Amanda Chaboryk examines how policies and organisations may need to adapt if generative AI is to be used to improve access to justice. Introduction The legal field has consistently faced a growing and essential demand for innovation to tackle persistent issues related to access to justice. At a high level, the primary factors that impact access…
Mauricio Figueroa summarises the key points from the SCL AI Conference hosted by Herbert Smith Freehills on 8th October. Practitioners, lawmakers, academics, trainees, in-house lawyers, and civil society representatives gathered at Herbert Smith Freehills’ offices in London for the annual Society for Computers and Law AI conference. The event brought together experts to explore the…
The long-awaited Procurement Act is scheduled to come into force in February next year promising a more flexible regime. Professor Albert Sanchez-Graells picks out some of the challenges it will pose for those working in public-sector procurement. After a recently announced 4-month delay to its ‘go live’ date, the Procurement Act 2023 is now due…
Read More… from The Procurement Act 2023 and its implications for tech procurement
Amanda Chaboryk and Nicholas Cook highlight the importance of reviewing your information architecture before using your data for generative AI The advent of artificial intelligence (AI), and generative AI (GenAI) in particular, has resulted in a dawning era of transformative potential in the legal domain. It has been met with a range of reactions from…
Read More… from IA Before AI: Facilitating Generative AI Adoption within Legal Teams
Product Regulation and Metrology Bill introduced to Parliament On 4 September 2024, the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill had its first reading in the House of Lords. The Bill aims to reform the UK’s product safety regime by addressing modern safety issues. The Bill’s second reading in the House of Lords is due to take…
Tom Whittaker and Ryan Jenkins look at the increasing importance of AI literacy in the EU and more globally AI literacy in simple terms is about developing skills and understanding regarding how to develop and use AI, its opportunities and risks. Contracts, governance and internal policies may require or encourage some form of AI literacy….
Sachin Bhatt, our regular cybersecurity contributor, highlights the threats to our universities from malicious activity…
A team from Hogan Lovells consider the regulatory regimes governing digital accessibility in the UK and EU. Summary: In the era of digital transformation, the need to ensure products and services are accessible to all, including those who experience some form of disability, is greater than ever. While there is not (yet) a global uniform…
Andrew Woolsey and Sophie Ashcroft take a fresh look at the legal issues surrounding defective software through the lens of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal…
Once upon a time technologies like artificial intelligence and the metaverse were confined to the annals of science fiction. No longer, both innovations exist in the here and now, with vast potential to transform our world. These emergent technologies, however, are not without attributes of concern, one of which is energy consumption and the consequent…
Read More… from Emerging technologies and the climate: charting a pathway to pre-emptive oversight
IT contracts and disputes have long concentrated on functional specifications, tests and defects to assure that projects deliver what is intended. This is only part of what is required. William Hooper examines the role of design in contract and dispute….
A team from DLA Piper dig deeper into the House of Lords report on balancing risk and innovation in AI regulation, in particular, the open source question While much attention has been paid to the finalisation of the EU’s AI Act in recent weeks, developments in AI continue at a frenetic rate. On 2nd February…
The price of Bitcoin has climbed since the SEC allowed new trading funds. Martyna Dudek explains what’s changed and the FCA’s own moves to allow crypto trading….
Áine Rafferty knows an in-house legal team is a critical component for many technology firms and has been recognised by industry peers for leading high performing in house technology teams. Here she provides some steers on how to make sure the team is valued by the other parts of the business. The role of the…
Read More… from 5 steps to building a high performance in-house legal team
Adrian Aronsson-Storrier and Helen Hart look at the recent case of Harber, a tax case involving fictitious case references generated by ChatGPT…
The UK government has published a consultation on the new subscription contracts regime under the Digital Markets, Competition and Digital Markets Act 2024. It seeks views on how the regime will work in practice. The feedback will inform secondary legislation and guidance, with the regime planned to come into force in 2026. Cooling-off rights: return…
Read More… from UK government consults on detail of new subscription contracts regime
The European Commission has fined Meta €797.72 million for breaching EU antitrust rules by tying its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network Facebook and by imposing unfair trading conditions on other online classified ads service providers. In June 2021, the Commission opened formal proceedings into possible anti-competitive conduct of Facebook….
UK law Ofcom publishes letter to online service providers on generative AI and chatbots Ofcom has published an open letter to online service providers in the UK about how the Online Safety Act 2023 applies to generative AI and chatbots. Websites or apps which use a generative AI chatbot that enables users to share text,…
Following investigation, the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities (led by those in Belgium, Germany and Ireland) and the European Commission have notified Apple about several potentially prohibited geo-blocking practices that the CPC Network has identified on certain Apple Media Services, including App Store, Apple Arcade, Music, iTunes Store, Books and Podcasts….
Following investigation at European level, the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities and the European Commission have notified the online marketplace Temu that some of its practices infringe EU consumer law. The CPC Network directed Temu to bring those practices in line with EU consumer laws. Temu remains under investigation and was…
Over the last decade there has been a rapid increase in investment and influence in genomic technologies in a range of sectors. The technology offers well-known benefits in areas like advanced disease treatment and personalised healthcare, and there is a drive to deliver a genomic-focused healthcare system. However, the rapid growth of applications in sectors…
Read More… from ICO issues tech futures report on emerging genomics
For the first time following a full trial, the English High Court in D’Aloia v Persons Unknown, Bitkub and others [2024] EWHC 2342 (Ch) has confirmed that cryptocurrency, specifically USD Tether (USDT), can be traced and can constitute property under English law. The court also made observations as to key legal and evidential links needed…
UK law CMA consults on draft guidance for the markets regime in the Enterprise Act 2002 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is consulting on its draft new guidance for the markets regime in the Enterprise Act 2002, as amended by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The consultation ends on 3 December…
James Gill and Fiona Vickerstaff of Lewis Silkin summarise a recent case on the legal status of software as a service. Those of us working in the tech space will remember the relatively recent case of The Software Incubator Ltd v Computer Associates UK Ltd in which the CJEU decided that a perpetual licence to use software constituted…
Read More… from The return of the great SaaS debate: is it goods or services?
The European Commission has published the findings of the Digital Fairness Fitness Check, which assessed if current EU consumer protection laws are fit for purpose to ensure a high level of protection in the digital environment. The Fitness Check covered three core Directives: the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, the Consumer Rights Directive, and the Unfair…
Read More… from European Commission publishes results of Digital Fairness Fitness Check