Who is paying the price in the student finance debate? | Commercial Awareness Compass #65

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024 has changed online consumer experiences in the UK by giving regulators new powers and cracking down on unfair commercial practices. In this follow-up to our earlier episode outlining its aims, we are revisiting the Act now most of its provisions have come into force, to see how effective it has been. What operational challenges are businesses now facing? How do legal teams, like those at Lewis Silkin, manage jurisdictional diffe...

On the 29th of September, British rock band Oasis and Sony Music applied to the High Court to halt the public auction of an archive containing over 100 hours of unreleased recordings. The archive included 63 live concerts, private conversations, and soundchecks captured off mixing desks by a former sound engineer in the 1990s. With a guide price setting the physical tapes at £1.2 - £1.6 million, the lot was pulled on the exact day the claim was filed. However, a major legal distinction sits ...

The BBC’s hit television show, The Traitors has become a global phenomenon, with the format created in the Netherlands and licensed across forty countries. However, protecting a game show concept presents a unique legal challenge because copyright law does not protect ideas alone. Producers must rely on confidentiality agreements, trademarks, and international licensing deals to turn the concept into an asset. How do lawyers protect television formats before an idea ever airs? What le...

Artificial intelligence titan, Anthropic, has found itself at the centre of a debate regarding AI development speed. A young researcher recently resigned over concerns that models are being developed too quickly, leading to the company’s CEO to issue a similar warning, calling for regulation. For Anthropic, moving too quickly risks reputational damage and unknown dangers, whilst on the other hand, a company voluntarily slowing development opens the door for less risk-averse competitors to sw...

Automotive giant Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has recently announced a major restructuring targeting 4,000 job cuts over the next two years in an attempt to save £1.7 billion. Currently, JLR in a state of flux, struggling to recover from a major cyber-attack in 2025 while aggressive competition from Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, fluctuating trade tariffs, and long-term EV transition goals are pulling the company in different directions. How can JLR keep expenses in-check today with...