Boardroom Corporate compliance Check out :   David Venus

1 September 10:35:34 AM	The Advertising Standards Authority (www.asa.org.uk) has announced that "full advertising regulations are to be extended to retailers' own websites and online areas like Twitter and Facebook" with effect from March 2011. More in The Standard.   Evening Standard
28 August 11:15:48 AM	Facebook is moving to protect the use of "book" as a suffix. Teachbook (www.teachbook.com), a US social networking site for teachers, is facing legal action for "wilfully and deliberately" infringing the Facebook brand. Nore in The Guardian.   The Guardian
18 August 4:06:09 PM	Businesses using 'wheel clampers' to regulate parking at premises should be aware of legislative changes - "Private firms will be banned from clamping or towing vehicles...but they will still be able to ticket parked cars.." More at The Guardian.   The Guardian
18 August 3:52:56 PM	"Businesses that have gone bust during the recession or operate through franchises could fall foul of controversial new 'green tax' legislation" from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (www.decc.gov.uk). More at The Telegraph.   Daily Telegraph
13 August 11:26:53 AM	Tom Kelly of AIM-listed explorer Empyrean Energy (www.empyreanenergy.com), has called on the FSA (www.fsa.gov.uk) to "step up regulation and scrutiny of investment chatrooms after a series of potential cases of market abuse..." More in The Standard.   Evening Standard
12 August 4:11:58 PM	BSkyB (www.sky.com) is involved in a trademark dispute with Skype (www.skype.com) - "The key contention in the dispute is that the brands 'Sky' and 'Skype' will be considered confusingly similar by members of the public." More in The Telegraph.   Daily Telegraph
11 August 3:00:11 PM	London investment banker Oksana Denysenko has won her case for sex discrimination against Credit Suisse after she was made redundant following maternity leave. She is claiming £13,500,000. More in The Standard.   Evening Standard
23 July 3:55:18 PM	The Tribunals Service reports a 397% increase in Working Time Directive claims between 2008-9 and 2009-10 as part of a 56% increase in the number of claims against employers which have now reachd the highest-ever level. More at FindLaw UK.   FindLaw UK
23 July 3:13:42 PM	The Office of Tax Simplification launched on 20 July 2010 "to provide advice to the Chancellor on simplifying the UK tax system, with the objective of reducing compliance burdens on both businesses and individual taxpayers." More at the OTS website.   OTS
12 July 11:29:46 AM	Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com), the giant US electronics retailer which opened in the UK 3 months ago in partnership with Carphone Warehouse, has been hit with a trademark dispute over the use of its name in Europe. More at MailOnline.   MailOnline
10 July 3:08:22 PM	Pick-your-own farms are being hit by health and safety regulations and insurers' demands. Boddington’s Berries is to close its PYO operation after asked "to install walkways, and bridges and handrails...and cordon off potholes.." More at MailOnline.  MailOnline
9 July 11:37:29 AM	The prospectus for the Ocado (www.ocado.com) IPO says that the company will not comply with the UK Corporate Governance Code (www.frc.org.uk) regarding non-executive directors. More at The Telegraph.   Daily Telegraph
9 July 11:26:18 AM	Next (www.next.co.uk) has been investigated by the BBC alleging that the retailer "has been breaking consumer law by failing to refund delivery charges on goods bought online but then returned" under the Distance Selling Regulations. More at the BBC.  BBC
25 June 4:15:17 PM	A US judge has thrown out the Viacom lawsuit against YouTube saying that "...the video-sharing site did enough to remove copyrighted clips." More in The Guardian.   The Guardian
5 June 4:43:48 PM	£33,000,000 FSA fine for JP Morgan "for basic compliance failures." The regulator also warned that it had "several similar cases in the pipeline and called on the City to take notice of its compliance crackdown." More in The Guardian.   The Guardian
5 June 1:38:23 PM	Sex discrimination lawsuit - Debrahlee Lorenzana is "seeking damages for loss of earnings and emotional distress" from Citibank claiming that she "was sacked for being too attractive." More in The Telegraph.   Daily Telegraph
28 May 3:24:03 PM	£1,000 World Cup fines - employees watching football on computers in the office could generate £1,000 fines for employers who do not have a TV licence. Many office managers are unaware of the need for a licence for online viewing. More in The Standard.  Evening Standard
28 May 10:24:23 AM	The FRC (www.frc.org.uk) has announced that "Directors of the UK's biggest 350 listed companies should also stand for re-election every year" and "Measures to encourage greater representation of women in Britain's boardrooms." More at PA.   Press Association
26 May 3:08:42 PM	Mohamed Fayed sold Harrods because pension fund trustees blocked his plan to pay himself a dividend - "I can't take my profit because I have to take a permission of those bloody idiots." More in The Standard.   Evening Standard
20 May 3:17:29 PM	Record £2,800,000 fine for an individual from the Financial Services Authority (www.fsa.gov.uk)! Simon Eagle is "banned from working in the City " for market abuse in a 2004 share ramping scheme involving an AIM-listed company. More in The Standard.  Evening Standard
15 May 4:40:24 PM	Whistle-blowing to the SFO (www.sfo.gov.uk) is no guarantee of a lighter sentence for the "co-operating defendant." The Court of Appeal has indicated that "the SFO should not assume co-operation would mean a lighter sentence." More in The Telegraph.  Daily Telegraph
14 May 10:51:07 AM	Intellectual property - Fabio Capello and business partner Chicco Merighi have launched Capello Index (www.capelloindex.com), an online footballer rating system, but are "threatened with legal action over who invented the idea..." More at TimesOnline.  TimesOnline
12 May 10:50:28 AM	Prudential Action Group - Robin Geffen, founder of Neptune Investment Management, has set up PAG (www.prudentialactiongroup.com) "to orchestrate a shareholder rebellion against the Pru’s ambitious deal" to purchase AIA. More at TimesOnline.   More at TimesOnline
11 May 5:19:28 PM	Moss Bros Bespoke opens next month selling suits made-to-order in a Chinese factory. The Savile Row Bespoke Association ( www.savilerowbespoke.com) objects to the use of 'bespoke', "accusing Moss Bros of hoodwinking consumers." More at TimesOnline.   TimesOnline
11 May 12:39:37 PM	Employment Tribunal - “real partners simply do not get sick”, a comment in an email, is part of the evidence used by former partner Colin Tenner in his case against PwC, citing work-related stress caused by bullying from a client. More at TimesOnline.   TimesOnline
10 May 2:50:16 PM	BA price fixing trial: the attempt by the OFT to bring criminal charges against 4 past and present British Airways executives has collapsed after it emerged that "the Office of Fair Trading withheld key documents from the defence." More at IBT.   IBT.com
7 May 3:34:55 PM	Increasingly large fines for wrongdoers are in prospect as the Financial Services Authority (www.fsa.gov.uk) flexes its muscles to send out the message that it is not a "toothless watchdog." More at ThisIsMoney.   ThisIsMoney
7 May 3:33:44 PM	The FSA has imposed a financial penalty of £140,000 on Alpari (UK) Ltd "for failing to have in place adequate anti-money laundering systems and controls. Its former money laundering reporting officer...also received a financial penalty. More at the FSA.  FSA
7 May 3:16:40 PM	Insider dealing - former stockbroker Malcolm Calvert, jailed for insider dealing, has ben ordered to pay "more than half a million pounds in confiscation and costs." More in The Standard.   Evening Standard
6 May 3:46:47 PM	Listings website Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) has received a subpoena from the attorney general of Connecticut, "seeking proof the website is fulfilling its previous promise to stop adverts for prostitution." More in The Telegraph.   Daily Telegraph
26 April 4:39:13 PM	Copyright - after countless spoof versions of the Fuhrer's rant have been posted with English subtitles, the owners of the rights to Downfall, a film about Hitler’s last days, have ordered them to be removed from internet websites. More at TimesOnline.   TimesOnline
22 April 12:18:15 PM	Shill bidding - North Yorkshire trading standards brought about the first prosecution of a seller on eBay who "drove up prices for goods by secretly bidding for them." The trader now faces fines of up to £50,000. More in The Guardian.   The Guardian
21 April 11:54:48 AM	Lap-dancing club owners, now subject to the Policing and Crime Act, "could use the Human Rights Act to oppose legislation allowing councils greater freedom to turn down lap-dancing licence applications..." More at The Guardian.   The Guardian
20 April 11:55:30 AM	Copyright - publisher Bauer Media is asking its freelance writers and photographers to "sign away all rights to their work" and be "liable for all damages and costs in the event of legal action." More in The Guardian on the reaction of contributors.   The Guardian
20 April 10:48:33 AM	HM Revenue and Customs has paid out more than £437,000 over the last two years to informers "providing tip-offs about tax evasion by businesses and individuals." More in The Telegraph.   Daily Telegraph
6 April 5:06:09 PM	April 6 2010 has been dubbed 'Red Tape Day' as companies now have to contend with 48 new Government regulations ranging from "fit notes" to fines of up to £500,000 for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act. More in The Telegraph.   Daily Telegraph
6 April 4:06:20 PM	Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has given small companies with 5 or less employees a 1 year exemption from filing annual employer returns electronically. However, HMRC has not informed them officially. More on this secret at The Telegraph.   Daily Telegraph
1 April 4:22:02 PM	The Office of Fair Trading is looking at increases in investment banking fees, particularly those for rights issues, "one of the areas in which risks and rewards appear to have gone in different directions.” More at The Telegraph.   Daily Telegraph
1 April 11:41:55 AM	The CRC Energy Efficiency registration starts April 1. "Organisations who qualify must register or make an information disclosure by 30 September 2010. A financial penalty will be imposed on organisations who fail to do this by the deadline" - DECC.   DECC