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Cryptoassets: Contracts Jim, but not as we know them

Jeremy Richmond and Christopher Recker boldly explore the status of cryptoassets and smart contracts ‘The significance and potential applications for smart contracts are diverse; in the construction industry it is thought that smart contracts could be implemented to simplify greatly and automate the payment of contractual obligations.’ In November 2019 the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce (UKJT) …
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Costs: Triumph(ant)?

Giles Tagg and Zak Mehmood report on a recent costs judgment ‘Primus argued that a proportional costs order would be appropriate, submitting that Triumph brought forward three claims, one of which was unreasonably brought and led to identifiable, substantial and severable costs.’ The recent case of Triumph Controls UK Ltd v Primus International Holding Co …
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Shareholder disputes: Getting your hands dirty

Peter Brewer considers the consequences of misconduct ‘Winding up a company because the directors have fallen out can affect a lot of innocent people and so it is not a remedy that the court grants freely.’ Law students will remember the maxim ‘he who comes to equity must do so with clean hands’. What this …
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Drafting: Choosing your friends, and relations

John Flint places a recent decision on relational contracts in context ‘A general obligation to act at all times in good faith towards a counterparty because the contract was “relational” might fail to have regard to rights and obligations created by the express terms.’ Traditionally the English courts have avoided implying a duty of good …
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Insights by Penningtons Manches Cooper: Survival of the fittest

Clare Arthurs and Nicole Finlayson stand on the touchline to witness privilege bouncing back ‘The authorities were clear that once privileged, always privileged: it would undermine the purpose of privilege if a lawyer had to qualify their assurance of confidentiality to the client.’ As rugby fever swept the nation, legal advice privilege once again found …
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Service: Glosses, explications and reformulations

Alexander Halban reports on clarification by the Court of Appeal of the test for service out of the jurisdiction ‘The test is flexible and, in unclear cases, the third limb allows a claimant to establish jurisdiction with plausible evidence, even if the judge cannot resolve disputed issues.’ The English court’s jurisdiction over a defendant domiciled …
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Contract: Oral agreements: a formula for uncertainty

Tamsin Baird analyses a judgment illustrating the dangers of oral agreements ‘The question was whether the parties’ words and conduct, when viewed objectively, led to a conclusion that they intended to create legal relations and had agreed all the essential terms for the formation of the contract.’ A recent High Court judgment has provided a …
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Intellectual property: Sweet success

Ilya Kazi and Alex Robinson look at a recent Supreme Court decision with potential impact for business ‘The law provides for additional compensation to employees if a patented invention is of “outstanding” benefit to the employer.’ The case of Shanks v Unilever plc [2019], which was decided in the UK Supreme Court last month, has …
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Injunctive relief: On a wing and a prayer

Alison Oldfield considers the lessons to be learned from the Canada Goose decision ‘There is no doubt that the Canada Goose judgment provides pause for thought for anyone who is considering an application for an injunction against unnamed individuals.’ In the current climate of political and economic uncertainty, organised protest and direct action from campaigners …
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Practice: Time travel

Georgia Fullarton and Simon Heatley measure the extension of time by the judiciary ‘In Denton, the Court of Appeal issued a strong warning that parties should co-operate and, instead of merely considering the reasonableness of requests, should not unreasonably refuse requests for time extensions or unreasonably oppose applications for relief from sanctions.’ The Jackson reforms …
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