The government is making its five-yearly review of the Patents Office in 2000. The review will look at: its organisational status; and any operational changes needed. [2000]Read More

A fundamental breach of a partnership agreement by one or more partners does not absolve the innocent partners of their duties under the partnership agreement, the House of Lords has ruled. In 1990 most partners in a firm of solicitors agreed that their partnership had no future. All but one of the partners signed an...Read More

A contractual offer is accepted even when the acceptor doubts his ability to perform his duties under the contract and asks the offeror for some indulgence. The case related to an offer to settle a debt incurred by a Lloyd’s name. It is a well-established principle of contract law that an acceptance must be unconditional...Read More

A delay by a solicitor which put a claim outside the limitation period cannot be visited on the instructing claimant. In the case, a claimant promptly instructed solicitors for a personal injury case within the three-year limit. The delay was entirely attributable to inattention by the solicitors. The claimant himself had done all that was...Read More

An idea does not become a legal principle just because it can be expressed in Latin, and Latin maxims should not anyway be used when the parties cannot readily comprehend them. So said the High Court in 2000. A gas fitter was injured when he knelt on a sewing needle deeply imbedded in a deep...Read More

A virus which appeared to be a love letter from a known person caused massive disruption to computer systems in 2000. Whereas most e-mail viruses can be avoided simply by not opening e-mail from suspicious sources, this new virus accessed computer e-mail address books to spread itself. Thus the recipient would be less suspicious. The...Read More

The government is pioneering the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), which it believes will benefit both businesses and communities. CSR covers how businesses can improve their social, environmental and local economic impact, their influence on society, social cohesion and human rights. CSR applies to the smallest and largest businesses. [2000]Read More

An anti-capitalist rally in London on the 2000 May Bank Holiday ceased to be peaceful after agitators in the 4,000-strong crowd started vandalising shop premises and war memorials. It is estimated that over £1 million was damaged in the biggest single protest for 30 years. [2000.5]Read More

Raw material costs fell 3.2% in April 2000, indicating some serious problems in primary industries, while providing some relief for manufacturing industry. Personal bankruptcies have started to show their biggest increase since the 1991 recession, with an 11.8% increase in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. This is largely blamed on excessive personal...Read More

Present stock market valuations are a bubble waiting to burst, according to the fund manager at Phillips and Drew in 2000. The firm is well-known for their bearish views which have yet to be fulfilled. Normal valuation methods, such as price earnings ratio and yields indicates that the US economy is valued at twice its...Read More