The proposals includes fines for non-compliance of up to the greater of £18 million or 10% of a provider’s annual global revenue. By Gail Crawford, Rachael Astin, Alain Traill, Katie Henshall, and Amy Smyth On 12 May 2021, the UK government published the Online Safety Bill (the Bill), which aims to establish a new regulatory regime to address illegal and harmful content online, including fines and other sanctions in the event…

As interest in European SPACs heats up amid an increasingly receptive regulatory environment, dealmakers must navigate market differences. By Tom Evans, Chris Horton, James Inness, Mike Turner, David Walker, Tom Channing, and Catherine Campbell While US special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) IPOs and related M&A activity grabbed the limelight in 2020 and early 2021, European SPACs look set to increase in number in the second half of 2021, with…

Beyond creative works and consumer products, NFTs open up new avenues for IP monetisation in the technology, life sciences, and pharmaceutical industries. By Stuart Davis, Tom Evans, Christian McDermott, David Walker, Gabriel Lakeman, Catherine Campbell, and Amy Smyth Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), one-of-a-kind cryptoassets stored on blockchain technology, have soared in popularity as artists, gaming companies, retailers, and others seek new monetisation streams. In October 2020, the US$69 million sale…

Worker classification, employee rights, and equal pay are among the issues that require careful consideration in light of recent and forthcoming changes. By Tom Evans, Sarah Gadd, David Walker, Terry Charalambous, Adam Ray, and Catherine Campbell The COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing emphasis on ESG metrics (particularly the “s”), has heightened the focus on worker rights and employee-employer relationships. Legislative changes, planned reforms, and high-profile court decisions in the UK,…

From potential cartel behaviour to repaying government loans, deal teams should remain alert to lingering issues rooted in a company’s response to the pandemic. By Alexander Crosthwaite, Tom Evans, Sebastian Pauls, David Walker, Maarten Overmars, and Catherine Campbell The recovery of the European PE market since the early days of the pandemic has been impressive — from US$114.8 billion in value and 794 deal volume in H1 2020 to US$226.8…

The ruling clarifies that a litigant can withhold disclosure of communications even if the other person was unaware that the communication was for a privileged purpose. By Daniel Smith and Mair Williams In recent years, the English court has examined litigation privilege carefully. However, no aspect has been the subject of more scrutiny than the requirement that documents that a litigant seeks to withhold must have been prepared for the “dominant purpose” of preparing for…

Mr Justice Hacon finds that procedures for applying for permission to appeal are not altered by the COVID-19 Protocol.  By Oliver E. Browne In Claydon v. Mzuri,[1] Mr Justice Hacon of the High Court has found that the COVID-19 Protocol does not alter the procedure for appeal applications if a decision is handed down remotely and the parties do not attend. Notably, the Judge clarified that the remote nature of the relevant hearings and…