Information Commissioner called to investigate ‘antiquated and wrong’ demands for rape victims’ records – The Independent

Posted November 12th, 2018 in disclosure, evidence, news, police, privacy, prosecutions, rape, sexual offences, telecommunications by tracey

‘Campaigners are demanding a full investigation into “antiquated and wrong” demands for access to rape victims’ mobile phone data and personal records. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is considering widening an existing probe into the use of claimants’ information, amid claims that prosecutors are making increasingly intrusive demands.’

Full Story

The Independent, 11th November 2018

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Electronic Communication Code: Tribunal clarifies its jurisdiction – OUT-LAW.com

‘Claims for compensation made under the old Electronic Communications Code (ECC) in the UK cannot be brought before a tribunal tasked with resolving disputes under the new ECC, the tribunal has confirmed.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 6th November 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Criminal law not keeping pace with digital world – report – The Guardian

‘Online communications law is incoherent and fails to protect victims of abuse from harassment such as “deepfake” pornography, according to a report by the Law Commission.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 1st November 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.’

Full Story

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.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 23rd October 2018

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Jailed preacher Anjem Choudary faces strict controls after release – The Guardian

‘Convicted Isis supporter Anjem Choudary will be in effect banned from any public statements after his release from prison this week, as British authorities seek to stop him from inciting support for terrorism.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 16th October 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK high court blocks mass privacy action against Google – The Guardian

Posted October 8th, 2018 in advertising, class actions, internet, news, privacy, telecommunications by sally

‘The high court has blocked a mass legal action against Google over claims that it collected sensitive personal data from more than 4 million iPhone users.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 8th October 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

£150,000 fine for claims firm that made “abusive” calls – Legal Futures

Posted October 2nd, 2018 in advertising, complaints, fines, news, telecommunications by sally

‘A Manchester firm has been fined £150,000 for making thousands of nuisance direct marketing phone calls for personal injury claims that some complainants described as abusive.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 2nd October 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Coronation Street stars and Frank Bruno settle hacking claims – BBC News

Posted September 28th, 2018 in damages, interception, media, news, privacy, telecommunications by tracey

‘Six Coronation Street stars and ex-boxer Frank Bruno are among the latest celebrities to settle phone-hacking claims with News Group Newspapers.’

Full Story

BBC News, 27th September 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Consumer loyalty ‘rip off’ faces probe – BBC News

Posted September 28th, 2018 in competition, consumer protection, insurance, mortgages, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘The accusation that loyal customers are being “ripped off” for mobile, broadband, savings, home insurance and mortgage deals is to be investigated by the competition body.’

Full Story

BBC News, 28th September 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ofcom to push for regulation of social networks – The Guardian

Posted September 18th, 2018 in internet, media, news, telecommunications by sally

‘Tech companies such as Facebook and Google could be regulated in the same way as the mobile phone and broadband industry, the head of media regulator Ofcom was expected to say on Tuesday.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 17th September 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Prisoners face fresh crackdown on drugs, violence and phones – The Guardian

Posted August 17th, 2018 in drug abuse, news, prisons, telecommunications, violence by sally

‘Prisoners are to face a fresh crackdown on drugs, violence and smuggled mobile phones as part of a £10m drive to turn around 10 of the worst-performing jails in England.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 17th August 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Privacy International v Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs & ors – Blackstone Chambers

‘The Investigatory Powers Tribunal has given its third judgment in this case concerning the collection and use of bulk communications data (‘BCD’) and bulk personal datasets (‘BPD’) by the Security and Intelligence Agencies (MI5, MI6 and GCHQ – the ‘SIAs’).’

Full Story

Blackstone Chambers, 21st July 2018

Source: www.blackstonechambers.com

Not NPPF2: A case about prior approval applications and appeals – No. 5 Chambers

Posted August 7th, 2018 in appeals, delay, news, planning, telecommunications by sally

‘As Parliament rises for the summer recess it leaves us with a revised Framework and a call for evidence on the appeals system. As a diversion from the commentary on the former, and of some relevance to the later, this note looks at a case on prior approval for PD.’

Full Story

No. 5 Chambers, 26th July 2018

Source: www.no5.com

£100,000 fine for company that made nuisance PI calls – Legal Futures

Posted August 3rd, 2018 in fines, news, nuisance, personal injuries, telecommunications by tracey

‘A marketing company that made nuisance personal injury calls to people registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) has been fined £100,000.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 3rd August 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Changes Proposed to Code for Crown Prosecutors to drive improvements in disclosure – Crown Prosecution Service

‘Making sure clearer, earlier information about mobile phone evidence is available before a suspect is charged with a crime is part of a raft of proposed changes announced by the Director of Public Prosecutions today. This will include mobile phone messages sent by suspects and accusers in cases where the parties are known to each other.’

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 23rd July 2018

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Prisoners to get phones in cells in bid to curb violence – BBC News

Posted July 10th, 2018 in human rights, news, prisons, reports, telecommunications, violent disorder by sally

‘Thousands of prisoners will be able to make calls from their cells, as part of government plans to reduce violence and crime in prisons in England and Wales.’

Full Story

BBC News, 10th July 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Losing out on loss of bargain when terminating in reliance upon contractual rights – Practical Law: Construction Blog

‘In the wake of the Carillion insolvency, many sub-contractors are likely to be investigating their rights to terminate their contracts with a now defunct main contractor. Looking for a clean break, they may be tempted by the explicit termination rights that standard form building contracts often contain, and that may be deployed in the event of main contractor insolvency. On the surface, terminating appears as simple as writing to the liquidator citing the relevant provision, and declaring the contract to be at an end. However, a potential trap awaits the unwary. Unwitting sub-contractors may inadvertently forfeit any right to claim loss of bargain damages, that is, the loss of profits that would have been made had the contract carried through to completion. This is potentially a highly lucrative right, particularly if the sub-contractor is at the start of a multi-year project that was expected to generate significant future earnings. This result arises from the case of Phones 4U Ltd (in administration) v EE Ltd.’

Full Story

Practical Law: Construction Blog, 4th July 2018

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

GCHQ cybersecurity experts investigate Dixons Carphone data breach – The Guardian

Posted June 14th, 2018 in data protection, intelligence services, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘A branch of GCHQ, Britain’s intelligence and security service, is investigating one of the UK’s biggest data breaches at a single firm, involving unauthorised access to 5.9 million Dixons Carphone customers’ cards. The National Cyber Security Centre said it was working alongside the retailer and other agencies after the attack, which also involved unauthorised access to 1.2m personal records of Dixons Carphone customers.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 13th June 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK should not legislate to control children’s use of technology, says culture secretary – The Guardian

Posted June 12th, 2018 in children, computer programs, internet, legislation, news, telecommunications by sally

‘The UK culture secretary, Matt Hancock, does not allow his own children to have mobile phones and thinks none should have access to devices overnight, but would not follow the French government’s lead in legislating on the issue.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 11th June 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com