In my last column, I looked back at 2020 from an information law perspective. It’s safe to say that no-one would have predicted a year like 2020. And so it’s with some trepidation that I look forward to what we might expect in the year to come.
Category: Legal
Contracts, Human Resources HR, Employment and legal advice for owners and managers of SME small and medium sized business owners.
WFH, algorithms and multi-million-pound fines: the year in data protection
My final column of 2020 is in two parts. In this first part, I reflect on what a strange year we’ve had – picking out some of the highlights from an information law perspective
Brexit: 8 Frequently asked questions about trademark registration in the UK
Trademarks are a headache. Trademarks for foreign countries are even worse. You just found out that a US trademark won’t apply in the UK, and who even knows if they work in the EU (they don’t, by the way).
Construction suppliers beware: New corporate insolvency law requires ongoing performance
The introduction of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (“CIGA”) in June 2020 was one of the many preventative measures taken by the UK Government in an attempt to safeguard the economy in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Today is deadline day for retrospective furlough agreements
Partner Sue Dowling, head of Blandy & Blandy’s Employment Law team, highlights today’s deadline for retrospective furlough agreements.
Enforcing GDPR: is the regulator finally showing its teeth?
With the headlines this autumn continuing to be dominated by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, you may have missed some significant developments in the world of data protection.
“Secure your workforce now”, warn legal experts 12 weeks before Brexit
With the UK set to leave the EU in a matter of months, leading lawyers are issuing a call to businesses across sectors to make 11th hour preparations to secure their workforces before Brexit.
Working from home leaves business owners exposed to data breach claims
Last week the UK Government u-turned on its recommendation for employees to return to the office and the official position is now that employee’s should work from home ‘if they can’.
Businesses risk prosecution as staff admit working during furlough
Thousands of businesses could be at risk of prosecution for furlough fraud as staff admit contacting colleagues and completing work during leave.
Algorithms and fairness: lessons from the class of 2020
In this most strange of years, the problems with A-Level and GCSE results may seem like just another short-term political crisis.
Are the retailers pivoting to online sales adhering to consumers’ rights?
I recently placed an online order for a perishable product with a large, well-known company (who shall remain nameless). The wrong product was delivered and said company offered me the choice of credit, or a different item.
The end of the privacy shield: what next for international data transfers?
Earlier this month, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued a judgment that will have major implications for all businesses which transfer personal data internationally.
HMRC to clampdown on businesses that have abused the Furlough scheme
Furlough has undoubtedly been a huge success. According to the British Chamber of Commerce, since March the scheme has been used by two thirds of British businesses supporting approximately 9.4 million jobs.
Contact tracing revisited: Whatever happened to the UK’s smartphone app?
In my column on 4 May, I reported that the UK government was trialling a contact tracing app, which was due to be rolled out nationwide later that month.
Start-ups: Getting off on the right IP foot
COVID-19 has affected the business world in a variety of ways, but not all of them have been negative.
