In May 2024, the Media Act 2024 received Royal Assent and was passed into law. The legislation represents the biggest change to the public service media framework in two decades. The Act makes changes to Ofcom’s existing responsibilities as the UK’s regulator of broadcast media, including: Earlier this year Ofcom published its roadmap for compliance….
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The CMA has closed the Competition Act cases into Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store on the grounds of administrative priorities and has not taken any decisions as to whether the Competition Act 1998 has been infringed. The CMA has taken this decision before the new digital markets regime comes into force. Although the…
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UK law Media Act 2024 (Commencement No 1) Regulations 2024 made The Media Act 2024 (Commencement No 1) Regulations 2024 have been made. They bring most provisions of the Media Act 2024 into force as of 23 August 2024. Regulation 4 provides for linked commencement where provisions of the Act make amendments to legislation that…
Deceptive Design Patterns (DDPs) or “dark patterns” are often found on websites and apps. They “nudge” consumers into making decisions that may not be in their interests. Examples include additional charges at the end of a transaction after a person has committed time to the purchase process, or users being forced to provide payment details…
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Ofcom has published two consultations under the Online Safety Act 2023, one on transparency reporting and the other in information gathering. Transparency reporting Under the Act, “categorised services”, which are expected to include some of the most widely used social media and search services, are required to produce transparency reports at least annually. Ofcom is…
The ICO has launched a call for evidence on children’s privacy practices on social media and video sharing platforms. It has been carrying out a review of social media platforms and video sharing platforms (VSPs) as part of its Children’s Code Strategy. The ICO’s Tech Lab reviewed 34 social media platforms and video sharing platforms,…
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The Payments Systems Regulator (PSR) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are seeking views on the benefits and risks digital wallets bring to people and businesses. They say that the adoption of digital wallets has significantly increased in recent years, and believe that around 50% of UK adults now use them. Among the most popular digital…
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UK law Patents Court refuses interim licence for video coding patents including SEPs The Patents Court has issued its judgment in Alcatel Lucent SAS v Amazon Digital UK Ltd and others [2024] EWHC 1921 (Pat). The case arose in the context of a dispute between Nokia and Amazon. The court dismissed a claim that Amazon…
Simba Sleep has agreed to change its online sales practices following an investigation by the CMA which highlighted concerns that the company may have misled customers about price reductions and caused unfair pressure on consumers to make hasty purchases. As well as the CMA’s investigation, the ASA had issued rulings in September 2022 and March…
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Ofcom is consulting on strengthening its draft illegal terms of practice and guidance under the Online Safety Act 2023, specifying animal cruelty and human torture as new types of content platforms must tackle. Under the Act, when new legal duties on platforms come into force, tech firms will have to assess the risk of illegal…
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