CITY VIEWS: ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE CITY JOB MARKET? September 14, 2010 DANIEL BOTTERILL | SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE SOLUTIONS “Things are on the up. It’s a lot busier around the City just now. There seems to be more recruiting and a lot more opportunities to invest capital. I definitely think that things are on the up.” BEN VADGAMA | 1E “The City job market is very good because [...]
ECJ rejects in-house legal privilege plea September 14, 2010 EUROPE’S legal community was disappointed yesterday after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) refused to grant privilege protection to in-house lawyers practising on the continent. The ECJ handed down the judgement yesterday morning after a lengthy battle, which called into question whether Europe’s in-house lawyers should receive privilege rights during investigations by competition officials. The [...]
Lego loses trademark challenge at top EU court September 14, 2010 DANISH toymaker Lego has lost a court battle to have its snap-together plastic bricks registered as an exclusive trademark in the European Union. Lego argued that studs on top of the bricks made them highly distinctive and, thus, eligible for trademark rights. The European Union Court of Justice upheld a 2008 ruling by the General [...]
City law firms upbeat about next 12 months September 14, 2010 THREE out of four law firms based in London are upbeat about the next 12 months while regional counterparts continue to remain cautious. Annual figures assembled by accountancy firm Smith & Williamson show that three quarters of the firms polled with a head office in London are “reasonably confident” about the next year. Sixty-eight per [...]
BT accused of creating two tier internet September 14, 2010 A NEW BT service that will allow it to charge ISPs higher prices for better quality services has led to accusations it is creating a “two tiered internet”. BT’s Content Connect effectively creates an online space separate from the regular internet which ISPs can stream video without sapping bandwidth from regular users. The telecoms giant [...]
TalkTalk slams piracy charges September 14, 2010 TALKTALK has slammed government proposals to charge Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for its strategy to combat internet piracy. The firm argues plans laid out by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) will cost internet users. The Digital Economy Act (DEA) forces ISPs such as TalkTalk to send notices to users suspected of illegally [...]
CWW secures an £82m government contract win September 14, 2010 CABLE & Wireless Worldwide (CWW) yesterday announced an £82m, five year contract to supply a telecoms network for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The firm hopes the deal will act as a jumping block for other government departments to separately contract to user the network. The contract represents around five per cent of CWW’s [...]
India hopes to end BlackBerry ban debate September 14, 2010 INDIA hopes its concerns about security issues related to BlackBerry services will be resolved within weeks, the telecoms minister said yesterday. The expected deal will give the government access to electronic messages it fears could be used by terrorists. India had threatened to shut off BlackBerry-maker RIM’s encrypted email and instant messaging services unless it [...]
SIR MICHAEL LYONS TO QUIT BBC September 14, 2010 SIR MICHAEL Lyons will step down as BBC Trust chairman next year. He wrote to culture secretary Jeremy Hunt saying he does not intend to remain in the post and will leave when his four-year term ends in May. He said: “I am proud of what we have achieved in safeguarding the BBC’s independence against [...]
National Australia scraps bid for Axa September 14, 2010 NATIONAL Australia Bank (NAB) scrapped its £7.95bn (A$13.3bn) bid for Axa Asia Pacific Holdings yesterday, which would have seen it buy the Australian and New Zealand branches of the wealth management firm. The move came after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission blocked the deal for a second time last week. “Continuing with this agreement [...]