Dangerous eBay listings can be removed by regulators – BBC News
‘Online seller eBay says it is handing regulators the power to take down dangerous listings without consulting the company.’
BBC News, 10th May 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: consumer protection
Draft Bill for transfer of ownership rules published by Law Commission – Law Commission
‘The Law Commission has today published a draft Bill that would introduce new rules into the Consumer Rights Act 2015 about the transfer of ownership under contracts for the sale of goods between a trader and a consumer.’
Law Commission, 23rd April 2021
Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk/
Social media sites warned over risky investment offers – The Guardian
‘The City regulator has warned social media sites that it may take action if they continue to promote risky and sometimes fraudulent investments to often inexperienced consumers.’
The Guardian, 20th April 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Call for work to make consumer-facing legal documents more intelligible – Legal Futures
‘Lawyers need to make consumer-facing legal documents more engaging, and regulators and industry should consider measures to ensure they are intelligible, a report has recommended.’
Legal Futures, 19th April 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Alerter: The EU-UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement: what does it mean for consumer protection & product liability? – Henderson Chambers
‘After months of negotiation, the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”), agreed in principle on 24 December 2020, is to govern trade and services between the UK and EU from 1 January 2021. Whilst the predominant focus is on the continued absence of tariffs or quotas on goods traded between the UK and EU provided those goods meet the rules of origin, for many other key areas it is a framework for more substantial future agreements. In this alerter, we explore the key features of the TCA in relation to product liability and consumer protection.’
Henderson Chambers, 31st March 2021
Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk
What is the true value of a companion animal? – UK Human Rights Blog
‘As we all know, the acquisition of puppies during lockdown has gone through the roof with the inevitable sad consequences of remorse followed by neglect and even abandonment. Dog theft has spiralled as the market responds by escalating the price of pedigree puppies.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 7th April 2021
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
FCA urged to act as sub-prime lender bids to cap compensation payouts – The Guardian
‘Consumer campaigners are urging the government and the City regulator to intervene in a rescue scheme proposed by the sub-prime lender Amigo, saying it could enrich the firm’s directors while some of Britain’s poorest borrowers miss out on up to £1bn in compensation.’
The Guardian, 18th March 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Tough new rules aim to make electrical goods last longer – The Guardian
‘Tougher rules are being introduced to make appliances such as fridges, washing machines and TVs cheaper to run and last longer, the government has said.’
The Guardian, 10th March 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Time to consider regulating lawtech firms, report says – Legal Futures
‘The time has come for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to consider whether lawtech companies, along with other unregulated legal services providers, should be regulated, the Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO) has said.’
Legal Futures, 16th February 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Influencers told not to use ‘misleading’ beauty filters – BBC News
‘Filters should not be applied to social media adverts if they exaggerate the effect of the product, the Advertising Standards Authority has ruled.’
BBC News, 3rd February 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Crackdown as ‘buy now pay later schemes’ including Klarna to be regulated – The Independent
”Buy now pay later’ (BNPL) firms are facing a crackdown amid fears they are helping shoppers to purchase items they can not afford, resulting in increased levels of debt.’
The Independent, 2nd February 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
UK gambling firms ordered to slow down online slot machines – The Guardian
‘Online casinos will be forced to overhaul slot machine games to slow them down and remove features that cause players to lose track of how much they are spending.’
The Guardian, 2nd February 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
“Troubling inequality” persists for BAME consumers of legal services – Legal Futures
‘A “troubling inequality” between BAME and White British consumers in the way they access legal services has changed little in the five years since it raised the issue, the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) has found.’
Legal Futures, 19th January 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
BT faces £600m lawsuit over ‘overcharging’ – BBC News
‘BT is facing a class action lawsuit over claims it failed to compensate elderly customers who were overcharged for landlines for years.’
BBC News, 18th January 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Supreme Court lowers the bar – Law Society’s Gazette
‘On 11 December, in a long-awaited judgment (and in perhaps unique circumstances), the Supreme Court dismissed Mastercard’s appeal in the “gargantuan” collective action brought by Walter Merricks CBE. In doing so, the court has markedly lowered the bar to be applied at the certification stage for competition collective actions. This judgment will have a significant impact on collective actions – which are still in their relative infancy – for years to come. Merricks’ claim will now return to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), which will decide again (now with clear guidance from the Supreme Court) whether to certify the claim by granting a collective proceedings order (CPO).’
Law Society's Gazette, 11th January 2021
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
UK watchdog investigates chip maker Nvidia’s takeover of Arm – The Independent
‘British regulators are investigating graphics chip maker Nvidia’s $40 billion purchase of chip designer Arm over concerns about its effect on competition.’
The Independent, 6th January 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Gambling Act review expected to spur reform – OUT-LAW.com
‘The UK government must be careful not to drive British consumers to unregulated gambling markets by imposing overly strict constraints on regulated providers of online gambling services, experts in gambling licensing and regulation have said.’
OUT-LAW.com, 18th December 2020
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
Online harms bill: firms may face multibillion-pound fines for illegal content – The Guardian
‘Social media companies will need to remove and limit the spread of harmful content or face fines of billions of pounds, the UK government has announced, as it finally reveals the details of its proposed internet regulation. The online harms bill, first proposed by Theresa May’s government in April 2019, sets out strict new guidelines governing removal of illegal content such as child sexual abuse, terrorist material and media that promotes suicide, which sites must obey or face being blocked in the UK.’
The Guardian, 15th December 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Collective Actions in the Supreme Court – Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers
‘The big news from today’s UK Supreme Court collective action decision in Mastercard v Merricks [2020] UKSC 51 is not only that Mr Merricks won and defeated the appeal, but that the Supreme Court approached the issues in a far more claimant-friendly way than even the Court of Appeal had done.’
Competition Bulletin from Blackstone Chambers, 11th December 2020
Source: competitionbulletin.com
Mastercard judgment ‘lowers bar’ for collective action – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The Supreme Court’s ruling against Mastercard will make it easier for group damages claims to proceed to trial, commentators have said. However, the card issuer’s solicitors have stressed the “very unusual circumstances” of the judgment, in which justices were divided on key issues.’
Law Society's Gazette, 11th December 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
