In this article, we discuss three topical issues affecting the insurance industry. REGULATORY REFORM TAKES SHAPE The future shape of insurance regulation in the UK has become clearer following the publication of the latest paper from HM Treasury and a joint paper released by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the Bank of England.
A recurring theme in conversations with our clients is how their approach to IP protection, management and enforcement compares with that of other rights holders. If this is a question you have ever considered, you will know that obtaining the information necessary to make the comparison is far from easy. There are a number of …
In Spring v Guardian Assurance [1995], the House of Lords held that an employer who provided a reference owed an employee a duty to take reasonable care in the preparation of that reference. Therefore, failure to do so could lead to a claim for negligence if the employee suffers damage as a result. HR departments …
Consumer engagement, particularly online, is key to creating and maintaining trust in a brand. Post-recession distrust means that brands have to carefully consider their reputation risk strategy. Developing a risk strategy to prevent a crisis is key to ensuring that the company, and those at its helm, are well prepared for any activity that could …
Continue reading “Corporate risk and reputation: the brand, consumer trust and the media”
On June 22 2011, the Dutch parliament adopted ten out of eleven amendments to the Telecommunication Act in order to implement revised European privacy, electronic communications and telecom directives. Only the amendment on internet access as a universal service was rejected. With these measures, the Netherlands will most probably become one of the first countries …
Continue reading “Amendments to Dutch telecoms law restricts the use of cookies”
Whilst few product recalls grab the headlines in the way of Toyota’s worldwide recall of millions of Prius and other vehicles, product recalls are happening all the time as can readily be seen from newspapers, store advertisements, government agency announcements and a variety of other media. Barring rare cases of malicious tampering, each recall represents …
Continue reading “Product recalls: damned if you do, damned if you don’t?”
Perhaps the most surprising thing about waking up on a Sunday morning in May to be faced with a Sunday paper featuring a close-up photograph of a well-known footballer’s face was that its publication seemed to take everyone by surprise.
In the near future some significant changes will be made to Dutch corporate law, with the chief aim of achieving greater simplicity and reducing the burden for businesses. This article will discuss several expected changes that will specifically affect private companies with limited liability (BVs) and public companies with limited liability (NVs). Some of these …
Continue reading “Simplification and reduction of burdens for Dutch companies with share capital”
In April the High Court handed down a landmark judgment on the interaction between the environmental permitting regime and private nuisance. In Barr & ors v Biffa Waste Services Ltd (No 3) [2011] (also known as the Westmill Landfill Group Litigation), the court held that compliance with an environmental permit may be a defence to …
Continue reading “Barr v Biffa [2011]: is permit compliance a defence to private nuisance?”
Perhaps the most surprising thing about waking up on a Sunday morning in May to be faced with a Sunday paper featuring a close-up photograph of a well-known footballer’s face was that its publication seemed to take everyone by surprise.