British Telecommunications plc (Appellant) v Telefónica O2 Ltd and others (Respondents) – Supreme Court
Supreme Court, 9th July 2014
Category: telecommunications
Ministers push for new legislation to track phone usage – The Guardian
‘Ministers are poised to pass emergency laws to require phone companies to log records of phone calls, texts and internet usage, but Labour and Liberal Democrats are warning that they will not allow any new law to become a backdoor route to reinstating a wider “snooper’s charter”.’
The Guardian, 6th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Lawyer seeks shorter Andy Coulson sentence – BBC News
‘Andy Coulson did not know the phone hacking going on while he was News of the World editor was illegal and this fact should mitigate the sentence he faces, his lawyer has said.’
BBC News, 1st July 2014
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Phone hacking: it was right to charge Rebekah Brooks, says Keir Starmer – The Guardian
‘Prosecutors were right to charge Rebekah Brooks and other News of the World executives over conspiracy to hack phones as the trials have helped determine who knew about widespread malpractice at the newspaper, Sir Keir Starmer, the former director of public prosecutions, has said.’
The Guardian, 29th June 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Andy Coulson trial: jurors fail to reach verdicts on remaining charges – The Guardian
‘The trial of Andy Coulson has ended after the jury failed to reach majority verdicts on two remaining counts that he conspired to commit misconduct in public office by paying public officials for the acquisition of royal phone books.’
The Guardian, 25th June 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
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
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
