We apologise that this round-up is reaching you on Monday rather than on Friday this week. It is due to technical problems we encountered, but we hope you still find it useful. The Government has the power to suspend communications networks in the interests of public safety or national security. Communications network operators have told MPs that such bans would not improve public safety. Technology Owners of Wi-Fi networks will be able to ask Google not to use their network to locate mobile phone users, the company said. 16 Sep 2011 Search engines and internet service providers (ISPs) could be forced to make it harder for users to access copyright infringing content online under new UK communications laws, the Culture Secretary US privacy laws "lag woefully behind" the demands of current technology and the US should emulate EU data protection laws, a group of consumer groups including the UK's Which? and Consumer Focus has said. Companies involved in financial services, debt collection and claims management are involved in routine 'blagging' of personal data, the Information Commissioner has said. Moves to deter them are being hampered by press phone hacking claims, he said. Automatic re-subscription to phone services through 'rollover' contracts will be banned from the end of December, telecoms regulator Ofcom has said. Music performers will receive 70 years of copyright protection on recordings under new EU laws that have been formally approved. Twitter has launched a legal bid to cancel a firm's registered trademark that includes the word 'tweet', according to a copy of its lawsuit. The Government will review over 300 energy regulations as part of its bid to reduce red tape. Major infrastructure projects including rail, road and high-speed broadband will be prioritised to boost the economy, the deputy prime minister has said. Stamp duty on property transactions is "inefficient and damaging" and should be abolished, while VAT should be levied on financial services business and income tax merged with national insurance, an independent report on taxation in the UK has claimed. The Government will provide a response to recommendations to separate retail and investment banking activities "by the end of the year", the Chancellor has said. Banks taking customer deposits and providing overdrafts will have to do so separately from their commercial and investment activities, according to bank reform plans proposed to the Government. A new version of the most frequently used international arbitration rules will provide for an increasing number of multi-party, multi-contract disputes when it comes into force on 1 January 2012. European countries should be able to "override" rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if there is there a "democratic will" to do so, a Government advisor has said. Registering land in Scotland should become easier as a result of a bill introduced in the Scottish Government's 2011/12 legislative programme, an expert has said. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is gathering information on the motor insurance industry to find out why the cost of cover has risen so dramatically in the last year. subscribers of Out-Law.com, a website with more than 10,000 pages of free legal news and guidance. If and when you need further advice, we hope you'll choose Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com.This week's news on Out-Law.com
TMT & Sourcing and IP
Government already has network suspension powers if public order threatened
19/09/2011Google allows Wi-Fi ID opt out after EU watchdog pressure
16/09/2011Search and ISP companies may be asked to help tackle copyright infringement, says minister
15/09/2011US privacy law could learn from Europe, say consumer advocates
15/09/2011Debt and claims companies the real blagging culprits says Information Commissioner
14/09/2011Ofcom bans phone companies' automatic rollover contracts
14/09/2011Copyright protection rights extended for music performers
13/09/2011Twitter contests advertising company's 'tweet' trademark
13/09/2011Energy
Government will review energy laws in red tape reduction bid
15/09/2011Projects and construction
Government promises to 'accelerate' infrastructure spending
14/09/2011Tax
Mirrlees Review recommends "radical" tax reform
14/09/2011Banks
Government to respond to ICB recommendations 'by the end of the year'
14/09/2011Banks have until 2019 to separate retail and investment banking activities, says ICB
12/09/2011Litigation and arbitration
New 'holistic' arbitration rules incorporate amicable dispute resolution
13/09/2011Public sector
Parliament should decide whether European Court of Human Rights rulings are binding, Government advisor says
12/09/2011Property
Land registration to become easier as a result of Scottish property law reform
12/09/2011Insurance
OFT to probe rising cost of motor insurance
09/09/2011
Monday, 19 September 2011
Hi, here is your weekly round-up of highlights from Out-Law News. As always, there are plenty of other stories from this week. You can also access our archive of weekly emails.
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