The Irish Data Protection Commission has concluded its inquiry into Meta Ireland, during which it examined the basis upon which Meta Ireland transfers personal data from the EU/EEA to the US in connection with the delivery of its Facebook service. The DPC adopted its final decision on 12 May 2023. It says that Meta Ireland…
While the hype around the metaverse may have cooled, brands (particularly in the fashion and retail industries) are continuing to engage with their consumers using metaverse environments, sometimes known as “direct to avatar (D2A)” marketing. They are also still investing in “space”, “land” and “displays” in metaverse environments allowing users to see billboards, signages, video…
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In the late 1990s, I worked as a systems administrator as the Internet became an increasingly important phenomenon. Although the ‘free software’ movement had a long history, it was a significant element of a key phase of the development of information technology. Tools provided by commercial vendors were sometimes limited or expensive. Open-source software (OSS)…
UK law More amendments proposed for the Online Safety Bill The UK government has published a press release stating that additions to the Online Safety Bill will make it a crime to encourage someone to cause serious self-harm, regardless of whether or not victims go on to injure themselves and those convicted face up to…
The House of Commons Treasury Committee has issued a report on cryptoassets. It points out that cryptoassets span a wide and rapidly evolving range of digital instruments, although the market continues to be dominated by unbacked cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether that the Committee does not consider as having any intrinsic value. Given their…
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The recent decision of the Court of Appeal in Tulip Trading Limited v van der Laan [2023] EWCA Civ 83 (a challenge to the jurisdiction of the English Courts) is interesting and controversial. While recognising that the argument is entirely novel and would “involve a significant development of the common law”, the Court of Appeal…
Read More… from The decentralised governance of bitcoin: truth or myth?
Environment Powering up Britain: the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has published its plan for long-term energy security. The plan pushes for cleaner, more affordable energy including adoption of carbon capture (usage and storage), offshore wind, green hydrogen and domestic improvements such as insulation, heat pumps and improved decarbonisation of transport…
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The approval is conditional on Microsoft complying fully with certain commitments. The Commission says that those commitments fully address the competition concerns that it has identified and represent a significant improvement for cloud gaming compared with the current situation….
Read More… from European Commission clears acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft
The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled in the case of Lännen MCE Oy v Berky GmbH and Senwatec GmbH & Co KG (Case C-104/22). Article 125(5) of the Trade Mark Regulation (2017/1001/EU) provides that an EU trade mark owner can bring EUTM infringement actions in a member state “in which the…
Read More… from CJEU rules on paid referencing of trade mark on search engine website
UK law Court of Appeal reverses decision about Optis mobile phone patents In Optis Cellular Technology LLC and other v Apple Retail UK Limited and others [2023] EWCA Civ 438, a majority of the Court of Appeal have reversed the Patent Court’s decision. This was the third technical trial in the mobile phone standard essential…