The Pinsent Masons Podcast

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.

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

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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? 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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 on climate legal risk. 

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 PFAS AND MASS LITIGATION 12:02 Introduction 13:05 The litigation picture internationally 14:48 The types of litigation taking place 16:50 The UK environment for mass claims 18:11 How companies can navigate the risk

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 weekly news and analysis. 

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 

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. 

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. 

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.

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 business law updates.

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 full effect. Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.

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 time following a huge data leak. Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.

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, sign up for business law updates. 

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 thought after an £18m ruling, says Charles Maunder. Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.

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, sign up for business law updates.

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.

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 law will set legal standards for the rest of the world. Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.

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 for financial services senior managers.  Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.

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 senior government figure was charged with corruption. Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.

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 business law updates.We examine the impact of this landmark ruling from the European Court of Human Rights, which is binding on all 46 signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights. We look at precedents from other national courts, and at how the law has developed to accommodate human rights-based challenges to governments, regulators and even companies based on their action or inaction on climate change mitigation. We explore how future challenges might be affected by this ruling.0:00 Introduction0:42 News headlines3:30 Feature on ECHR court rtuling that the Swiss govermnent breaches the human rights of a group of older women by not implementing sufficient climate change mitigation policies. 6:14 Why this case succeeded7:05 How a 2019 Dutch case laid the groundwork for this ruling9:27 Each case needs to be specific about who's been harmed and how11:51 The impact of the judgement in the 46 signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights14:09 How the ECHR ruling establish

Katherine Metcalfeoutlines the building safety changes facing the UK construction industry from this week, and Zara West and Neil Keenan explore the impact of proposed changes to company law in Ireland. Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.

Germany is modernising how arbitration works: Sandra Gröschel guides us through the changes. And Emily Swithenbank explains why a court victory for Aldi's own brand cider could change the way companies protect their food and drink products. Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.

Blended finance is mobilising hundreds of billions of dollars of private money for sustainable projects but we ask Elaine MacGregor: is it enough? And we find out what a mistake by Air Canada's chatbot tells us about how courts will treat AI systems from Meghan Higgins. Never miss a story, sign up for business law updates.

As we reach the two year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine Nigel Blundell proposes a construction technique which could help rebuild in that uniquely challenging situation; and Aaron Goonrey navigates Australia's new law allowing employees to disconnect from work.

Europe’s politicians have battled to get an influential new law on artificial intelligence (AI) over the line but with an election looming, Nils Rauer outlines what’s at stake, while Bryn Reynolds illuminates a UK sales tax dispute with his sausage lifecycle hypothesis. Sign up for news and analysis from our team of reporters https://www.pinsentmasons.com/newsletter

We hear from Hayden Morgan about the mechanisms ensuring that even the world's biggest construction projects are operated in a sustainable and environmentally less-damaging way; and from Désirée Fields about how elite sports stars can struggle to hold on to their trade mark rights. Sign up for news and analysis from our team of reporters https://www.pinsentmasons.com/newsletter

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