Hacking trial: Brooks cleared of charges, Coulson guilty – BBC News
‘Ex-News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks has been cleared of all charges in the phone-hacking trial.’
BBC News, 24th June 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: telecommunications
Victory for Spamalot – Niebel in the Upper Tribunal – Panopticon
‘The spamming industry is a decidedly irritating but sadly almost unavoidable feature of our networked world. There is no question but that spamming (i.e. the sending of unsolicited direct marketing electronic communications) constitutes an unlawful invasion of our privacy (see further regs 22-23 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2426) (PECR), implemented under EU Directive 2002/21/EC). The question is what can be done to stop it, particularly given that individual citizens will typically not want to waste their time litigating over the odd spam email or text?’
Panopticon, 19th June 2014
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
Phone hacking trial: After eight months, jury today begins sifting the mountain of evidence – The Independent
‘They are the two words the jury in the phone hacking trial may have waited months to hear. At 3.15pm in court 12 of the Old Bailey, Mr Justice Saunders said: “And finally.”’
The Independent, 12th June 2014
Source: www.independent.co.uk
UK man who fought in Syria is first to be convicted of terror offences related with the conflict – Daily Telegraph
‘A man whose wife told him to “go die in battlefield” in a text message as he went off to fight in Syria has become the first person in the UK to be convicted of terrorist offences in connection with the conflict.’
Daily Telegraph, 20th May 2014
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
EU court of justice overturns law that would enable ‘snoopers’ charter’ – The Guardian
‘The European court of justice has declared the data retention directive illegal, torpedoing UK government schemes for the so-called “snooper’s charter” of wide-ranging collection of phone and internet data.’
The Guardian, 8th April 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Two-month deadline over in-app charges – BBC News
‘Creators of mobile apps that promote in-app purchases are being given two months to comply with Office of Fair Trading guidelines’
BBC News, 30th January 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
The Google/Safari users case: a potential revolution in DPA litigation? – Panopticon
‘I posted earlier on Tugendhat J’s judgment this morning in Vidal-Hall and Others v Google Inc [2014] EWHC 13 (QB). The judgment is now available here – thanks as ever to Bailii.’
Panopticon, 16th January 2014
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
Google must face UK courts over claims of privacy breach of iPhone users – The Guardian
‘Google has lost its high court bid to block a breach of privacy legal action launched against it in the UK by a group of British internet users.’
The Guardian, 16th January 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
ICO fines payday loans company £175,000 over spam messaging – OUT-LAW.com
‘A payday loans company has been fined £175,000 by the Information Commissioner’s
Office (ICO) after the watchdog found it to be in serious breach of UK privacy
laws.’
OUT-LAW.com, 17th December 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
Google will not answer to British court over UK privacy claim – The Guardian
‘Google has been called “arrogant and immoral” for arguing that a privacy claim brought by internet users in the UK should not be heard by the British legal system.’
The Guardian, 15th December 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
TalkTalk v Ofcom – the Court of Appeal stresses that market definition is a tool not an end – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers
‘The Court of Appeal, in TalkTalk v Ofcom [2013] EWCA Civ 1318, recently gave an important reminder to all competition practitioners that market definitions are a tool rather than an end: what matters is substance not form.’
Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 9th December 2013
Source: www.competitionbulletin.com
HTC Corpn v Nokia Corpn – WLR Daily
HTC Corpn v Nokia Corpn: [2013] EWHC 3778 (Pat); [2013] WLR (D) 468
‘The criteria to be applied in deciding whether or not to grant an injunction for infringement of intellectual property rights were those of efficacy, proportionality, dissuasiveness, the avoidance of creating barriers to legitimate trade and the provision of safeguards against abuse as set out in article 3(2) of Parliament and Council Directive 2004/48/EC.’
WLR Daily, 3rd December 2013
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Judge orders UK ban of one HTC device but stays decision on ban of another – OUT-LAW.com
‘An HTC mobile device will be banned from sale in the UK after Friday afternoon unless the company wins the right to appeal against the imposition of that ban on that timescale.’
OUT-LAW.com, 5th December 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
Court of Appeal backs parallel UK and EPO patent proceedings but alters guidelines for future cases – OUT-LAW.com
‘A dispute over the alleged infringement of a standard-essential mobile technology European patent will be ruled on by the High Court despite there being ongoing proceedings before the European Patent Office (EPO) about whether the patent is valid.’
OUT-LAW.com, 21st November 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
Watchdog demands GCHQ report on NSA’s UK data storage – The Guardian
‘The watchdog tasked with scrutinising the work of Britain’s intelligence agencies is to demand an urgent report from GCHQ about revelations that the phone, internet and email records of British citizens have been analysed and stored by America’s National Security Agency.’
The Guardian, 21st November 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Hacking trial: The story so far – BBC News
The trial of former News of the World journalists accused of a conspiracy to hack mobile phones is now well under way at the Old Bailey.
BBC News, 16th November 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Damian Green’s digital pathfinders – speech by Damian Green
“Speech given by Policing Minister Damian Green on Monday 11 November 2013 to the College of Policing’s digital pathfinders conference.”
Ministry of Justice, 11th November 2013
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
Four admit to phone-hacking plots in Coulson and Brooks eras – The Guardian
“Three former news editors from the News of the World have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hack mobile phones during a six-year period when Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson were editing the Sunday title, it was disclosed in court.”
The Guardian, 31st October 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
SFO could snoop on communications to uncover evidence of corruption, says director – OUT-LAW.com
“The director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has warned that the agency may use powers of surveillance to uncover evidence of corruption within corporates.”
OUT-LAW.com, 25th October 2013
Source: www.out-law.com
