The Pinsent Masons Podcast
by Pinsent Masons
Lawyers from international law firm Pinsent Masons discuss the latest news in the world of business law. We analyse rulings, laws, news events and trends to help organisations navigate a complicated and fast-moving world of business law and regulations. Every fortnight in these 20 minute episodes we give expert guidance to keep you ahead of your competition and to help you meet the challenges ahead. Listen and subscribe for the latest news and analysis on legal and regulatory issues from expert voices at a leading firm.
Episodes
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56: Looking behind massive AI infrastructure investments, and crunch time for floating wind
Record sums are being invested in AI infrastructure, but competing investor interests make it a complicated business says Kanyi Lui, while Niamh Deery explains why the eyes of the offshore floating wind world are on three critical projects in Scotland.
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55: How employers can deal with an AI-assisted rise in employee claims
Since AI use became widespread the number and complexity of claims against employers has soared. How should companies cope?
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54: The EU’s three tier online child safety plan, and the feasibility of ‘made in Europe’
We look in detail at the EU’s latest plans to keep children safe in a race against EU countries introducing their own laws; and we ask if Europe’s proposal to achieve economic growth and security with a ‘made in Europe’ approach is feasible.
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53: An AI liability gap, and High Court rules on when force majeure bites
How English law may be ill equipped to deal with AI agent liability, and London’s High Court weights in on exactly when force majeure can apply
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52: FIFA transfer reforms and the digital infrastructure heat challenge
FIFA responds to a court ruling on player transfer rules; and how the heatwave is affecting digital infrastructure
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51: Watching the machines
UK regulator steps up vigilance on domestic device data collection, and UK e-money regulation to be tightened
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50: Australia overhauls inward investment rules, and why a China law chain could cause supply chain headaches
We ask why Australia is making major changes to its foreign investment rules, and investigate a supply chain law change in China that could put international companies in a legal pickle.
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49: Plugging the UK’s VAT gap, and new EU guidance on AI transparency
We hear about the UK tax authority’s highly successful investigations into VAT not paid by medium and large companies, and examine the impact of new EU guidelines demanding transparency by companies developing and using AI.
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48: Why energy companies are under pressure to improve their cybersecurity
We explore why governments and regulators are making greater cybersecurity demands than ever of energy companies.
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47: How global conflict affects where data is stored, and UK offers tax whistleblowers a 30pc cut
We explore the growing interest in the ‘sovereign cloud’ as governments try to keep their data out of other governments’ hands, and we hear how the UK tax authority’s bounty-sharing plans could be a big corporate tax evasion deterrent.
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47: US, EU and UK AI training policy shifts, and UK financial ombudsman is overhauled
The US, EU and UK have finally made their positions clear on the balance between copyright holders’ interests and those of AI systems developers; and the UK will make the biggest changes to a financial consumer protection body in decades
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46: The business impact of the Middle East conflict
As conflict spreads beyond Iran, the US and Israel in the Middle East we examine some of the immediate issues for businesses and assess what action can be taken now to reduce companies’ risks.
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45: How 40 year old UN principles could help with protecting kids online
We hear about the fundamental principles laid out by the UN in the 1980s that could help steer governments through a crisis in children’s online safety.
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44: We learn about the trade mark pitfalls of selling refurbished cookers, and discover what a UK Supreme Court ruling might mean for companies’ ability to patent AI systems.
We discover what a UK Supreme Court ruling might mean for companies’ ability to patent AI systems; and learn about the trade mark pitfalls of selling refurbished cookers.
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43: Can new tool break UK’s IP vs AI deadlock? And rethinking Australian construction contracts
Gill Dennis assesses whether a planned content exchange help the UK attract AI investment without alienating its thriving creative industries; and Lucy O’Dwyer outlines the benefits for Australian construction of using a different kind of contract.
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42: Navigating sanctions as geopolitics heats up, and the EU law change that could suit AI developers
As international relations get more complicated and tensions rise Stacy Keen guides us through the spider’s web of sanctions laws, while Malcolm Dowden explains why an upcoming EU law change could release more data for the training of AI systems.
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41: COP30’s limited achievements; and rental laws in England overhauled
The COP30 climate conference has just finished and it managed some achievements despite the absence of leaders from the world’s biggest economies says Michael Watson, while Natalie Harris explains the impact of renter-friendly English law changes.
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40: UK court makes vital AI copyright ruling, and a new culture standard for Australian construction
A court in London couldn’t rule on the most important AI training copyright question but still made an important decision, says Gill Dennis. And Rebecca Dickson and Emma Lutwyche outline a new culture standard required in Australian construction.
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39: Why suppliers could be a big source of cyber vulnerability, and how legal competition might stifle innovation
As new figures show that UK cyber attacks are getting more serious Simon Colvin explains how to deal with the vulnerabilities in your supply chain, while David Halliwell applies some Nobel-winning counter-intuition to the economics of legal services.
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38: The change in regulation that could open the biosimilars floodgates, and radical football regulation changes in England
A change in regulatory approach could lead to a flood of new, cheap biosimilars antibody treatments, says Tracey Roberts, while Trevor Watkins talks us through English football’s radical new approach to regulation.
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37: How businesses can prepare for new UK immigration rules, and the EU makes third attempt at 28th regime
The UK is making major changes to rules governing workers from abroad and more is to come. Shara Pledger guides us through. While Paul White considers the chances of success for a third EU attempt to harmonise business laws.
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36: Why ECCTA should prompt culture rethink, and VAT in intra-group contracts
A new UK law has come into force putting new anti-corruption obligations on companies and managers, and David Lister thinks it should prompt a culture rethink at organisations; and a UK Supreme Court ruling should change how companies deal with intra-group contracts.
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35: UK reforms financial regulation and pensions
The UK government has taken big steps in the last week to reform financial services regulation and pensions policy. Liz Budd and Simon Laight assess whether the new approaches will achieve the government’s aim of boosting investment.
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34: New UK law will change how companies can use data, and the perils of AI use in litigation
The UK’s Data (Use and Access) Bill (DUAB) could transform companies’ use of data and prompt an AI and data revolution according to Anna Flanagan. And Lucia Doran guides us through some recent pitfalls in the use of AI in litigation.
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33: Climate litigation hits a stumbling block, and court battle between creative industries and AI begins
Litigation has so far been a fruitful avenue for climate activists seeking to change the behaviour of companies and governments, but decisions in two recent cases have not gone their way, and we set the scene for a major culture vs AI courtroom stand off.
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32: New German court turns to English, and will a foreign buyer ban make Australia’s houses more affordable?
We hear why a new commercial court in Germany is using English to woo companies away from arbitration. And we investigate whether an Australian ban on foreigners buying property will work.
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31: Decoding the UK-US trade agreement
The UK scored a political coup by being the first country to come to a tariff-mitigating trade agreement with the US, but does it cause more problems than it solves?
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30: The UK’s plans for sharing health data, and the EU’s response to Chinese AI DeepSeek
The UK’s has announced plans to support the sharing of health data but will it try to outpace Europe? Louise Fullwood fills us in, while Wouter Seinen explains how the EU is changing AI regulation in response to China’s advances.
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29: Why companies have human rights, and how they can use them
Companies in the UK and Europe are entitled to a surprising range of human rights protections for everything from freedom of speech to privacy. David Thorneloe explains how firms can turn the rights to their advantage.
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28: Why most AI output shouldn’t be copyright protected, and new UK union rights to access the workplace
We hear from Nils Rauer on why most AI output should not attract copyright protection; and from Lucy Townley on new rights in the UK for unions to access physical or even digital workplaces.
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27: A new way of thinking that could help the construction industry tackle embodied carbon, and Ireland’s AI plans
The carbon emitted when things are built could be a major source of claims in the future. Anne-Marie Friel has ideas about what the industry can do now to head off that risk. And examining the latest ideas to help Ireland become an AI hub with Maureen Daly.
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26: Why retailers won’t get the benefit of AI until they improve the quality of their data, with the inventor of Tesco’s Clubcard
Retailers must improve their data quality if they are to benefit from AI says Edwina Dunn, the retail data science expert who launched market-changing mass customisation scheme, the Clubcard. And Florian Traub advises on how best to manage that data.
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25: Why some companies fear they might have over-disclosed on sustainability reporting
Companies are beginning to report climate and social impacts under new EU rules, but sustainability reporting expert James Hay hears that some are now worried about exposing themselves to legal risk through over disclosure. Recommended listening: our recent Brain Food For General Counsel podcast…
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24: Are the UK’s planning reforms credible? And how PFAS mass actions might cross the Atlantic
0:58 News summary UK PLANNING REFORM 3:41 Introduction 4:20 The problem the UK is trying to solve 6:03 The plans 7:30 The skills that will be needed in the public sector 9:20 The balance between local and national interest 10:48 How planning could work better for major infrastructure projects…
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23: How credible are the UK’s AI plans? And the problems of the UK's pension super-sizing plan
The UK has clarified how it will try to become a global AI hub, but will it work? Technology expert Sarah Cameron weighs in. And pensions expert Katie Ivens wonders if an overhaul of pensions will really revitalise investment in the UK economy. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for…
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22: The dangers of forgetting the S in ESG; and Australia’s new cyber security law
Companies have focused on the environmental element of ESG activity, but the social element is just as important, says responsible business expert Mike Harvey; and Veronica Scott picks out the measure to watch in Australia’s new cybersecurity law
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21: UK makes fundamental changes to corporate fraud law, and how in house lawyers can retain legal privilege for documents
Many more companies can be criminally liable for corporate fraud than before, and the scope of the law is expanding still further says Tom Stocker, while Emilie Jones reviews the ways in which in house lawyers can keep documents out of litigation opponents’ hands.
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20: What a Trump presidency means for trade, climate policy, tech law and more
Donald Trump’s business policies are radical and in some cases untested. Our experts analyse the impact on world trade, climate policy and other areas where Trump’s ideas will have a significant impact.
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19: Inside ‘the biggest change to employment law in a generation’ – what employers in the UK need to know
Organisations need to start preparing now for an overhaul of employment law by the UK’s new Labour government. Stuart Neilson outlines how. Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.
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18: How a Dutch tennis club ruling could hinder AI system training, and English courts get power to force litigants into ADR
A ruling from Europe’s top court could threaten the way companies use huge data sets to train AI systems according to Wouter Seinen. Meanwhile, the English courts have got new powers to force companies into alternative dispute resolution, says Emilie Jones. Never miss a story, sign up for…
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17: Unpicking the EU's new policy agenda, and South Africa's long awaited electricity reform
With a new parliament, Commission president and set of proposed commissioners, the European Union is ready to implement a whole new policy agenda. Mark Ferguson tells us how businesses can prepare for it; and Emma Roberts tells us why South Africa's electricity reform might take a while to take...
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16: The huge changes ahead for UK construction industry following Grenfell Inquiry findings, and an unusual fine for a data processor
The Grenfell Inquiry into a London tower block fire found failings in regulation, government and industry, so what changes in how their activity is controlled should UK construction companies expect? And we investigate why a data processor, rather than a controller, has been fined for the first...
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15: Australia’s electricity infrastructure challenge, and a carbon credit tax conundrum
Against the ticking clock of ageing coal power infrastructure, Australia grapples with the challenges of building a new power network to distribute clean energy says Leanne Olden; and Eloise Walker tells us about the surprise tax liabilities buried in the carbon credit system. Never miss a story,...
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14: New government immediately lifts England's onshore wind ban, and £18m court ruling might mean earlier UK insolvencies
The new UK government has removed conditions that made it effectively impossible to build new onshore wind capacity in England, but there won't be an immediate goldrush says Gary McGovern. And directors of struggling companies in the UK might have to trigger insolvency earlier than previously...
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13: The UPC’s first year, and how Germany’s court digitisation could cause rise in mass claims
One year into the new system governing patents in Europe, Judith Krens tells us that the UPC has been a success in unusual and unpredictable ways, and Alessandro Capone says that companies in Germany can expect to face more mass actions because of court digitisation plans. Never miss a story…
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12: The impact European Parliament elections will have on the EU's climate and trade policies
Victories for right wing parties in many seats of the European Parliament could spell trouble for some EU green policies, and is likely to boost support for more protectionist trade policy, says Mark Ferguson. Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.
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11: The surprisingly wide scope of new EU sustainability law, and how the UK could set global self-driving car legal standards
The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) requires companies to reduce environmental and human rights damage, and Laura Ayre explains how it will govern the behaviour of more companies than you might think; and Leo Parkington examines whether the UK’s new self-driving car...
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10: Inside an AI company's copyright defence, and how finance firms can cope with AI regulation
Cerys Wynn-Davies uses a court filing to analyse how AI companies are defending themselves against huge copyright infringement claims, and Luke Scanlon sets out the steps finance firms need to take to stay on the right side of growing finance-specific AI regulation, ahead of delivering training…
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9: How businesses can be heard in the world's election year, and South Africa's challenges implementing new anti-corruption law.
Nearly half the world's population will vote this year in national elections, so Andrew Henderson guides us through how companies can make sure they are heard by brand new governments; and Edward James outlines the challenges South Africa faces with its new anti-corruption law, just weeks after a...
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8: Analysing European court's bombshell climate ruling: will a rash of national cases follow?
Valérie van den Berg and David Thorneloe tell us just how big the impact will be of last week’s European ruling that Swizterland’s failure to act on climate change violates citizens’ human rights. Will it spark a wave of new actions in Europe's national courts? Never miss a story, sign up for...
About this show
Lawyers from international law firm Pinsent Masons discuss the latest news in the world of business law. We analyse rulings, laws, news events and trends to help organisations navigate a complicated and fast-moving world of business law and regulations. Every fortnight in these 20 minute episodes we give expert guidance to keep you ahead of your competition and to help you meet the challenges ahead. Listen and subscribe for the latest news and analysis on legal and regulatory issues from expert voices at a leading firm.
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