MLex: The UK's Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) would have a new obligation to report annually on its enforcement under an amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill (Bill) passed by lawmakers on 28 January 2025. A package of amendments was also passed intended to protect copyright from web crawlers used for AI training. The amendments could be removed during future parliamentary debate on Bill. The government did agree, however, to require the ICO to put out a statutory code of practice on data processing in children’s education.

Law360: The average fine handed out by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for information breaches doubled in the year ending in September 2018, as large firms now risk stiffer penalties under Europe’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), according to research from Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC).

MLex: The UK data reform bill will be ready in spring 2025, data minister Chris Bryant told a conference on 12 March 2025, after lawmakers raised the day before concerns about the bill's provisions on EU-UK data adequacy. The Data (Use and Access) Bill is a key tool for reviewing an EU-UK adequacy decision underpinning significant data flows before they expire in June 2025.

This Practice Note provides an overview of the UK’s post-Brexit data reporting services providers (DRSPs) regime. It includes a summary of the requirements for approved publication arrangements (APAs), consolidated tape providers (CTPs) and approved reporting mechanisms (ARMs), which perform an integral part of the post-trade transparency and transaction reporting regimes under the UK’s Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU) (MiFID II) framework. It also sets out how the regime was implemented in the UK by the recast MiFID II and the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (Regulation (EU) 600/2014) (MiFIR) and the post-Brexit reforms to facilitate the emergence of a UK consolidated tape. For information about the EU’s DRSP regime, see Practice Note: EU data reporting services providers. Background and introduction to the UK’s post-Brexit DRSP regime UK implementation of MiFID II DRSP regime When MiFID II and MiFIR first came into effect, Member State competent authorities were responsible for the authorisation and supervision of DRSPs, and the regime for the authorisation and supervision of DRSPs was set out in Title V of MiFID II. Data reporting

This table summarises all public announcements made by the CMA and concurrent sector regulators of dawn raids that have been carried out into alleged breaches of competition law since 2000 under the Competition Act 1998 and/or the Enterprise Act 2002 2024 Case name, companies under investigation and industry Competition authority Issues Date of dawn raid Construction (roofing services)• Unknown CMA Restrictive agreements—bid rigging • 2024 2021 Case name, companies under investigation and industry Competition authority Issues Date of dawn raid Leicester City FC merchandise CMA Restrictive agreements—price collusion • 2021 2021 Case name, companies under investigation and industry Competition authority Issues Date of dawn raid Leicester City FC merchandise CMA Restrictive agreements—price collusion • 2021 2021 Case name, companies under investigation and industry Competition authority Issues Date of dawn raid Leicester City FC merchandise CMA Restrictive agreements—price collusion • 2021 2019 Case name, companies under investigation and industry Competition authority Issues Date of dawn raid Supply of construction services CMA Collusion—bid rigging • 2019 Guitars (50565-3)• Fender Musical Instruments Europe Ltd CMA Restrictive agreements—RPM • 26/03/2019 2018 Case

On 31 March 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands announced that further to its declaration of 27 June 2024 extending the Hague Judgments Convention to England and Wales only, the UK has declared, in accordance with Article 25 and 30, that the Convention shall also extend to Scotland and Northern Ireland. In accordance with Article 30, this will take effect on 1 July 2025.

STOP PRESS: This Flowchart is under review. It is being updated to reflect the restructuring of the High Court. The Business and Property Division of the High Court took effect on 1 October 2026. It combines the former Chancery Division and the other former Business and Property Courts within a single division of the High Court. For more information, see News Analysis: The new Business and Property Division of the High Court. This Flowchart provides an overview of a UK design infringement action. The specific right relied on could be one of the following design rights which coexist in the UK: • UK registered designs (including re-registered designs) • UK unregistered designs (sometimes referred to as ‘design right’) • supplementary unregistered designs For more information about these rights, see Practice Note: UK registered and unregistered designs. Stage 1—preparing to bring a claim and pre-action matters Claim preparation and pre-action matters—Practice Notes • Infringement of UK registered and unregistered designs • Design disputes—a practical guide • How

Design rights protect the shape, configuration or appearance of the whole or part of a product or article (rather than its functional aspects). Design law is intended to stop other people making products which are made to the design of or create the same overall impression as the original design. The design rights available in the UK are as follows: • UK registered designs (including re-registered designs and re-registered international designs), governed by the Registered Designs Act 1949 (RDA 1949) • UK unregistered design right (also known as design right), governed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA 1988) • supplementary unregistered design right (SUD), governed by Assimilated Regulation (EU) 6/2002 and the Community Design Regulations 2005, SI 2005/2339 Procedural rules in relation to the registration of designs are set out in the Registered Design Rules 2006, SI 2006/1975. This Practice Note signposts the key provisions of RDA 1949, CDPA 1988, Assimilated Regulation (EU) 6/2002, the Community Design Regulations 2005, SI 2005/2339 and the Registered Design Rules 2006, SI 2006/1975, and provides a brief overview

This Practice Note considers the reform of the UK designs regime. It explains why the regime is being reformed, what has happened so far, and the next steps. It summarises the call for views on opportunities to improve the UK designs system, issued in January 2022, and the government’s response to it. It also summarises the consultation on changes to the UK design framework issued in February 2025, in respect of which the government’s response is awaited. It considers other developments which may influence the reforms, including the One IPO transformation programme, the Riyadh Design Law Treaty and the EU design legislation reforms. Why is the UK designs regime being reformed? The UK designs framework is complex. It consists of several overlapping registered and unregistered rights, namely UK registered designs, UK unregistered designs and supplementary unregistered designs (SUDs). It is also possible to rely on copyright protection for some aspects of a design. These complexities mean that it can be difficult to navigate the regime, especially for small businesses with limited expertise in this area. However, the regime

MLex: More details of the pilot digital bond have been published on 18 March 2025 by the HM Treasury as it seeks input from potential suppliers and financial services firms on the design and technology to support its issuance. HM Treasury has also promised to publish a tender notice in late Spring 2025, with the selection of the successful supplier or suppliers being made in late Summer 2025.

Law360: A preview of potential reforms to the disclosure process in UK criminal cases hints at incremental changes rather than a major overhaul as both prosecutors and defence lawyers warn that the system risks collapsing under the weight of digital evidence.

This tracker sets out key dates relating to developments and initiatives in the UK regulation of civilian drones (also referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs) including consultations, legislative changes and related guidance, reports and announcements. For more information on drones, see: • Drones—overview • Practice Note: Drones—the UK legal framework • Practice Note: Drones—privacy and data protection To follow the progress of initiatives taken by the EU on drones, see Practice Note: EU Drones—tracker [Archived]. Key developments Date Type of development Summary 16 July 2026 Consultation Ofcom has published a consultation on proposals to make two additional spectrum bands available for drone use on a time-limited basis while longer-term spectrum solutions are considered. The consultation also proposes a new licence to authorise the use of drone detection radar in the UK and seeks views on future spectrum needs for drones, including drone control, safety and detection. The consultation closes on 30 September 2026. See: LNB News 16/07/2026 53. 3 July 2026 Publication CAA Decision No.60 amends and adopts revised Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance