A steel pipework manufacturer in Essex has been fined more than £1,000 this week after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the firm had no employers’ liability insurance. This kind of insurance is a legal requirement in the UK, with employers obliged to take out at least a minimum level of cover to …
Two major Hollywood studios – Disney and Warner Brothers – have been awarded a total of $400,000 in damages as a result of a contributory copyright infringement lawsuit against advertising firm Triton Media. Triton Media was embroiled in the lawsuit after it was alleged that the firm was placing advertising services for pirate movie websites, …
US pop band the Black Eyed Peas are reportedly embroiled in two separate legal disputes over two of their biggest hits – “I Gotta Feeling” and “Boom Boom Pow”. Two lesser-known artists have come forward to allege plagiarism in two separate copyright infringement lawsuits, both seeking substantial damages from the band’s record label Interscope (who …
This time of year is always a risky one for hospitality, food and drink businesses, especially those which celebrate Bonfire Night with fireworks displays and public bonfires. There are so many extra risks to worry about, with accidental fire damage and arson being top of the list for business owners. This is why before next …
According to reports, a struggling Taiwanese company has threatened to take legal action against electronics giant Apple over the rights to the name ‘iPad’. Proview International, a Taiwan-based company specialising in making computer screens, has claimed that it owns the rights to the name iPad in China, after registering the trademark back in 2001. The …
The Alexander McQueen fashion label is reportedly facing legal action from the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation (HAMC) over the use of the biker gang’s iconic winged death head trademark. HAMC’s lawyers are claiming that a number of items in McQueen’s last collection – produced before the British-born designer committed suicide in February 2010 – featured …
A landscape gardener from the West Midlands town of Walsall has filed a claim for compensation against his employers after he was blinded in an accident at work. Ashley Brabbin, 25, was using a ride-on mower on a grass verge at Wyrley Birch Allotments in Erdington when the accident occurred. Although he says he checked …
According to a US newspaper (the Detroit Free Press), the sauce and condiment firm H.J. Heinz is being sued for intellectual property theft over their new ‘Dip & Squeeze’ sauce packs. The owner of an online food retail company, David Wawrzynski, is claiming that Heinz executives stole his idea for the format of the ‘Dip …
British pop star Lily Allen has reportedly won her libel case against French sports magazine, So Foot. The singer sued magazine bosses after they published an interview with her in 2009, in which she seemingly made derogatory comments about other celebrities such as Cheryl Cole and Victoria Beckham. Allen filed the lawsuit claiming that the …