News for January, 2024

Advanced, Automated and Electric Vehicle Law is now available for subscribers to the Cyber Law service. 

The era of advanced, automated and electric vehicles (AAEVs) has begun; the legal transformation is starting.

In July 2018, Parliament enacted the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018, legislating for electric vehicle charging and allowing a direct civil claim against the motor insurer of an automated, 'self-driving' vehicle. In May 2022, the UK government announced its intention to create a new legal category for e-scooters. In April 2023, a 'hands free' advanced driver assistance system was approved for use on certain motorways across England, Wales and Scotland.

On 8 November 2023 the Automated Vehicles Bill 2023-24 (HL Bill 1) had its first reading in Parliament.

Motor vehicle technologies have developed since the nineteenth century and have affected numerous aspects of our lives - from road safety to the environment, from the laws of negligence and contribution to the rules of compulsory insurance. As AAEV technologies proliferate, their effects are likely to spread further.

It describes the emerging laws of advanced, automated and electric vehicles in England and Wales, explaining:

• The insurance and liability reforms of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018
• The wider regulatory reforms of the Automated Vehicles Bill 2023-24, set to become the Automated Vehicles Act 2024
• The range of legal practice areas affected by AAEVs, including discussions of the new public laws of vehicle safety, the actionability of downloaded software, electronic disclosure in civil litigation and the law of testing prototypes.

It will help those litigating, adjudicating, regulating and studying AAEV issues. It gives the context and detail of AAEV law in its many applications. It is a map to a fast-changing legal landscape.

The January issue of the Bloomsbury Company and Commercial Law Briefing is now available. 

In this issue: 

Companies House changes

FRC Board Reforms

Takeover Panel Guidance on directors supplying information to shareholders

Dassault Aviation SA v Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. Ltd [2024] EWCA Civ 5 - Assignment of Contracts

Mobile browsers and cloud gaming - Competition Investigation Continues

Financial Promotions

CMA launches formal investigation into Vodafone/Three merger

Nolan v Dildar Ltd [2024] IEHC 4 (High Court (Commercial Court), McDonald J, 10 January 2024)

The High Court – in proceedings in which the plaintiffs are the trustees of a trust which holds the pension funds of 13 individual members of a family, who operate a transport company, and complain that monies entrusted by them to a United Arab Emirates company to the tune of €6,960,000 have been misappropriated and seek the return of that sum – dismissed the plaintiff's claim on multiple grounds, and found that some of the evidence put before the court by the plaintiffs was unreliable and untrue.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has announced important revisions to the UK Corporate Governance Code (the Code) that enhance transparency and accountability of UK plc and help support the growth and competitiveness of the UK and its attractiveness as a place to invest. The new Code, which comes into effect on 1 January 2025, can be found here

The January update to our Trusts and Estates annual is now live for subscribers.

The latest update to Incorporating and Disincorporating a Business is now live for subscribers.

The FRC has published an update to its Ethical Standard for auditors, effective from 15 December 2024. The FRC's update does three main things: First, the FRC has simplified the existing ethical standard and provided additional clarity in a limited number of areas to respond to helpful feedback from auditors. The standard can be viewed here

Public Children Law: A Case Law Compendium is now available for subscribers. 

Collating the important case law from across public children law, this title provides a comprehensive and in-depth compendium of cases entirely devoted to this field of family law. The Compendium uses easily navigable headings and aims to present the most relevant case(s) on each issue. Case references include neutral citation, reporting citation, location of the relevant principle or guidance within the case, identity of the judge(s) and quotation of the relevant section from the case.

The Compendium covers:

• Section 20/section 76 Accommodation
• Emergencies and Investigations
• Threshold Criteria
• Interim Care and Supervision Orders
• Case Management
• International Issues
• Evidence
• Experts
• The Welfare Stage
• Care and Supervision Orders
• Placement and Adoption Orders
• Special Guardianship Orders
• Restricting Liberty
• Costs
• Appeals

The January issue of Irish Property Law Update by Professor John Wylie is now live for subscribers to Irish Property Law with the latest updates on:

• Deduction of Title
• Requisitions on Title
• Formation of the Contract
• Co-ownership
• Position of Parties Under Mortgages
• Enforcement of Security
• Registration of Title

The monthly update of Irish property law developments written by Professor Wylie is exclusively for subscribers of the Bloomsbury Professional Irish Property Law Service. Each update contains commentary on relevant new cases, legislation, and Law Society practice notes and forms. The updates are set out under the relevant headings of the titles and chapters in the property law service together with links to the related content.

To sign up for a free trial of Irish Property Law or purchase a subscription to any of our legal and tax services, email bpireland@bloomsbury.com.

The latest issue of Intellectual Property and IT Law Update is now live for subscribers of Intellectual Property and IT Law.

This month, the expert team at William Fry write about a recent decision of the General Court concerning the validity of LEGO's Minifigure EUTMs.