Paul advises on all areas of commercial law and other general legal advice in a commercial context involving day-to-day business issues. In particular, he drafts, negotiates and advises on all commercial contracts, particularly in the pharmaceuticals and life sciences, IT, online and retail sectors. This includes agreements involving intellectual property (IP) assignments and licences, software development, software licences, hosting, SaaS (software as a service), web design, managed services, disaster recovery, support & maintenance, agency, distribution, supply, manufacturing, merchandising, warehousing, outsourcing, purchase and franchise; B2B, B2C, B2G, and international agreements. Paul also advises on data protection, brand protection, advertising and know-how issues.
NHS England, the new overseeing body within the National Health Service, has commissioned the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to encourage and accelerate the uptake of innovative technologies in the NHS. NHS England wants to see innovation reach patients quicker than currently happens. NICE will take over from the NHS Technology Adoption… Learn more
The Department of Health has promoted the use of mHealth schemes after a pilot showed the savings, convenience, accessibility and efficiencies that could be made. One of the DH’s objectives is to use technology to achieve those outcomes, and the 15 month pilot scheme at different NHS centres in England successfully showed the benefits. In… Learn more
The Consumer Rights Bill has featured in the Queen’s Speech. The details have not yet been published, but the briefing notes explain that it aims to consolidate 100 separate pieces of consumer legislation into one, including covering goods, services, digital content and unfair terms in one place. The new law also aims to clarify and… Learn more
The Government is planning to introduce a new Intellectual Property Bill in this Parliamentary session. The contents of the Bill were not announced in the Queen’s Speech, but they are expected to follow the Government’s recent response to its own consultation. This will include: Criminal measures for registered design infringement. Introducing a geographic link for… Learn more
The Hertfordshire LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) is throwing its weight behind the pharma and life sciences industry by backing some major bids for investment from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund. Despite the growth potential of both the sector and the county, the area has so far been underserved by RGF. Hertfordshire LEP is working with bidders… Learn more
The Defamation Act 2013 has received Royal Assent and become law. The Government has sought to make defamation law fairer and less costly, and also more up-to-date to reflect the Internet. The main changes are the following: Section 1 – There is now a requirement for claimants to show they have suffered serious harm. This… Learn more
The Caldicott Review has been published. Announcing its publication, the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said that it struck the right balance between sharing people’s health and care information to improve services and develop new treatments whilst respecting the privacy wishes of patients. The Government had commissioned Dame Fiona Caldicott to examine the handling of information… Learn more
Doctors have reported concerns to the Information Commissioner’s Office and, in turn, the ICO has the same concerns – over the powers of a new HSCIC to require patient data to be handed over. Under the Health and Social Care Act, the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) can require health bodies to hand… Learn more
Google has been under the spotlight from the European Commission since 2010 for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the online search market (which the Commission believes is up to 90% for many online searches), contrary to Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The EU’s competition law regulator has… Learn more
The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act has finished its passage through Parliament. The Act does a number of things, including changing the copyright landscape. Creative designs manufactured through an industrial process will now last for the designer’s life plus 70 years. In addition, the Act paves the way for the Government to introduce new Regulations… Learn more