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Latest Analysis
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AI literacy on the agenda: EU, UK and US
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….
Neural network configurations make Emotional return to identification as programs for a computer
In the latest UK decision on the patentability of AI inventions, the Court of Appeal has overturned the eye-catching High Court decision relating to Emotional Perception AI Limited’s patent application for an AI system which provided improved file recommendations. The Court of Appeal held that an artificial neural network (ANN) for such a system, whether implemented by hardware or software, was…
The Cyber Threat to the UK’s Universities
Sachin Bhatt, our regular cybersecurity contributor, highlights the threats to our universities from malicious activity…
Digital transformation: the risks of providing non-digitally accessible products in the EU and UK
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…
FemTech and the use of AI
A team from DLA Piper survey the opportunities and legal risks associated with the burgeoning ‘FemTech’ sector Due to an exponential growth in the investment in female health and wellbeing, Forbes and Dealroom reported that 2023 saw $1.14bn raised collectively across 120 deals in ‘FemTech’. The phrase refers to technology products and services that help…
Latest News
View more news >Google fined 2.4bn euros for preferring its own comparison shopping service
CJEU upholds General Court decision in Google Shopping case The Court of Justice of the EU has ruled in Case C-48/22 P | Google and Alphabet v Commission (Google Shopping). It upheld the fine of €2.4 billion that the European Commission had imposed on Google for abusing its dominant position by favouring its own comparison…
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This week’s Techlaw news round-up
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…
UK signs first international treaty addressing risks of AI
Last week, the UK and other parties including the EU signed a new international treaty aimed at combating the potential threats of AI. The new treaty was agreed by the Council of Europe and commits parties to collective action to manage AI products and protect the public from potential misuse. It includes important safeguards against…
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CMA objects to Google’s ad tech practices in bid to help UK advertisers and publishers
The Competition and Markets Authority has provisionally found that Google is using anti-competitive practices in open-display ad tech, which it believes could be harming thousands of UK publishers and advertisers. In its 2019 market study into digital advertising, the CMA found that advertisers were spending around £1.8 billion annually on open-display ads, marketing goods and…
CMA launches investigation into Ticketmaster over Oasis concert online sales
Following the controversy over the Oasis concert sales at the end of August, particularly the issues around “dynamic pricing” the Competition and Markets Authority is investigating Ticketmaster. According to the Times, hundreds of fans complained to the Advertising Standards Authority after surge pricing on the Ticketmaster website led to the cost of standard tickets more…
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Latest Cases
View more cases >Advocate General says Google’s refusal to provide third-party access to Android Auto platform may breach competition laws
Advocate General Medina has issued an opinion in Case C-233/23 | Alphabet e.a. Google is the author and developer of Android OS, an open-source operating system for Android mobile devices. In 2015, Google launched Android Auto, an app for mobile devices with an Android operating system that enables users to access certain apps on their…
Consumer protection associations may bring legal proceedings for infringement of data subject rights
The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled in Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd v Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände – Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband eV (Case C-757/22). It considered if a consumer protection association has standing under Article 80(2) of the GDPR. Meta Platforms Ireland manages Facebook and is the controller of users’ personal data…
Court of Appeal considers FRAND terms in InterDigital v Lenovo case
In InterDigital Technology Corporation & Ors v Lenovo Group Ltd & Ors [2024] EWCA Civ 743both parties appealed a decision by Mellor J about what Lenovo should pay for a licence. The licence was on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms of InterDigital’s portfolio of patents which have been declared essential (standard-essential patents or SEPs)…
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CJEU considers status of order button when a consumer buys goods or services online
The CJEU has issued its ruling in Case C-400/22 | Conny. It ruled that the order button, or a similar function, must clearly indicate that, by clicking on it, the consumer assumes an obligation to pay. This applies even if the obligation to pay depends on the satisfaction of a subsequent condition. The case arose…
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CJEU rules that a Member State may not impose additional obligations on an online service provider established in another Member State
The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled in Joined Cases C-662/22 | Airbnb Ireland and C-667/22 | Amazon Services Europe, Case C-663/22 | Expedia, Joined Cases C-664/22 | Google Ireland and C-666/22 | Eg Vacation Rentals Ireland, and Case C-665/22 | Amazon Services Europe. In Italy, providers of online intermediation services and…
Latest Event Reports
View more event reports >SCL 50th Anniversary Conference 2023 – Rising Star Impression
Victor Gurr, Trainee Solicitor, Gisby Harrison Solicitors was nominated to attend the recent SCL 50th Anniversary Conference on 10 October 2023 as a tech law “rising star”. “Rising stars” are invited to record their impressions of the Conference in any form they choose (in previous years these have been event reports, infographs and even poems!). These…
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SCL 50th Anniversary Conference Event Report: “The Dragon Under the Sofa and other stories”
What separates humanity from technology? The sudden omniscience of ChatGPT in November 2022 has prompted a good deal of philosophising on that question with the apparent gap between the human and the machine growing ever less defined. There is as yet little common ground on where the boundary lies but one oft cited difference is…
The SCL 50th Anniversary Conference – a visual overview
Gerald Brent, Associate, Addleshaw Goddard, provides a visual summary of some of the key elements from the recent SCL 50th Anniversary Conference….
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Key Takeaways from the SCL Privacy and DP Group Event: Ad Tech – Bring Everyone to the Table
Speakers Anita Bapat (Kemp Little LLP) Tom O’Flynn (Google) James Evan (Verizon media) Alex Abrahams (DMGT) Karishma Brahmbhatt (Allen & Overy LLP) Event Overview With ad-tech a key focus for data protection authorities such as the ICO and CNIL, panellists James, Alex and Tom methodically described ad-tech infrastructure, and the various players involved within the…
