ARTICLE
20 January 2025

Digital, Commerce & Creative

LS
Lewis Silkin

Contributor

We have two things at our core: people – both ours and yours - and a focus on creativity, technology and innovation. Whether you are a fast growth start up or a large multinational business, we help you realise the potential in your people and navigate your strategic HR and legal issues, both nationally and internationally. Our award-winning employment team is one of the largest in the UK, with dedicated specialists in all areas of employment law and a track record of leading precedent setting cases on issues of the day. The team’s breadth of expertise is unrivalled and includes HR consultants as well as experts across specialisms including employment, immigration, data, tax and reward, health and safety, reputation management, dispute resolution, corporate and workplace environment.
We are delighted to present the 2025 Digital, Commerce, and Creative Report, a short handbook to help you navigate the changes that lie ahead in the legal landscape.
United Kingdom Technology

Introduction

We are delighted to present the 2025 Digital, Commerce, and Creative Report, a short handbook to help you navigate the changes that lie ahead in the legal landscape.

Our challenge was to distil the legal and regulatory changes for 2025 into short, user-friendly checklists, timelines, and summaries. We've split these into four broad categories to help you focus on the issues most relevant to you.

Section 1 focuses on the AI journey which continues to evolve - most respondents to our Legal Counsel Insights Survey told us that they're concerned about the legal risks associated with creating and using AI. We take a look at why AI matters and how you can best plan for and manage its deployment.

In Section 2, we look at how 2025 brings a focus to implementing new online safety measures (via the Online Safety Act) to achieve a safer digital world for consumers, including from a cyber perspective. As with AI governance, developing and implementing compliance frameworks will evolve as we start to see new Ofcom guidance and how Ofcom uses its powers.

In Section 3, we look at what's new in protecting and using intellectual property, including from an AI-generated content perspective. The UK remains a key player on the international innovation stage (fifth according to WIPRO) with Cambridge, Oxford, and London remaining key science and technology clusters. We take a special look at the role of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs), standards, and the latest licensing developments.

In Section 4, we look at the changes that businesses will need to make, including under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC), in respect of consumer protection and advertising requirements, such as pricing practices, green/ethical claims and online targeting, all against the backdrop of brand new DMCC powers, enforcement resources, and GDPR-style fines.

At the end of the Report, we have included links to some practical '101 guides' on a range of commercial and technology topics, which we hope you find useful.

Looking to future trends, we anticipate more businesses turning regulatory compliance into efficiency and marketing opportunities – examples of this include using compliance as a marketing tool to build consumer trust and goodwill, and reshaping B2C and B2B contracting journeys through the use of 'legal design' to reduce friction and the time to contract conclusion. Most respondents to our Survey highlighted that ESG considerations remain a 'high priority' which we expect to see manifested in supply chain demands and audits. As ever, there's lots to do, especially for in-house teams, some of whom we predict will explore the use of 'legal ops' to help them deliver their advice and work to stakeholders in a cost efficient manner.

We're very excited about supporting you in 2025. Please do call or drop in to see us, whether in London, Manchester or Belfast. We always love to see and hear from you. Of course, we're always happy to visit you too.

James & Alan

Find out more

For more information about our DCC knowledge offering, training, legal design or legal ops, please do get in touch: Fiona Vickerstaff and Helen Hart.

1570728a.jpg

James Gill
Partner & Co-Head of Digital, Commerce & Creative

1570728b.jpg

Alan Hunt
Partner & Co-Head of Digital, Commerce & Creative

To view the full article click here

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Learn More