Commercial Litigation UK

  • August 01, 2025

    Moderna Fights Off Pfizer Challenge To Surviving mRNA IP

    The Court of Appeal ruled Friday that remaining protections underpinning Moderna's mRNA vaccine technology are valid, dismissing Pfizer and BioNTech's bid to nix patent claims left untouched by the High Court.

  • August 01, 2025

    Gambling Biz Can't Launch 'Aviator' Game Before IP Trial

    A digital gambling game developer on Friday won an injunction in a London court blocking a rival from launching an online game using the disputed "Aviator" branding in the U.K. amid a copyright dispute between the two.

  • August 01, 2025

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen several telco giants hit with a trademark claim, a collapsed hotel company sue a property investor in an ongoing dispute over a decades-old hotel sale, and two litigation funders square off against each other.

  • August 01, 2025

    BT Customers Lose Bid To Revive £1.3B Unfair Pricing Claim

    BT customers lost their attempt Friday to revive a £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) class action against the telecommunications giant, after the Court of Appeal ruled there was nothing wrong with the assessment of evidence used to decided whether the company charged excessive and unfair prices. 

  • August 01, 2025

    Barrister Fails To Overturn Disbarment For Sexual Misconduct

    A former barrister has lost his bid to challenge his disbarment for sexual misconduct, with a court ruling that a tribunal was entitled to find that a lighter sentence would be inappropriate given his repeated offenses and lack of insight.

  • July 31, 2025

    New Arbitration Act To Streamline UK Dispute Resolution

    A suite of reforms to the U.K.'s arbitration laws aimed at attracting more business to the country's legal sector took effect Friday, as the government enacted the first updates to the almost 30-year-old law.

  • July 31, 2025

    Arbitrators Nix $65M Georgia Port Project Claim

    The country of Georgia said Thursday that it has fended off a roughly $65 million claim asserted by a Dutch investor in a Black Sea deep-water port project that never came to fruition, a year after the country prevailed in a contract-based $1.5 billion arbitration over the same project.

  • July 31, 2025

    Pogust Goodhead To Sue BHP For £1.3B Over Dam Litigation

    Pogust Goodhead revealed plans on Thursday to sue BHP and Vale in London for £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) in damages, accusing the mining companies of interfering in litigation over the collapse of a dam in Brazil and pressuring claimants into settling.

  • July 31, 2025

    Asset Freeze Sticks In Billionaire's $415M Fraud Case

    A London appeals court on Thursday upheld an asset freeze against a man accused of defrauding Ricardo Salinas Pliego out of more than $415 million, finding no reason to doubt the Mexican billionaire is "exceedingly wealthy" and able to compensate the other side if he ultimately loses his claim.

  • July 31, 2025

    Venom Bandmates Bite Each Other In Logo Copyright Clash

    The former vocalist of hard rock band Venom convinced a judge Thursday that its guitarist had infringed his copyright for four designs used on album covers — but his bandmate likewise persuaded the court that the singer had infringed his copyright for the group's first logo.

  • July 31, 2025

    SocGen, ING Win €212M EuroChem Bonds Sanctions Fight

    A Russian subsidiary of EuroChem lost its fight Thursday to force European banks to pay out on €212 million ($242 million) worth of bonds, after a court ruled that the payouts are blocked because the Swiss agricultural chemicals company is owned by a sanctioned oligarch.

  • July 31, 2025

    Asset Manager Denies Breaching NDA For €118M Deals

    A London-based investment manager has sued two companies of the Italian asset manager giant Azimut for millions over deals related to an investment in a machinery manufacturer, but Azimut has denied breaching the deal saying it had been released from its obligations.

  • July 31, 2025

    Tesco Wins Partial Victory Over Tribunal Errors On Equal Pay

    Tesco won part of its bid on Thursday to challenge a tribunal's findings about what constitutes equal work, as an appellate judge agreed that the panel had made mistakes in its comparison of female and male employees' roles.

  • July 31, 2025

    SRA Warns Law Firms Over Handling Of Motor Finance Claims

    The solicitors' watchdog warned law firms Thursday that they must tell prospective clients about possible cost-free ways to pursue their motor finance commission claims before agreeing to act on a case for a fee.

  • July 31, 2025

    Ex-GSK Lawyer Drops Probe Case After Losing Bid For Docs

    A former lawyer for GSK has abandoned his claim that he was forced to quit by an unfair investigation into his alleged misconduct at a work event after an employment tribunal dismissed his bid to force greater disclosure from the pharmaceutical giant.

  • July 30, 2025

    Traders Say Sanctioned Firm Can't Swap Plaintiff In $2.5M Suit

    A company facing trade sanctions cannot swap out another entity as a plaintiff in its suit targeting a crude oil sales firm's owners as it looks to collect $2.5 million based on an arbitral award, the owners have argued in Connecticut state and federal court.

  • July 30, 2025

    Musicians Win OK For Mass Claim Over UK Copyright Rules

    A London court conditionally agreed on Wednesday to let four performers represent a class of 33,000 musicians in their claim that the U.K. government cost them royalties by failing properly to adopt European Union copyright laws.

  • July 30, 2025

    Insurers Lose Bid To Avoid $37M Ship Detention Payout

    A group of insurers on Wednesday lost their bid to escape paying out $37 million to the owners of a cargo ship detained by the Indonesian navy, with a London appeals court ruling that the detention was not excluded from cover.

  • July 30, 2025

    Trans Individuals Challenge EHRC Workplace Toilet Rules

    A group of transgender and intersex individuals told the High Court on Wednesday that guidance issued by the equalities watchdog following the U.K. Supreme Court's ruling on the definition of a woman breaches their human rights.

  • July 30, 2025

    Basketball Body Rejects League's Monopoly Allegations

    The governing body of U.K. basketball has hit back at a competition claim brought by Super League Basketball, alleging that the professional league has refused to engage with it in good faith and has itself violated antitrust laws by attempting to force its hand.

  • July 30, 2025

    Greek Shipping Magnate's Heirs Battle Over €72M Loan Deal

    A company linked to the son-in-law of a deceased Greek shipping magnate has denied that a €72 million ($83 million) loan agreement with the magnate's former business was a sham, amid a family dispute over the magnate's estate.

  • July 30, 2025

    Housing Charity Seeks £113M Over Uninhabitable Flats

    A charity that provides homes has alleged that the U.K.'s largest housing association owes it more than £113 million ($151 million) for the full demolition and rebuild of blocks of flats in London that were not fit for habitation because of defective fire protections.

  • July 30, 2025

    BigLaw Firms Ordered To Explain Leak Of PrivatBank Decision

    Law firms including Hogan Lovells and Fieldfisher LLP will be required to provide witness statements after the High Court judge overseeing the long-running PrivatBank fraud case revealed on Wednesday that his judgment had apparently been leaked.

  • July 30, 2025

    Sky Apologizes For Defaming Met Police Chief Superintendent

    Sky Ltd. apologized on Wednesday for harming the reputation of a chief superintendent with the Metropolitan Police by publishing an article that falsely alleged that he had committed professional misconduct by using public money to facilitate sexual encounters with female colleagues.

  • July 30, 2025

    Gupta Hit With $6.7M Fraud Claim Over False Deposit Docs

    A U.K. commodities broker won its bid on Wednesday to bring a fraud claim worth almost $7 million against Prateek Gupta, with the High Court dismissing the metal mogul's argument that the claim shouldn't be heard in England.

Expert Analysis

  • Exam Board Ruling Expands Scope Of 'Newcomer Injunctions'

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    The High Court's recent decision granting AQA Education a digital "newcomer injunction" prevents anonymous internet users from distributing unlawfully obtained exam materials, and extends the scope of such injunctions from issues of trespass to the protection of confidential information, say lawyers at Fieldfisher.

  • UK Lawyers Can Access Broad US Discovery To Win Cases

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    Given its breadth, U.S. discovery can be a powerful tool in litigation in the U.K. and other jurisdictions outside the U.S., and a survey of recent cases indicates that discovery requests made in the U.S. are likely to be granted — with many applications even proceeding without contest, say lawyers at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Russian Bankruptcy Ruling Shows Importance Of Jurisdiction

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    The U.K. Supreme Court's recent decision not to assist a Russian receiver in Kireeva v. Bedzhamov will be of particular interest in cross-border insolvency proceedings, where attention must be paid to assets outside the jurisdiction, and to creditors, who must consider carefully where to apply for a bankruptcy order, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Considering The Status Of The US Doctrine Of Patent Misuse

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    A recent Ninth Circuit decision and a U.K. Court of Appeal decision demonstrate the impact that the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Kimble v. Marvel Entertainment has had on the principle that post-patent-expiration royalty payments amount to patent misuse, not only in the U.S. but in English courts as well, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: UK Awards Versus EU Judgments

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    The Court of Appeal of England and Wales' recent refusal to enforce a €855 million Spanish judgment inconsistent with earlier binding arbitral awards in England provides crucial guidance for practitioners navigating the complexities of cross-border disputes involving arbitration agreements and sovereign states, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Sky Trademark Ruling Suggests Strategy Tips For Brands

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    Following the U.K. Supreme Court's SkyKick v. Sky trademark ruling, brand owners should strike a balance between a specification broad enough to meet business requirements but not so broad as to invite unnecessary counterattacks for bad faith, says Josh Charalambous at RPC.

  • Forced Labor Imports Raise Criminal Risks For UK Retailers

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    Last summer’s London appeals court ruling applying the Proceeds of Crime Act to products made with forced labor, potential legislative reforms and recent BBC allegations about Chinese produce harvested by Uyghur detainees suggest British importers and retailers should increase scrutiny of their supply chains, says Ian Hargreaves at Quillon Law.

  • EU's AI Act May Lead To More M&A Arbitration

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    With the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act and its stiff penalties beginning to take effect, companies acquiring AI targets should pay close attention to the provisions in the dispute resolution clauses of their deal documents, say Nelson Goh at Pallas Partners and Benjamin Qiu at EKLJ.

  • 2 Cases May Enlighten UK Funds' Securities Litigation Path

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    Following recent nine-figure settlements in securities class actions against Apple and Under Armour, U.K. pension funds may increasingly lead U.S. shareholder derivative suits, advocating for transparency, better risk management and stronger governance practices, say lawyers at Labaton Keller.

  • 7 Pitfalls To Watch In Tech Referral Fee Programs

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    The recent attempt by FluidStack to recover $10 million in referral fees allegedly promised by software vendor Denvr Dataworks should alert potential participants in so-called partnership programs to seven signs that a proposed technology referral agreement may not equally benefit all sides, says Chris Wlach at Huge Inc.

  • Takeaways On Freezing Injunctions After Dos Santos Ruling

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    The Court of Appeal's recent decision in dos Santos v. Unitel moved the needle in favor of applicants for freezing injunctions in two ways, say lawyers at Cooke Young.

  • How The Wirecard Judge Addressed Unreliability Of Memory

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    In a case brought by the administrator of Wirecard against Greybull Capital, High Court Judge Sara Cockerill took a multipronged and thoughtful approach to a common problem with fraudulent misrepresentation claims — how to assess the evidence of what was said at a meeting where recollections differ and where contemporaneous documentation is limited, says Andrew Head at Forsters.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Cross-Border Contract Lessons

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    A U.K. court's decision this month in Banco De Sabadell v. Cerberus provides critical lessons for practitioners involved in drafting and litigating cross-border investment agreements, and offers crucial insight into how English courts apply foreign law in complex cross-border disputes, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn. 

  • Rowing Machine IP Loss Waters Down Design Protections

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    The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court's recent judgment dismissing WaterRower's claim that its wooden rowing machines were works of artistic craftsmanship highlights divergence between U.K. and European Union copyright law, and signals a more stringent approach to protecting designs in a post-Brexit U.K., say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Preparing For The Next 5 Years Of EU Digital Policy

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    The new European Commission appears poised to build on the artificial intelligence, data management and digital regulation groundwork laid by President Ursula von der Leyen's first mandate, with a strong focus on enforcement and further enhancement of previous initiatives during the next five years, say lawyers at Steptoe.

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