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Press and Media
The Times recognises RPC among Best Law Firms 2024
International law firm, RPC, has been recognised by The Times in its Best Law Firms 2024 report, an annual ranking of the top 250 law firms in England and Wales.
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Thinking - Snapshot
Snapshots Winter 2024
A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.
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Thinking - Snapshot
Snapshots Autumn 2024
A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.
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Thinking - Snapshot
Snapshots Summer 2024
A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.
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Thinking - Snapshot
Snapshots Spring 2024
A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.
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Thinking - Snapshot
Snapshots Winter 2023
A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.
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Thinking - Snapshot
Snapshots Autumn 2023
A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.
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Thinking - Snapshot
Snapshots Summer 2023
A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.
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Thinking - Snapshot
Snapshots Spring 2023
A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.
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Thinking - Snapshot
Snapshots Winter 2022
A roundup of key legal developments for the modern commercial lawyer.
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Thinking - Blog
Thaler v Comptroller [2023] UKSC 49: the UKSC rules that AI cannot be an 'inventor'
To the surprise of no one, the UK Supreme Court (UKSC) has finally ruled that an artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be an inventor for the purposes of UK patent law. This judgment accords with the decisions of the lower courts in the UK and the initial ruling of the UKIPO. It also reflects similar findings from most of courts around the world where the claimant, Dr Thaler, brought similar actions.
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Thinking - Blog
Generative AI and intellectual property rights—the UK government's position
The IPO is to produce a code of practice by the summer that will provide guidance to support AI firms in accessing copyright protected works as an input to their models.
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Thinking - Blog
Parliamentary 'wash up' – which Bills made it through?
On 22 May 2024, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that a General Election will take place on 4 July 2024. Parliament was then prorogued on 24 May 2024 which allowed a mere 2 days for 'wash up' - the process by which outstanding bills may be rushed through the parliamentary process.
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Thinking - Blog
Ofcom's 'Roadmap to Regulation' underway with its consultation on illegal harms duties under the Online Safety Act
In November, Ofcom, as new online safety regulator, published the first of four major consultations under the Online Safety Act ("OSA"), which sets out its proposals for how "user-to-user" ("U2U") services (essentially any online website or app that allows users to interact with each other) and online search services (i.e. Google, Bing and similar) should approach their illegal content duties under the new legislation. The consultation provides guidance in a number of areas including governance, content moderation, reporting and complaints mechanisms, terms of service, supporting child users, and user empowerment.
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Thinking - Blog
The Online Safety Bill is set to become law
The Online Safety Bill will shortly become law in the UK as soon as it receives Royal Assent. The legislation will introduce a new regulatory regime for online platforms and search engines which target the UK, imposing wide-ranging obligations on in-scope services with serious consequences for non-compliance.
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Thinking - Blog
The Online Safety Bill and the risk of unintended consequences
The Online Safety Bill was reintroduced to Parliament late last year, with new amendments receiving scrutiny in the House of Commons in December, before the bill entered the House of Lords in January. The bill continues to evolve, most notably with the government removing the requirement for user-to-user platforms and search engines to prevent adult users from encountering "legal but harmful" content, instead requiring online platforms to provide users with enhanced content controls (i.e., choice as to what content is seen), and imposing further obligations around transparency and enforcement of online platforms' terms and conditions. "Legal but harmful" obligations remain in place for under 18s. The government has recently agreed to introduce criminal sanctions for senior managers who fail to take proportionate measures to protect children from potentially harmful content.
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Thinking - Blog
Look to the future: Trainees take on 2019
The trainees didn't fare too badly with their 2018 predictions. They doubted England's ability to make it past the group stages of the World Cup, but foresaw how Brexit would dominate the news agenda. They over-optimistically predicted the introduction of automated bundling, but came very close on the value of Bitcoin. Read on to see this year's predictions.
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Thinking - Blog
Can the WTO assist British trade post-Brexit?
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been in the press recently perhaps more than it would like, with concerns being raised about whether its rules would be sufficient to maintain British trade in the event of a "hard Brexit". But what is the WTO, and how does it deal with disputes?
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Thinking - Blog
Brexit - a legal analysis: Competition
The implications for competition law and practice will very much depend on what form of Brexit the UK will end up negotiating. At one end of the spectrum the UK could join the European Free Trade Association and the European Economic Area, an avenue that is likely to generate the fewest changes. If the UK were to seek a total exit, falling back on World Trade Organisation (“WTO”) rules to continue trading with the EU, the potential changes would be more wide-ranging as outlined below.
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Thinking - Blog
Brexit - a legal analysis: IP rights
IP rights in the UK are all influenced and moulded to a greater or lesser degree by European law.
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Thinking - Snapshot
New Development: National Cyber Security Centre warns AI is likely to heighten global ransomware threat
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCQH, has published a report on the “near-term impact of AI on the cyber threat” over the next two years, which concludes that: (i) AI is already being used in cyber activity in a malicious way; and (ii) the volume of cyber attacks and the global ransomware threat are likely to be heightened over the next two years.
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Thinking - Snapshot
UK Government publishes response to AI White Paper consultation
What approach has the UK Government’s adopted in its response to the consultation on the AI regulation White Paper (the White Paper)?
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Thinking - Snapshot
What the AI is going on… December 2023 to March 2024
Google launched its newest GenAI, Gemini Nano. Designed specifically for mobile phones it presents new competition to market leaders OpenAI. Gemini Nano will allow AI apps that operate offline as opposed to only on servers and provide improved privacy for users.
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Thinking - Snapshot
Court of Appeal holds Samsung liable for trade mark infringement by third-party apps
Can online platforms be liable for trademark infringement by third-party apps?
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Thinking - Snapshot
UK Supreme Court rejects AI as “inventor” under the Patents Act
What is the scope and meaning of “inventor” in the UK’s patent framework, and will it accept an AI machine as being the sole inventor?
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Thinking - Snapshot
The new EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)
What can financial services entities and ICT providers expect from DORA and what do they need to do prepare for it?
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Thinking - Snapshot
Ethics in the age of AI: new Institute of Directors checklist
What are the key considerations for boards regarding the ethical use of AI within their companies based on the Institute of Directors’ (IoD) Checklist for Boards (Checklist)?
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Thinking - Snapshot
Government White Paper sets out UK approach to AI regulation
How is the UK Government looking to regulate AI?
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Thinking - Snapshot
Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill opens door for stricter regulation of news platforms
How might the proposed Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (the Bill) affect news reporting by digital platforms?
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Thinking - Snapshot
DCMS publishes new Code of Practice for app developers and app store operators
What do app developers and app store operators need to do to comply with the new Code of Practice published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)?
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Thinking - Snapshot
New Metaverse regulation proposal to be discussed by EU Commission
How does the European Commission (EC) intend to regulate the Metaverse?
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Thinking - Snapshot
Online Safety Bill: Latest amendments increase focus on children safety
What is the focus of the latest round of amendments proposed to the Online Safety Bill and how will these impact online platforms?
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Thinking - Blog
New developments in AI may put law firms at greater risk of phishing fraud
As the computing power of Artificial Intelligence continues to grow exponentially, we consider how generative technology may expand the reach of traditional phishing frauds aimed at law firms.
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Thinking - Blog
Silicon Valley, Signature and Credit Suisse: what do they all share(holder) in common?
In what has been termed "the biggest banking crisis since 2008", both Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank have collapsed, and Credit Suisse has been rescued. Whether more banks are to follow suit is yet to be seen.
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Thinking - Blog
A guide to buying and selling English residential property
We are seeing increased positivity in the English residential property market. In 2024, inflation reached the Bank of England’s 2% target, down from 11.1% in 2022, which was a significant factor in the return of consumer confidence and economic growth. Mortgage rates are falling slightly with approval rates at their highest level since 2022 as buyers continue to respond to increased certainty post-election. Property values are again on the rise while demand continues to outstrip supply.
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Thinking - Blog
Architects' Code reforms – it's important that you have your say!
The Architects Registration Board (ARB) is consulting on a proposed new code of professional conduct for architects. The proposed new Code is shorter and simpler, but may be more complex to apply and more onerous. Architects should consider responding to the consultation by the deadline of 12 December 2024.
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Thinking - Blog
Construction disciplinary trends analysis #3: fraud and dishonesty
This article is the third instalment in our mini-series analysing trends in disciplinary decisions involving construction professionals, with insight from our specialist disciplinary team.
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Thinking - Blog
Unpacking the Building Safety Act's industry overhaul
On June 28, 2022, the Building Safety Act 2022 received royal assent, bringing about the biggest change to building safety in 40 years.
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Thinking - Blog
Construction disciplinary trends analysis #2: engagement letters – worth more than the paper they're written on!
This article is the second in our mini-series analysing trends in disciplinary decisions involving construction professionals, with insight from our specialist disciplinary team.
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Thinking - Blog
Construction disciplinary trends analysis #1: continuing professional development
This article is the first in our mini-series analysing trends in disciplinary decisions involving construction professionals, with insight from our specialist disciplinary team.
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Thinking - Blog
The El Niño year and impact on subsidence claims
Insurers should be bracing for a wave of subsidence claims arising from the increasingly warm weather. The UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has declared that an El Niño climate event is in progress, which helps explain why June 2023 was the hottest on record in the UK.
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Thinking - Blog
Building on renewable energy #3 – Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic digestion is the process by which biodegradable materials are broken down in a controlled environment. Whilst being broken down, the materials emit gas (which can be used as a source of renewable energy), and produce heat (which can also be harnessed on or near-to site). The process also leaves a waste material (digestate), which can be used as fertiliser, contributing to the circular economy.
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Thinking - Blog
Aesthetic appeal and craftsmanship are not enough: WaterRower fails to secure copyright protection as a UK work of artistic craftsmanship
The term "artistic craftsmanship" has no statutory definition under UK copyright law – a position that has only been made more challenging by a conflict between EU and UK case law in this area. In this hotly anticipated judgment, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) sought to determine what it means to be a work of artistic craftsmanship in the context of s 4(1)(c) of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA).
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Thinking - Blog
McDonald's BIG MAC trade mark – General Court gives decision on evidence of genuine use
In a decision that, practically, provides for only a tiny loss of protection for the behemoth brand and trade mark, on 5 June 2024 the European General Court (General Court) partially revoked McDonald's BIG MAC trade mark (the EUTM) in the EU (Supermac's (Holdings) Ltd v EUIPO (Case T 58/23)).
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Thinking - Blog
Supreme Court dismisses Amazon's appeal in landmark decision on consumer targeting
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court has dismissed Amazon's appeal against a Court of Appeal (CoA) decision, which found that the sale of branded goods on Amazon's US site, amazon.com, infringed UK and EU trade marks by virtue of the fact that UK consumers had been targeted.
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Thinking - Blog
Benchmarkalikes – Aldi's Taurus cloudy cider lemon leaves Thatchers Cider with a headache
In a recently dismissed claim for trade mark infringement and passing off brought by Thatchers Cider we see so called lookalike or "copycat" products continue to provide a major headache for brands. It's the latest in a line of cases showing that the answer to issues arising from supermarkets' "inspired" alternatives, increasingly is rarely found in trade mark or passing off rights.
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Thinking - Blog
The status of parallel trade in the European Union and the UK
The following article is a collaboration between Jani Ihalainen of RPC and PDGB (Virginie Coursière-Pluntz and Benjamin Jacob), RPC's partner firm in France through its TerraLex network.
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Thinking - Blog
Ginfringement: Success for M&S in the Court of Appeal in registered design spat with Aldi
M&S and Aldi's gin bottle battle over design rights has reached a conclusion (for now) as the Court of Appeal has unanimously upheld the IPEC's decision that Aldi's bottle infringed M&S' design.
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