Osborne Clarke's best legal reads of the week: March 23 – 27

This week’s best legal reads is a bumper edition including a roundup of our Silicon Valley smart cities round table, a look into the effects of the upcoming EU Commission’s review of the e-commerce sector and an update on how the 2015 Budget attempts to tackle tax avoidance schemes by multinational companies…

• New law reveals who controls UK companies

Details of the individuals who ultimately control UK companies will be recorded in a new “people with significant control” register (“PSC register”) after a law was passed on Thursday, 26 March. Read all about the register and its effects on UK companies here.

• E-commerce faces increased scrutiny from the EU Commission’s upcoming review

The EU Antitrust Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, announced on Thursday, 26 March that she intends to launch a market investigation into e-commerce in the EU. The announcement follows her intentions from the outset that she wishes to create a digital single market for the EU. Read more here.

• A recap of Silicon Valley’s views on smart cities from our round table

Our Silicon Valley office recently held a smart cities round table which saw a group of industry experts gather to discuss some of the barriers facing technology businesses as they attempt to deliver innovative applications and transform cities through smart technology. For the full event write-up, click here.

• Holiday pay and commission – Unison reports on twitter that the Lock Employment Tribunal decision is out

Through the power of social media, it appears that the much awaited Employment Tribunal (“ET”) decision in Lock v British Gas Trading Ltd (2014) is out. Click here to see how it unfolded, and what these new interpretations from the European Court of Justice means for the UK.

• Important UK and US legal developments for online staffing and sharing economy platforms

Last year we participated in the consultation phase of Debbie Wosskow’s independent review of the sharing economy commissioned by Matthew Hancock MP, on behalf of the UK Government. The Government’s response to the independent review was published last week but what does the response mean for online labour exchanges/work platforms? Click here to find out.

• Finance Bill 2015: Impact on entrepreneurs’ relief planning

One of the more surprising developemnts from George Osborne’s recent pre-election Budget is the plan to change the rules around entrepreneurs’ relief. Coming into effect on 18 March, the rules have been tightened with a potential impact on existing management equity structures. Click here for the full update on the changes.