A recent High Court decision has underlined the need for caution when agencies use third party material which may be subject to copyright protection. Antiquesportfolio.com plc engaged Rodney Fitch to carry out design and branding consultancy work for its antiques web site. Antiquesportfolio.com claims that some of the material produced by the design company was … Read more
The High Court decision in July 1999 allowing Victor Chandler International, a Gibraltar based bookmaker, to advertise its bets in the UK on Teletext was reversed this morning in an important judgment handed down by the Court of Appeal. Section 9(1)(b) of the Betting and Gaming Act 1981 prohibits the issue, circulation or distribution in … Read more
The much heralded Data Protection Act 1998 will become law on 1 March 2000. It will impose greater burdens on those who process personal data for marketing purposes and will considerably strengthen the rights of individuals whose personal information is used in this way. The Act gives a number of rights to data subjects. These … Read more
The Data Protection Act 1998 will finally become law on 1 March 2000 and will make some important changes for employers. The old law only applied to personal data which was computer processed but now hand-written records which form part of an organised filing system will also be covered. This means that manual personnel records … Read more
There is a significant amount of prospective legislation on the horizon directed squarely at e-commerce. In addition to the upcoming distance selling legislation, due to arrive in June this year, there are two bespoke items, the UK’s Draft Electronic Communications Bill, published last year, and the amended proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive … Read more
MP3.com has issued proceedings against the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), a non-profit making trade association of US record companies, and its Chief Executive, Hilary Rosen claiming illegal interference with its business operations. The proceedings against the RIAA come after the RIAA had itself issued proceedings against MP3.com over MP3.com’s new online CD listening … Read more
The Court of Appeal this morning decided that the publication by The Sun of video stills of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed could not be justified on the grounds of fair dealing or public interest. The images were taken by security cameras at the Villa Windsor, near Paris, which the couple visited on 30 … Read more
