Introduction
Consultations are afoot to capture ideas on how to improve information sharing within the Department of Health, whilst BERR has also launched a further consultation on the European Commission's proposed changes to the WEEE directive.

The controversial Google Street View has brought the issues and considerations of the right to privacy sharply into focus for all of us, especially in the wake of the recent Rowntree report, 'Database State' which called for illegal databases to be scrapped. Privacy is no longer an issue which solely concerns the rich and famous. This is further exemplified by the Government's plans to monitor social networking sites. Meanwhile, patent law, in particular the recent High Court case which has made the first ever award of inventor/employee compensation, has given the "man on the street" huge incentive to innovate.

The right to freedom of expression which directly contraposes the right to privacy has also hit the headlines in various guises. Notice and take down procedures contradict the right to freedom of expression. The fact that they currently operate in an ill-defined, uncertain legal framework is cause for concern. Freedom of expression also featured in a case before the European Court of Human Rights in which the Court held that the rule that the limitation period during which libel claims must be brought in relation to the publication of articles on the internet starts again every time the article is accessed, does not infringe the right to freedom of expression.

Copyright periods in sound recordings will be extended from 50 to 70 years

There is a change on the horizon for copyright in sound recordings following the European Parliament's recent vote in favour of an extension of the copyright period from 50 years to 70 years...read more

Seminars

The 6th Annual Privacy and Data Protection Conference 9 July 2009, 8:30am-5:30pm

Speechly Bircham will be hosting this year's Annual Privacy and Data Protection Conference on 9th July 2009. At the price of less than £100 this event will bring together experts from the regulators, the lawmakers and the legal community from the UK, the US, the Middle East and Asia. We look forward to a lively debate across the full range of issues that make up global data protection compliance.

For further details, please click here

Webinars

The pitfalls to avoid when concluding contracts in the EU
21 May, 4-5pm (BST)
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RFID, tracking devices and data protection
27 May, 4:30-5:30pm (BST)

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