A single European patent looks ever more likely as ministers have reached agreement on the detail of a unitary patent at the Competitiveness Council in Luxembourg.
Category: Legal
Contracts, Human Resources HR, Employment and legal advice for owners and managers of SME small and medium sized business owners.
Twitter & Privacy: How do you manage staff’s use of 140 characters
With the issue of Twitter breaching super injunctions & the privacy of actors and footballers being called into question this seems to be a good moment to discuss a much more wide-spread problem which is that the lack of internet privacy means that in just 140 characters you can get yourself fired by your company.
Are you ready for the Bribery Act?
After much criticism from business, and some serious stalling by government, the Bribery Act 2010 is finally due to see the light of day this July, signalling a stringent overhaul and far-reaching extension of the UK’s anti-corruption law.
Ltd or LLP – Is your business structure still the right one?
A recent survey by law firm Mishcon de Reya found that 90% of people-based businesses have never considered changing the legal structure of their company; of those that have, 64% have never considered a limited liability partnership (LLP) as an option and 10% admitted that they had never heard of an LLP structure.
Employers urged to respond to consultation on workplace disputes
With the deadline fast approaching for the Government’s public consultation on resolving workplace disputes, employers are being urged to respond with their views.
Win win – avoid the pitfalls of contract negotiation
The recent judgement in favour of BSkyB, after the company’s £700m legal battle against EDS over a failed IT system, comes as a timely reminder to companies of all sizes that, when it comes to negotiating contracts, caution and transparency must be the order of the day.
Bribery Act delays mean more preparation time for UK businesses
It was has been announced that the implementation of the Bribery Act will be delayed while the guidance around the defence of the Act is finalised. We have spoken to Rupert Nevin, partner at the law firm DWF, who explains that this is good news for businesses throughout the country…
Contracts: Handshake or Handcuffs?
“We don’t need a contract, let’s do it on a handshake.” How often have you heard that said? What people really mean is “Contracts are expensive, long-winded documents that no-one understands and I will feel handcuffed to you.”
Headache for bosses as compromise agreements are thrown into confusion
Small businesses may soon be ordering double doses of aspirin following the news that the wording of the Equality Act (which came into force on 1 October this year) has thrown the validity of compromise agreements into confusion.
Caveat e-vendor: The legal framework surrounding e-commerce
The rise of e-commerce has been one of the most significant business trends of the last decade. According to the British Retail Consortium, online sales account for 6% of the UK’s retail sales, which increased in September and October 2010 by 19.1% and 12.8% respectively over the equivalent monthly figures for 2009.
Using Twitter to collect business debts
An innovative new method for business debt collection has been launched allowing Small & Medium Sized businesses the ability to radically speed up the process collecting their outstanding debts using Twitter.
New parental leave rules explained
The new parental leave rules will give parents and adopters greater flexibility in the amount of leave they choose to take following the birth of a child. Chris Inson, partner with leading commercial law solicitors Capital Law explains how the changes will affect businesses.
Employment issues: Part-time student workers
Many starting at university over the past few days are aware of the need to earn whilst they learn and this is fuelling a boom in part-time working. This growth in part-time students could turn out to be a bonus for small businesses, as many students committed to studying part-time for up to six years will seek part-time work that will support their long-term career plans.
Don’t stress about protecting it…Just get on with it!
Intellectual property (IP) has become the genie in the lamp of the 21st century business landscape; an overblown smokescreen that entrepreneurs and businesses are afraid to release in fear of idea theft.
Beware the Dragons!
An interesting story has been published on the negotiations between one of the most successful candidates for investment to appear on Dragon’s Den and two of the Dragons, James Caan and Duncan Ballantyne, who together agreed to invest £80,000 in Sharon Wright’s business, Talpa Products. And she had only asked for £50,000!
When, some time after her session in the den, Sharon signed up to a contract with very onerous terms without reading the contract she had been given.
