Sport and betting: Why Brexit could pave the way for a wider levy, the role of live data rights, and how the $5bn US market can change the game January 7, 2019 The UK betting industry’s voluntary “whistle-to-whistle” advertising ban during live sports coverage has been widely welcomed but broadcasters – and, by extension, the media rights fees they pay to sport – will take a hit and some sports, such as horse racing, are deemed to be so reliant on gambling that they are exempt from [...]
Nirvana sues fashion designer Marc Jacobs for alleged copyright breach over use of smiley face logo January 3, 2019 Nirvana is suing fashion brand Marc Jacobs for an alleged breach of copyright over the use of the band's smiley face logo on its products. Representatives of the late Kurt Cobain's grunge band claim that the fashion house has "infringed Nirvana’s copyright, misleadingly used Nirvana’s common law trademarks, and utilised other elements with which Nirvana is [...]
Drones, cybercrime, AR, and robots – the tech trends to watch out for in 2019 January 3, 2019 It is finally 2019, and I can’t wait to see what surprises the technology industry has in store for us. What should we keep our eyes peeled for over the next 12 months? To whet your appetite about the future, I asked the experts for their predictions for the top tech trends of this year. Devious [...]
Tokyo court rejects request to extend former Nissan chair’s detention December 20, 2018 A Tokyo court has decided not to allow an extension on the detention of former Nissan chair Carlos Ghosn, meaning he may soon be released from prison. The Tokyo District Court said in a statement early this morning that it has also ruled against an extension for former Nissan executive Greg Kelly, who was arrested [...]
The unstoppable rise of podcasts: How an industry was reborn December 16, 2018 It seems nothing can stop the rise of podcasts. On-demand listening has become the sine qua non of the commuter; the lifeblood of dinner party conversation. Popular podcasters attract millions of listeners, and advertisers are starting to reap the rewards. And yet podcasts are not a new phenomenon. They predate Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, and [...]
Out with the old: Danske Bank sells £228m pensions business amid talks of money-laundering fines December 11, 2018 Under-fire Danske Bank has sold its Swedish pensions arm to a group of private equity firms, in what some analysts believe is an attempt to raise cash to pay any penalties from its money-laundering scandal. The bank, which is under investigation for payments routed through its Estonian branch, said it would sell Danica Pension to [...]
The EU has hit a home run with the most one-sided treaty in history December 5, 2018 In baseball, a game unfamiliar to many in the UK, when a player hits a home run it is normally considered good manners – and a sign of respect for your opponent – not to gloat, but to run the bases quickly without admiring the ball as it clears the fences, and certainly without making [...]
Alternative finance lender Oakam is trying to help the unbanked November 30, 2018 Payday loan companies get a bad rap. And it’s easy to see why, considering the predatory businesses practices and extortionate interest rates charged by lenders like Wonga, which collapsed into administration this year. High-interest, short-term loans were back in the news this week, with the announcement that the fintech startup Monzo is considering offering such [...]
Our broken university system is setting future Britain up to fail November 30, 2018 Two news stories this week should strike terror into the hearts of anyone concerned with the British higher education system. First, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) released figures on the impact of a university degree on earning potential, and found that sometimes it just isn’t worth it. By the age of 29, men who studied [...]
Public speaking 101: Stick to what you know November 23, 2018 "The problem with your method”, the head of organisational behaviour of a tier-one investment bank tells me, “is that our bankers are often asked to speak about subjects that they know little about. Can you help them with that?” My client was referring to the main premise of my presentation training: that in a presentation, [...]