The role of the judge or jury in a defamation case is to determine how the ordinary reasonable reader understands alleged defamatory material. In the case of Stocker v Stocker (2019) UKSC 17 examines how it applies to social media and provides guidance for analysing the meaning of words published on digital platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
Litigation & Dispute Resolution BelfastIn Camiveo Ltd v. Dunnes Stores, the Court of Appeal upheld a finding of the High Court that Dunnes Stores were in breach of the planning permission for Edward Square Shopping Centre in Galway by permanently closing doors that facilitated a pedestrian link between that premises and Eyre Square Shopping Centre. It found that the closure of the doors constituted a breach of covenants in the lease...
DisputesThe Irish Collective Asset-management Vehicles Act 2015 (Act) provides for the re-domiciliation of non-Irish corporate funds into Ireland as ICAVs. The Act states that a migrating body may apply to the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) to be registered as an ICAV by way of continuation.
Asset Management & Investment FundsMental health is one of the main causes of absence from work, with 'work-related stress' being cited as the most common mental health condition causing absence. A recent study found that Northern Ireland is the UK region with the highest level of employees who have identified feeling stressed at work (85%). It is critical for businesses to ensure they meet their legal obligations and duties to...
BelfastAn overview of the fintech landscape in Ireland
Client TechOur recent update outlined the Government's proposals to introduce two weeks paid parental leave from November 2019 (via its Parental Leave and Benefit Bill 2019). Last week Ireland took another step forward in enhancing parental leave entitlements through the Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017 (the Bill). What's new? The Bill, along with some technical amendments, was passed by the Seanad...
EmploymentDomestic News - The Department of Finance launched the new strategy "Ireland for Finance" applicable to the international financial services sector. Amongst other updates, the CBI published a template Key Facts Document for Benchmark Administrator Applications and noted its intention to publish guidance on this later on in the year. EU News - there were also many significant developments, inclu...
Financial RegulationDomestic News - The CBI published its Insurance Quarterly Newsletter. European News - the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) consulted on corrections and amendments to the implementing standards on reporting and disclosure, held a workshop on cyber insurance, published a summary of its fourth InsurTech Roundtable, published its 2018 insurance stress test recommendati...
Financial RegulationDomestic News - Under the Benchmarks Regulation, Euronext announced that ESMA had registered four of its market operators as Benchmark Administrators. European News - ESMA has provided a number of updates to various Q&A documents, which are detailed bel...
Asset Management & Investment FundsDomestic News - the CBI set out its workplan and highlighted areas of strategic focus in relation to funds supervision. European News - The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published updates on UCITS, AIFMD and the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR). ESMA has also published its first annual report on supervisory sanctions...
Financial RegulationDomestic News - There is little to report in terms of notable developments. The Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) has published a financial stability note in relation to the real-estate concentration in the Irish banking sector, noting that the concentration of the banking system in real-estate lending renders the banking sector vulnerable to potential price corrections. European News - There have...
Financial RegulationIn Ryanair dac v SC Vola.ro srl [2019] IEHC 239 the Irish High Court confirmed the enforceability of a jurisdiction clause contained within a website's Terms of Use, finding the user had agreed to it via a "click-wrap" agreement. Following previous Ryanair screen-scraping cases, the court held the click-wrap agreement met the requirements of Article 25(1) (c) of the Brussels I Recast Regulation...
Technology