Law Commission consultation identifies ten areas of focus for automated vehicles
The Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission have published their analysis of the responses they received to their consultation paper about issues relating to driving laws for automated vehicles. The Law Commissions have said they will publish a second consultation paper in 2019 and a third in 2020 to formulate more detailed proposals for the way forward.
CMA investigation into anti-virus software sector
In November 2018, the Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into the anti-virus software sector. This followed concerns that some suppliers were not complying with consumer protection laws, in particular, areas associated with the automatic renewal of subscriptions. The CMA has now issued an update to that investigation. It has written to a number of anti-virus firms and it has required them to provide information to understand more about their practices. The CMA has also written to 16 other anti-virus companies across the sector asking them to review their practices and terms and conditions to ensure that they are compliant with consumer law and put them on notice that they could also face an investigation if any consumer law concerns are identified.
Ofcom consults on fairness framework for treatment of customers
Ofcom has published a discussion paper on a “fairness framework” to explain to broadband, telephone and pay-TV providers how it will consider whether their practices and the way they treat their customers are fair and when Ofcom may intervene. The largest UK providers of broadband, telephone and pay-TV services have already signed up to six fairness commitments. The consultation ends on 12 August 2019.
NCSC publishes cyber security guidance for small to medium sized organisations
The National Cyber Security Centre has published guidance which aims to help small to medium sized organisations prepare their response to, and plan their recovery from, a cyber incident. The guidance provides advice for responding to an attack, considering the following: preparation for incidents; identifying what is happening; resolving the incident; reporting the incident to wider stakeholders and learning from the incident.
BEREC publishes report on data economy
The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) has published its report on the data economy. The report reviews the concept of the data economy, the economic characteristics of data, the particularities of online competition, as well as explaining the relevant regulatory framework and outlining the competent authorities for the data economy at the European level. BEREC has also published its annual report and consultations on various topics which may be of interest to SCL members.
Supreme Court judge considers artificial intelligence in keynote speech
Lord Justice David Kitchin of the Supreme Court has given a keynote speech at a World Intellectual Property Organization conference called ‘Artificial Intelligence: Decoding Intellectual Property. Exploring the Commercial, Economic and Legal Implications’. Lord Kitchin’s speech considered the use of artificial intelligence in the area of intellectual property law, including patents and copyright.
