Litigation & dispute resolution

A 2021 Court of Appeal decision suggests that landlords are off the hook if they failed to serve the energy performance certificate (EPC) or gas safety certificate (GSC) for an assured shorthold tenancy (AST), which began before 1 October 2015. In a recent case, Minister v Hathaway, the tenancy began in 2008 as a one-year […]

As a team, we often deal with disputes between consumers and builders relating to new builds, extensions and substantial property alterations. While not uncommon, how can you avoid a dispute and what should you do if a dispute does arise? We’ve put together our top three pieces of advice: Get a quote Before starting any […]

There’s no doubt that the past 18 months have been difficult for businesses and individuals, both financially and personally. Residential property landlords have been particularly impacted by the ban on possession orders, changing notice periods and various requirements put in place to prevent possession orders being granted, or to delay them. Thankfully, from 1 October […]

In the UK, a trademark may be registered for different classes of goods and services. However, registered or not, if the mark is not used as intended, it’s possible for the registration to be revoked. The owner of a trademark is also at risk if its use cannot be shown within a period of five […]

Buy-to-let properties are a popular investment for private individuals and large-scale investors alike. For many, those buy-to-let properties are an important part of their capital investments and regular income. As part of this, it is vital for landlords to ensure that their rent is paid on time and that their properties are being correctly looked […]

The ECJ has recently dismissed an appeal from MASSI, a Spanish cycling company, to uphold the decision that Lionel Messi is able to register his name, “Messi”, as a trade mark. The law has operated to give a wide meaning to trade marks and has found that they may be words (e.g. KODAK), slogans (e.g. […]

Over recent years more and more people have invested in residential property so that they may rent it out. Whether you became a landlord for a capital return on the property, to provide some ancillary income, or incidentally due to a change in circumstances it is vital that you meet your obligations as a landlord […]

From an advertising poster through to a developed piece of software, intellectual property rights will arise whenever there are creative endeavors in the workplace. It is important for employers to take steps to ensure that the ownership of these intellectual property rights are clear. Failure to do so can give rise to costly disputes down […]

The classic car market is a multi-billion pound industry, not surprisingly with many legal complications, but that shouldn’t impair the joy these four-wheeled icons can bring… What kind of businesses are involved in the classic car industry? The classic car market is said to be worth £5bn a year to the UK economy, involving not […]

In the 1970s, internationally famous reggae singer and songwriter Bob Marley attributed certain songs to other artists, including one of his most famous hits ‘No woman, no cry’, to avoid copyright and royalties going to his record company. In the recent case of BSI Enterprises Ltd and another v Blue Mountain Music Ltd [2014] EWHC […]