Supply chain fundamentals

With the ever-increasing globalisation of business, exposure to potential liabilities, and heightened concerns with environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, now more than ever companies must be aware of a myriad of issues related to the supply chain.

The term ‘supply chain’ is a metaphor for the process or system of bringing products or services from design to sale to the end-user. Like a physical chain, the supply chain is comprised of a series of links—for example, research, design, manufacturing, transportation, managing inventory, warehousing, and retail—each of which play critical roles in moving products and services from creation to their end-users. The end-user's demands drive the movement along the chain.

The term supply chain generally is used to describe both goods and services but no two chains look the same. Each supply chain is forged based on the industry, market served, and products and services provided.

Practice Note: Supply chain fundamentals provides an overview of the supply chain, including a discussion on what the supply chain is, marketing and distribution channels, key supply chain contractual issues, key laws and regulations that have been enacted relating to the

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Commercial News

Weekly roundup of HMRC import, export and customs guidance—16 June 2025

Details of updates to HMRC import, export and customs guidance for the period from 10 to 16 June 2025.

CMA opens consultation on releasing Google from Privacy Sandbox commitments

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a consultation on releasing Google from its Privacy Sandbox commitments following Google's April 2025 announcement abandoning plans to prompt Chrome users about third-party cookie blocking. The commitments, which ensured Google's Privacy Sandbox development didn't favour its own ad-tech services, are deemed no longer necessary by the CMA. The consultation closes on 4 July 2025. The CMA notes it retains intervention powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 and Competition Act 1998 should future competition concerns arise.

European Commission pushes on with AI models Code of Practice despite possible law delay

MLex: The European Commission is pressing ahead with finalising a Code of Practice for general-purpose AI (GPAI) model developers, intended as a key compliance tool for the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic and Microsoft, for application in August 2025, even though discussions on pausing the EU AI Act that underpins it are now formally on the table. The Code, GPAI guidelines, the template to disclose training datasets and related guidelines are expected by the first week of July 2025. Leading AI companies are being engaged to secure their support for the Code, though they are still in the dark on the critical copyright-related parts.

Data (Use and Access) Bill passes through Parliament and heads for royal assent

Parliament passed the Data (Use and Access) Bill (DUA Bill) on 11 June 2025. First introduced in October 2024, this passage concludes a protracted legislative process as a notable amount of legislative 'ping pong' (nine rounds of back-and-forth) took place between the two Houses. Central to these discussions was the contentious issue surrounding the use of copyright works in the development of AI systems. During the last debate on 11 June 2025, the House of Lords opted against insisting once more on its amendment, which would have required further government legislation on copyright infringement and transparency in AI. Instead, the peers accepted an amendment in lieu from the Commons, which mandates the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to lay a progress statement before Parliament within six months of the DUA Bill’s enactment, outlining advancements on the review. The DUA Bill will now move forward for royal assent at a date yet to be confirmed.