Insights

On 1 January 2023, the Competition Act 1998 (Research and Development Agreements Block Exemption) Order 2022 (R&D BEO) and the Competition Act (Specialisation Agreements Block Exemption) Order 2022 (Specialisation Agreements BEO) came into force in the UK, replacing the retained EU regulations which expired on 31 December 2022.

This article summarises the policy background and key changes.

This article focuses on the draft adequacy decision that the EU has made to foster smoother trans-Atlantic data flows. It discusses what an adequacy decision is, the significance of this, the practicalities and process to follow, and concludes by assessing the possible impact that this will have on data flows between the UK and US.

2023 will see a raft of UK legal and regulatory reform which will impact a range of organisations. In this article, Scott Rodger and Natasha Durkin from our Regulation and Markets team take a look at what is set to be a busy year of legal change ahead for competition and regulatory compliance.

An article from the regulation and markets team highlighting and discussing the new features of the UK’s Subsidy Control Regime.

Alec Fair and Evie Dransfield from our Commercial Disputes team discuss some of the unusual ways that the courts in England and Wales have allowed court proceedings to be served, including using crypto technology and social media, and what the Scottish courts might do when faced with similar requests from parties

The Advocate General has this morning proposed overturning the 2020 ruling of the EU General Court that the International Skating Union's rules on third party organised events amounted to a restriction of competition ‘by object’, but has left open the possibility that the rules might ultimately be found to constitute a restriction of competition ‘by effect’.

A note from the regulation and markets team on the publication of draft Streamlined Routes documentation and guidance published by BEIS in conjunction with the Subsidy Control Act 2022.

King’s College London (KCL) and The Adjudication Society (AS) have collaborated to produce the first report of its kind on the success of adjudication in the UK, entitled 2022 Construction Adjudication in the United Kingdom: Tracing trends and guiding reform

Jessica Sutherland discusses the initiatives developed by National Grid ESO to prevent stalled or slow moving projects from delaying viable projects behind them in the queue.

Registers of Scotland have announced their ambition to have 100% of the land in Scotland mapped on this new Land Register by 2024. Kirstin Wilson explains the merits of voluntarily registering your property before this date.

Iain Drummond and Lindsay Robinson look at the judgment in Breakshore Ltd v Red Key Concepts Ltd [2022] 5 WLUK 677 and consider when it is appropriate to use Part 8 claims to resist enforcement of an adjudicator’s decision.

In the run-up to what would ordinarily be a business festive season, new data suggests businesses in the hospitality sector are continuing to face challenges including rising energy costs, food price inflation, staff shortages and a drop in consumer confidence.