Intellectual property claims made by small businesses are on the up, as the internet makes original content harder to police December 21, 2015 The number of small businesses heading to court to protect their intellectual property (IP) is on the up, driven in part by an increase in digital copyright cases. According to research released today by law firm Hugh James, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) heard 308 claims in 2014, compared to 287 in 2013, and the [...]
Universal Credit will simplify the system but will not stop delays in benefit delivery, says Work and Pensions Select Committee report December 21, 2015 Universal Credit will help to simplify the benefit system and will be less likely to be subject to mistakes, but it may not stop delays in benefit delivery. A report published today by the Work and Pensions Select Committee has highlighted that the introduction of Universal Credit, which is designed to roll six separate benefits [...]
Build on this… Storm Desmond cost £520m – as insurers shell out £2.6m in emergency payments December 20, 2015 NULL
Accountant sentenced to eight years in jail for devising and promoting tax fraud schemes based on film industry loopholes December 20, 2015 A former Ernst & Young partner was sentenced to eight years in jail at the end of last week for his role in a tax fraud scheme. Terence Potter, working alongside independent financial advisor Neil Williams-Denton, devised and promoted fraudulent schemes, which were based on tax avoidance schemes that take advantage of legal loopholes relating to [...]
Winter sun put on ice for holidaymakers as December is named as the month with the longest flight delays December 20, 2015 Those hoping for a little bit of winter sunshine might find themselves basking in the glow of the airport's Pret a Manger for longer than they'd bargained for, as research out today has found that December is the worst month for long flight delays. A study by Which? discovered that 3.5m passenger flights were delayed by [...]
Daily Mirror publisher loses phone hacking appeal in the Court of Appeal, and Trinity Mirror share price closes down for the day December 17, 2015 Mirror Group Newspapers had its appeal over the amount of damages it had to pay in relation to phone hacking thrown out by the Court of Appeal today. Earlier this year, the company was ordered to pay eight individuals compensation in range from £72,500 to £260,250 each, totaling £1.2m overall, after staff gained unauthorised access to their voicemail messages. The [...]
US dollar up against Argentine peso after Argentina’s new president Mauricio Macri lifts currency controls December 17, 2015 The US dollar has rocketed up over 40 per cent against the Argentine peso today, after the South American country revealed yesterday that it would be lifting currency controls. The peso was trading at 13.9 per dollar shortly after the market opened, compared to the official rate of 9.8 per dollar it was trading at yesterday, before [...]
EU referendum: What Jean-Claude Juncker and other business figures have said ahead of tonight’s EU negotiation summit dinner December 17, 2015 President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said morning that the EU was looking for a "fair deal" with Britain, just ahead of Prime Minister David Cameron's two-day meeting with leaders, including a summit dinner tonight. & @JunckerEU "We want a fair deal with Britain and it has to be a fair deal for the other 27 too" — Faisal [...]
How much do barristers earn? Much less than you’d think if they’re working on Crown Court legal aid cases December 17, 2015 Barristers working on certain legal aid cases could find themselves pocketing less than the average wage and far less than their similarly educated peers in other professions, the Bar Council warned today. The remarks are based on a report released today from the Ministry of Justice about junior barristers' wages, which discovered the lawyers working regularly on [...]
HMRC is failing to answer its phones and is not doing enough to tackle tax fraud December 17, 2015 No matter how bad your commute has been, your morning is still probably better than that of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) – after two separate reports highlighting the UK tax authority's shortcomings were released today. The National Audit Office (NAO) concluded that, while taxmen and women had come a long way in their compliance efforts, there [...]
