‘The substantial similarity test has been criticized as difficult to apply. Nevertheless, it plays a central role in deciding the extent to which works similar to existing copyright works are improper copies or new works that should be allowed. This article provides an empirical analysis of UK substantial similarity copyright cases, contributing to this discussion by revealing how this test is applied in practice. What type of substantial similarity copyright cases tend to be brought by litigants, what factors are relevant in the judgments and what patterns of claimant and defendant losses are revealed?’

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Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice, 12th May 2025

Source: academic.oup.com

‘The Family Justice Council (FJC) has published guidance for professionals and litigants who represent themselves on the use of covert recordings in family law proceedings.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th May 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Edward Denehan and Lorenzo Leoni consider and discuss the Law Commissions’ Consultation Paper on the security of tenure provisions for business tenants conferred by Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (the “Act”), and the pros and cons of the alternative security of tenure models advanced by the Law Commission.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 14th May 2025

Source: tanfieldchambers.co.uk

‘A “foolish” middle-man involved in the theft of a £4.8m gold toilet stolen from an art exhibition at Blenheim Palace has been handed a suspended sentence at Oxford crown court.’

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The Guardian, 19th May 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘David Mitchell speaks to Dr Tom West of Privacy International about the challenges which generative AI poses to individual privacy rights. In a wide-ranging discussion looking at the availability and efficacy of existing legal protections, Tom discusses the interventionist response of the Data Protection Authority in Italy to Chat GPT and DeepSeek, what privacy lawyers might glean from big tech competition disputes in the US and drawing on his own background, the lessons that environmental law might offer in terms of the regulation of generative AI.’

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39 Essex Chambers, 15th May 2025

Source: www.39essex.com

‘J v Bath and North East Somerset Council & M [2025] EWCA Civ 478 concerns an appeal of a decision by Mrs Justice Lieven. Lieven J had held that there was no need for the High Court to make an order authorising the deprivation of J’s liberty in circumstances where both J’s parents and the local authority consented to the deprivation of liberty.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 20th May 2025

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘The President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has expressed frustration that there is a Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) in only 20% of areas, saying it remains his goal that there is one in every area.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 20th May 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘In this blog post, Professor Panos Koutrakos discusses the first UK-EU arbitration ruling under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.’

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UK-EU Relations Law, 19th May 2025

Source: eurelationslaw.com

‘Jim Duffy is joined by 1COR colleague Benjamin Seifert to discuss recent case law touching on expert evidence, fundamental dishonesty, anonymity orders and much more.’

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Law Pod UK, 19th May 2025

Source: audioboom.com

‘A drug-driver who reached speeds of 90mph has been jailed for 14 years for the death of a three-week-old baby in a crash.’

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BBC News, 16th May 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A campaigner who argued that music festivals held in a south London park unfairly cut off large sections of the space and made it a “mud bath” has won a court case that could result in events being banned there this summer.’

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The Guardian, 16th May 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘A prison governor who had a relationship with a drug-dealing gang boss has been jailed for nine years.’

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BBC News, 15th May 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘The man who murdered Cher Maximen in front of her three-year-old daughter at Notting Hill Carnival has been jailed for life.’

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BBC News, 16th May 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Railway operators in the UK could soon have to pay out far greater sums in compensation to disabled passengers left unable to access trains despite booking assistance.’

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The Guardian, 18th May 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Excluding prisoners trapped under abolished indefinite jail terms from new measures to free up hundreds of desperately needed prison cells has been branded “morally wrong” and a “missed opportunity”.’

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The Independent, 18th May 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘An updated practice direction on the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in UK tax disputes has been welcomed by experts.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 16th May 2025

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

‘The personal data of hundreds of thousands of legal aid applicants in England and Wales dating back to 2010, including criminal records and financial details, has been accessed and downloaded in a “significant” cyber-attack.’

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The Guardian, 19th May 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The Family Court has ruled that a couple are not the parents of a baby who arrived in the UK from Nigeria and that the woman concerned cannot – as she claimed – have been pregnant for 55 weeks.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th May 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk