August 22nd, 2018 in animal cruelty, licensing, news by sally

‘The government is to ban unethical puppy and kitten farms in England, pledging to end the trade of unscrupulous breeders who keep animals in filthy and cramped conditions and force some to be pregnant many times over.’

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The Guardian, 20th August 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Guns imported using a legal loophole used for murder on the streets of Britain – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 20th, 2018 in firearms, licensing, news by sally

‘Police have urged the Home Office to close a loophole which is allowing hundreds of unlicensed handguns to be brought into Britain legally.’

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Daily Telegraph, 19th August 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Judge in Uber’s London legal battle steps aside over husband’s links to firm – The Guardian

Posted August 20th, 2018 in conflict of interest, judges, licensing, news, recusal, taxis by sally

‘The judge at the heart of tech giant Uber’s legal battle to operate in London has stepped aside to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.’

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The Guardian, 18th August 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Service not included – Nearly Legal

Posted August 10th, 2018 in fees, houses in multiple occupation, housing, licensing, local government, news by sally

‘The issue was the level of fees charged by LB Richmond on Thames for an HMO licence. LB Richmond maintained that the fee level could be set at a level designed to cover not only the costs of processing his application but also to contribute towards the costs of LB Richmond running its HMO licensing scheme more generally, including enforcement. Mr G, the landlord, maintained that the fee could only be set at a level covering the costs of processing the application.’

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Nearly Legal, 9th August 2018

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk