Technology

Six major technology companies have been designated by the European Commission as "gatekeepers" under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA) and now have six months to bring their services in compliance with the law. Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft have been designated in respect of 2

Meta's new social media app Threads, widely seen as a rival to Twitter, has been launched in the US and the UK but is not yet available in Ireland or the rest of the EU due to regulatory concerns. Threads, a text-based spin-off from Instagram, is now available in more than 100 countries — but

ByrneWallace LLP has welcomed back Laura Greene, who previously trained with the firm, as a partner in its technology law practice. Ms Greene specialises in advising the private and public sector on a broad range of IT-related matters including software development and licensing, outsourcing, large

Addleshaw Goddard has extended its successful AG Elevate programme for UK tech businesses to include Ireland for the first time. The fast-track 10-month programme is designed to advance tech businesses in all sectors of the economy through legal challenges that arise as they grow.

Queen's University Belfast School of Law has launched a new Global Intellectual Property and Technology Centre (G-IPTech) aimed at becoming a global hub of excellence for intellectual property and technology law. Professor Giancarlo Frosio has been appointed as director of the centre, an interdiscip

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has prevented Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Activision over concerns the deal would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come. The final decisi

Ireland and other EU countries must overhaul their approach to making technology law to achieve cybersecurity while safeguarding the fundamental rights to privacy and data protection, according to the author of a new book. Trinity College Dublin this week hosted a launch event for Cybersecurity, Pri

Gerard Kelly, partner at Mason Hayes & Curran, examines the potential impact of new AI-powered tools on legal practice. E-discovery is the process by which traditional discovery, a process in litigation whereby the parties exchange and review potentially relevant documents, has been increasingly

James Milliken of Carson McDowell reports that we are beginning to see artificial intelligence take on complex tasks such as assisting lawyers with drafting contracts. Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an ever-increasing role in our everyday lives. It is used in Face ID and other image recognition

New EU rules regulating large online platforms classified as "digital gatekeepers" have come into force and will be implemented within months. The EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) was proposed by the European Commission in December 2020 and agreed by the European Parliament in record time in March 2022.

UK consumers are at risk of predatory practices by big tech firms because of delays in promised competition legislation, an influential Westminster committee has said. A new report by the business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) committee notes that the government has not yet published the Di

Lawyer and technologist Professor Richard Susskind OBE put the cat among the pigeons at the Law Society of Northern Ireland's centenary conference when he suggested that solicitors may one day be rendered obsolete by technological advances. His keynote speech on Friday morning came after the Law Soc

Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has imposed a record €405 million fine on Instagram after a two-year investigation into its processing of children's data, according to reports. The regulator adopted its final decision last Friday and will publish further details about it next week, a

Tech giant Apple is facing a lawsuit in the US over allegations that its monopoly on contactless payments made using iPhones constitutes anti-competitive conduct. iPhone users can only make contactless payments through Apple Pay, while users of Android-powered smartphones can choose between competin

A first-of-its-kind summer festival has put the spotlight on how and why legal tech and legal operations are transforming in-house legal practice in Ireland. Hosted by Irish Tech General Counsel (ITGC), the free Legal TechOps Ireland event last Wednesday featured speakers including Alex Kelly, co-fo