Sony BMG ruling rocks European Commission
The European Commission's arguments supporting the Sony/BMG merger in 2004 were not of "the requisite legal standard" and were marred by "a manifest error of assessment" according to Europe's second highest court. More »
Broadcasting from your iPod to be legalised
FM transmitters commonly used to send audio from iPods and other MP3 players to car stereos and home entertainment systems could be legal by autumn. Though widely used, the low power transmitters are actually illegal across Europe. More »
Business lobby welcomes UN convention on e-contracts
A worldwide standard for electronic contracts has received the backing of the world's business community. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has backed a UN convention designed to help countries to develop law for digital contracts. More »
YouTube suit unlikely to succeed, say experts
Video upload site YouTube is being sued by a US television station which says it has breached its copyright, but leading intellectual property lawyers say that the site is almost certainly protected under existing laws. More »
Heatwave prompts call for Japanese dress code
British office workers are being urged to adopt a Japanese dress code during this week's heatwave. But with temperatures set to soar across the country to up to 37 degrees Celsius (99 F) today there is still no legal maximum temperature in the workplace. More »
NHS system endangers medical records, say doctors
Doctors have spoken out against the controversial Ó12.4 billion NHS IT system that is over budget and behind schedule, claiming that patient confidentiality is being put at risk by the system. More »
BetonSports.com halts betting after US arrest
A British businessman has been arrested in the US over his stewardship of BetonSports.com, an online gambling business, in what is believed to be the first move in a clampdown on online betting in the US. The website stopped taking bets last night. More »
EasyGroup wins easy.com appeal
The London High Court has upheld a previous ruling that gave multi-national conglomerate easyGroup intellectual property rights to the easy.com trade mark. More »
Will your company be hit with an ASBO?
The Home Office wants to issue control orders to businesses as well as individuals. An ASBO for businesses is the central proposal of a parliamentary Green Paper from the Home Office published this week. More »
Philips loses right to amend TV menu patent
Philips has lost a case to amend a patent for its television menu technology. The electronics giant had attempted to change its existing patent, but the alterations were ruled to be too wide ranging. More »