It is vitally important that defiance of court orders does not go unpunished and judges have a panoply of powers to enforce compliance. In one debt recovery action, two businessmen who repeatedly disobeyed an order requiring them to give full disclosure of their assets were
Data handlers who fail to report security breaches to the Information Commissioner (IC) within 24 hours can be hit hard in the pocket. Exactly that happened to a mobile phone company which delayed almost two weeks before informing the IC of a detailed complaint that
Family members who run businesses together should take careful note of a High Court case in which a husband and wife’s commingling of personal and company funds and failure to keep proper records landed them in legal hot water. The couple’s company had traded for
How Do I Enforce My Copyright? Copyright is a right that exists as soon as you create the copyright material. You do not have to apply for it. There are some exceptions to copyright, but unless one of these applies, anyone else using your material
This summer’s hot weather raised the issue of the law regarding temperatures in the workplace. What is a suitable environment will depend on the nature of the activity. For example, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers recommends a temperature of 20°C for offices, whereas
In a case which raised important issues in relation to public procurement, the High Court has refused to strike down a development agreement entered into by a local authority with the objective of comprehensively regenerating a run-down industrial estate. The council owned the freehold of
Letters of intent are widely used in the building trade, because it is normal for both developer and contractor to wish to make progress on a building project without having to wait until the formal contractual arrangements have been fully agreed. However, letters of intent
Charities that stretch their resources by charging those who can afford to pay for their services will be deeply concerned by a Court of Appeal ruling that one such organisation was engaged in ‘economic activity’ for tax purposes. The charity concerned provided water-based outdoor activities
Taking out insurance on the life and/or health of a person key to your company’s business is often a very sensible precaution. The premiums for such insurance can be set against the business tax liability if paid by the company, provided the benefit of the
