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A cleaning company has been granted an interim injunction preventing former franchisees from competing with it until disputed issues can be dealt with in court. The company made the move to block two franchisees from competing for the same business in Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire. The franchise agreement had been terminated, although it was disputed
More UK businesses are protecting their brand by challenging trademark applications from rival companies. According to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), 1,775 companies took action to prevent a rival registering a conflicting trademark in the financial year 2013/14 – a 17% rise on the previous year. It is evidence that UK companies are actively protecting
A further 25 employers have been named and shamed for failing to pay the minimum wage. It’s the latest move in the government crackdown on rogue businesses who fail to treat their staff correctly. The measures were introduced in October last year and several firms have already been named and shamed. In June, the government
The government has announced a change to the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme amid concerns over rising house prices. New loans granted under the scheme must now be less than 4.5 times the borrower’s income. In a separate move, the Bank of England has told mortgage lenders that only 15% of loans they grant
A personal assistant who was sacked after her affair with her boss was discovered has won her claim of unfair dismissal. The PA lost her job after the affair was discovered by the boss’s wife. The PA, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been in a relationship with her boss who was chief
Delays in the process of setting up lasting powers of attorney (LPA) are causing considerable stress and expense for thousands of families, according to a report in the Times newspaper. An LPA is a legal arrangement that enables you to authorise someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf should you lose mental capacity
One of Britain’s leading family law judges is calling for changes in the divorce process that would take most cases out of the courts altogether. Sir James Munby is the President of the Family Division of the High Court. He wants uncontested divorce cases without any claims over money or children to be settled in
A grandmother’s will, which led to a family dispute over the ownership of her flat, has been upheld by the High Court. The grandmother had originally intended to leave the flat to her daughter and granddaughter and had written this into her will. When she was 90 years old, she moved in with them because
A mother has been given a second chance to try to leave the UK despite a judge’s concerns that she was only doing so to take her children away from their father. The case involved a German couple who had lived in England for more than 12 years. They had two children aged four and
A Sikh employee has been awarded £18,000 compensation after being racially abused by his Muslim boss. He had worked as a forecourt cleaner at a garage and was often given demeaning tasks and made to perform them repeatedly. His boss made him collect things from the cash and carry up to four times a week