Welcome to Forbes’ quarterly Manufacturing & Engineering Sector eNews. 

As we fast approach what we all hope to be the latter stages of COVID restrictions now is time for organisations to embrace the opportunities and challenges which the ‘new normal’ will undoubtedly present. The truly innovative solutions which we have witnessed from our clients throughout the sector during these uncertain times will undoubtedly ensure continued success over the coming months.  

However, from April the private sector will face an additional ‘challenge’; the introduction of tax legislation commonly known as IR35. Common place in the public sector since 2017, the delayed roll out into the private sector will require medium and large businesses to review their contractual relationships with consultants and personal services companies. A more detailed article on this topic is featured in this edition of the eNews.

If you require any support and guidance at this time, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

All the best,

John Pickervance
Partner, Head of Commercial
T: 07976 257777
E: John.pickervance@forbessolicitors.co.uk

Insurers urged to pay Covid-19 BI claims following Supreme Court ruling

Businesses in the manufacturing sector, like many others, have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic with the profound operational challenges that it has presented. The scale of the pandemic's impact, including factory closures and unprecedented disruption to supply chains, has knocked companies off balance and has demanded resilience.

AI in manufacturing and engineering and intellectual property considerations

At its' core, artificial intelligence (AI) is a form of computer science which involves the development of programmes to enable tasks to be completed which would otherwise require human intelligence. AI algorithms can be used for tasks including problem solving, logical reasoning and understanding language and are often trained to respond to a particular input in a certain way.

IR35 changes are looming for medium and large private sector organisations

Following a 12-month postponement due to the impacts of Covid-19, the Finance Act 2020 received Royal Assent on 22 July 2020, meaning that the forthcoming reforms to the IR35 tax legislation for the private sector are now just a matter of months away.

IR35 was first introduced in 2000 with the aim to reduce tax avoidance, and reforms were made in April 2017 to shift the responsibility for carrying out tax assessments from a contractor, to the public sector client.

How commercial tenants can utilise break clauses to their advantage

The implications of Brexit and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have meant that most businesses are carefully considering all costs and risks to their business, including costs and risks associated with properties that they own or occupy.

To test or not to test? And other continuing implications for employers during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to cause pressures across sectors and around the world, attention is gradually beginning to turn to the implications of a more widescale return to the workplace, including the wider rollout of rapid response testing and the encouragement of employee vaccinations. 

Intellectual Property Update

January 2021 saw the beginnings of the post-Brexit transition period in the UK, and whilst this has impacted some elements of the intellectual property landscape across the EU, Forbes' Intellectual Property team have continued to assist a range of clients across various areas of both contentious and non-contentious intellectual property work.

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