Led Zeppelin’s lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page will appear in a Los Angeles court on 10th May 2016, accused of copyright infringement. A judge in the case said there are “substantial” similarities between their track Stairway To Heaven and Taurus, a song written by the band Spirit in 1967. The lawsuit was brought by Michael…
Actress Lynda Bellingham, who starred in the long running Oxo TV adverts and panelist on Loose Women, died in 2014. In her will she left everything to her husband, Michael Pattemore. Ms Bellingham’s two sons have criticised Mr Pattemore for ‘disrespecting their mother’s memory’ since her death. The sons stated they are in the process of challenging…
Beyoncé is suing a U.S. company selling infringing “Feyonce” merchandise on their website. The singer sued to stop the sale of shirts, sweaters, tank tops, hoodies and coffee mugs bearing the “Feyonce” name, which she says is too close to her own trademarked name. The mug has the phrase “he put a ring on it,” which Beyoncé…
Actor John Cleese says he may sue an Australian theatre company for its “shameless rip-off” of Fawlty Towers. The actor said that the Faulty Towers Dining Experience did not seek permission to use the show’s title, themes or characters and had not received royalties from the show, which reportedly makes almost $2m (£1m) a year. He stated, “Seems…
Birmingham has been ranked as England’s “Crash for Cash” capital by research carried out by Aviva. Crash for Cash scams are run by fraudsters who manufacture collisions, sometimes with innocent road users, hoping to profit from fraudulent insurance claims. The research also showed that Oldham was in the top 10 hotspots. If you have been in an…
A couple in Derby have been awarded a £38,000 payout after the council refused to chop down an enormous tree which caused thousands of pounds of damage to their home. The 58ft cedar tree’s roots ended up causing cracks in the brickwork and internal plastering of the couple’s home and the couple have now been awarded compensation…
The Late Payment Legislation exists to protect all businesses but particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who are most vulnerable to financial burden as a result of late payments. Late payments for any business can cause trading difficulties and so the Late Payment Directive’s ethos of paying on time being the norm, and late payment…
The Supreme Court on 9 March 2016 dismissed an appeal by Trunki manufacturer Magmatic, which argued that a competitor product was breaching its intellectual property rights. In 2006 Mr Law appeared on BBC Two show Dragons’ Den, unsuccessfully seeking investment for his Trunki case. After he was rejected by the Dragons, he went on to sell more…
From 1 October 2015 new consumer protection measures have come into force under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Anyone who buys faulty goods will now be entitled to a full refund for up to 30 days after the purchase. Previously consumers were only entitled to refunds for a “reasonable time”. Under the Act there is also now…
As of 1st October 2015, a new law around smoking in cars came into play. It is now illegal to smoke in a private vehicle with anyone under 18 present. The new legislation from the Department of Health aims to protect children from the effects of second-hand smoke. The rule applies to all private vehicles…