Confusing trade names and impressive-looking logos are often deployed to dupe the unwary. However, in one case, a company which posed as having a connection to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), and profited handsomely by charging outrageous fees for patent renewals, was hit hard in
Taxpayers are entitled to rely on guidance circulated by HM Revenue and Customs and must be treated fairly and consistently. Those points were strikingly made by the High Court as it ordered reconsideration of a case in which a bank employee was refused relief on
The Government has confirmed that the right to change buildings from office use to residential use without the need to obtain planning permission, which was due to expire in May 2016, is to be continued. The change, which was designed to help ease the provision
Farm buildings are exempt from business rates, but only if they are used solely for agricultural purposes. In one striking case, a farmer passed that exacting test and established that no rates were payable on a modern former furniture warehouse which he had used for
Directors of insolvent companies have a legal duty to cooperate with liquidators who have all the authority of officers of the court. In one case, two directors who failed to comply with High Court disclosure orders narrowly escaped hearing the clang of prison gates. In
The courts are generally keen to support contract adjudicators whose task it is to resolve disputes speedily and at much lower cost than litigation. In one case which proved the point, a company was criticised for ‘scrabbling around’ in search of technical reasons why it
The idea that so-called ‘zero hours’ contract workers have no employment rights is a misconception, as is illustrated by a case in which a security officer who worked under such a regime was awarded arrears of holiday pay and compensation for her unfair dismissal. The
Patents are an essential means of protecting original ideas from plagiarism and have application to almost every field of human endeavour. In one case, the High Court’s ruling on a case concerning underwater mine clearance operations would have an impact on the relevant market for
Whether in the commercial sphere or when dealing with consumers, the ancient and haphazard rule that contract terms must not be penal in nature has not weathered well and is often a source of confusion. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling in two test cases serves
Decisions about what action to take in response to workplace misconduct are a matter for employers, and employment judges are not entitled to substitute their own views on factual matters for those of the primary decision-maker. In one unfair dismissal case, a re-hearing was ordered
