Law360, London: A European court ruled on 26 February 2025 that trade mark officials must take another look at a Russian tea brand's challenge to the Schweppes 'May Tea' trade mark, saying the IP appellate board overestimated the risk of confusion.

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee launched an inquiry on 7 October 2026 into how digital technologies facilitate stalking, harassment, coercive control and non-consensual intimate image abuse. It will consider the scale and impact of harms, responses by government and technology companies and whether legislation, including the Online Safety Act 2023, remains fit for purpose. Evidence is due by 4 November 2026.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has opened an inquiry into innovation in the NHS, focusing on personalised medicine and artificial intelligence (AI). The inquiry invites views on the barriers to adopting emerging life sciences innovations and technologies across prevention, diagnosis and treatment and will explore potential solutions to address these challenges. The Committee will examine gaps between early-stage research, clinical pathways and system-wide NHS delivery, including barriers within procurement processes and wider system bottlenecks. It will also consider organisational factors, such as the role of regulators and clinical bodies. In addition, the inquiry will assess how fragmentation across the NHS contributes to uneven deployment of innovations, explore ways to reduce the costs of personalised treatments and consider concerns relating to the clinical academic workforce and the clinical trials infrastructure required to enable the rapid implementation of innovations within the NHS. Written evidence must be submitted by 20 April 2026.

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has launched an inquiry into the potential harms associated with hair and beauty products and treatments, and how these risks can be better managed. The inquiry will assess whether the UK’s regulatory framework effectively evaluates scientific evidence to ensure product safety, how transparent regulatory decisions are and whether consumers receive sufficient information about potential risks. It will also consider the role of training and qualification requirements in reducing risks arising from beauty treatments. The Committee additionally plans to review evidence that some products, such as afro-hair relaxers and synthetic hair, may contain harmful chemicals. A public survey has been opened for individuals to share experiences of harm linked to hair and beauty products or treatments.

means a Greenhouse Gas emissions target that is in line with the scale of reductions required to keep global temperature increase below 2°C above pre-industrial temperatures.

[means a [organisation OR corporate OR project] target to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions that is in line with latest climate science and is necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement/Paris agreement Goals. OR means [insert name of Company]’s target to reduce its Greenhouse Gas Emissions in line with latest climate science as validated and published by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).]

where a company’s target is aligned with the steps necessary to meet the goals of the agreement'>Paris Agreement—ie limiting global warming to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with a target of 1.5°C

This Practice Note provides information about the use of scientific (DNA) tests as to paternity in which the parentage of an adult or a child falls to be determined in civil proceedings under Part III of the Family Law Reform Act 1969 (FLRA 1969). It considers the court’s powers, the interests of the child, consent and compliance, the role of Cafcass and the procedure for making an application for scientific (DNA) testing, together with key case law. It also sets out the provisions in Civil Procedure Rules 1998, in particular CPR PD 49G (Applications under Part III of the Family Law Reform Act 1969 for use of scientific tests to determine parentage). Under FLRA 1969, Pt III, in civil proceedings in which the parentage of any person falls to be determined, the court may direct the use of scientific tests to assist in determining paternity, either of its own motion or on an application by any party to the proceedings. There is no freestanding power to direct scientific (DNA) tests and there must be civil proceedings

The scope of works is a term which may be used generally in construction projects to describe the works that the contractor is expected to carry out. More specifically, ‘Scope’ is a defined term used in the NEC4 suite of contracts to specify and describe the work which the contractor is to undertake, together with any constraints on how it is to carry out such work. In the NEC3 suite of contracts, the term ‘Works Information’ wass used instead of Scope.

[means the three classifications of emissions in the protocol'>GHG Protocol. OR Scope 1 Emissions means the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from sources directly owned or controlled by the [insert Company’s name][, including on site fuel combustion and emissions from chemical production in owned or controlled process equipment, refrigerant losses and company vehicles]. Scope 2 Emissions means the indirect Greenhouse Gas Emissions associated with the generation of electricity[, steam, heat and cooling] purchased or acquired by the Supplier. Scope 3 Emissions means all indirect Greenhouse Gas Emissions from sources which are not directly owned or controlled by the [insert Company’s name] excluding Scope 2 Emissions, which occur both upstream and downstream in the [insert Company’s name] supply or value chain[ related to the [Product OR Services]][, including business travel, procurement, waste and water].]

Introduction This Practice Note addresses frequently asked questions about when UK consumer protection law applies, including who qualifies as a consumer or trader, mixed-purpose transactions, contractual declarations of status and who bears the burden of proof in establishing that an individual is a consumer. It goes on to consider the laws applicable to goods, services and digital content, whether a consumer can waive their statutory rights, and the treatment of products supplied for free. The applicable rules depend on the particular legislation. The principal contractual framework is contained in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA 2015), while the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA 2024) regulates unfair commercial practices and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCR 2013), SI 2013/3134 impose pre-contract information requirements, cancellation rights and other restrictions on consumer contracts. This Practice Note primarily focuses on the interpretation of CRA 2015, with specific consideration of other consumer protection law as applicable. For more information on the wider legislative framework, see Practice Note: Key consumer legislation—summary.

This Practice Note describes the nature and degree of an agent's authority which is conferred upon it by the principal, subject to some limitations. This Practice Note considers the different types of agent’s authority, including actual, apparent and customary authority. It also considers authority granted under a power of attorney. This Practice Note considers the impact of an agent acting outside of its authority, whether the actions of an agent acting outside of its authority are binding on the principal, and what remedies are available to a principal when an agent acts outside of its authority. Authority of agent An agent's authority is conferred by its principal. The scope of authority granted to agents by principals in business matters is usually a combination of all or some of the following: to introduce, conclude, or otherwise deal with contracts between the principal and customers. An agent does not necessarily have authority to bind a principal in contractual relations; this will depend on the nature of the agent’s appointment and the authority that the principal grants to the