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Briefing Notes
Regulation
CMA Opens Formal Drip-Pricing Investigations into Trainline, Virgin Atlantic, and RED Driving School on 19 August 2026
Fines up to 10% of global turnover without a court order make the CMA's new consumer powers genuinely punishing for pricing infractions.
AI & Law
SRA Issues Formal Warning Notice on AI Misuse After Receiving 42 Reports of Potential Breaches in 12 Months
Forty-two reports in one year means AI conduct risk has moved from hypothetical to active SRA enforcement territory.
Disputes
High Court Delivers Judgment in Garden House Software v Marsh and Others, Examining IP Assignment, Wrongful Trading, and Dishonest Assistance
IP assigned away before insolvency can be clawed back under sections 238 and 423, making pre-insolvency asset transfers a major litigation risk.
Capital Markets
Global Bond Issuance Tracks Toward Record $2.2 Trillion in 2026 as Sovereign Yields Hit Multi-Decade Highs Amid Oil and Iran Pressures
Record bond issuance into rising yields suggests issuers are front-running further rate increases, generating sustained capital markets deal flow.
M&A
CMA Clears Paramount Skydance's Acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery at Phase 1 and Closes Its UK Merger Inquiry
Streaming consolidation at this scale forces regulators to decide whether content market share is the right lens for merger control in a global platform economy.