Your commercial news round-up: drone delivery, covid-19 passport, Apple, Premier League

‘Commercial awareness’ might sound like a daunting term to begin with but once you’ve got to grips with what it actually means – understanding the environment in which law firms and their clients operate (in short) – it’s all about being consistent. Find a set of resources that suit you and your learning preferences, and get ready to boost your commercial awareness.

• A drone delivery service is being piloted in Ireland by Irish drone start-up Manna, with plans to expand its offering to the UK and US. The tech start-up has received backing from UK venture capital firm Draper Esprit and online payment platform Stripe. The technology is currently being tested in two Irish towns, with a third due to be added next week.

• The Supreme Court is set to make a judgment on whether the case accusing Google of illegally collecting the data of 4.4 million iPhone users between 2011 and 2021 can proceed with the claimant acting on behalf of the affected users – otherwise known as a class action. Richard Lloyd alleged that Google cookies collected data on health, race, ethnicity, sexuality and finance through Apple’s Safari web browser, despite users opting for the “do not track” privacy setting. The Supreme Court judgment will determine whether Lloyd can bring the claim on behalf of the users affected, without needing the individual users to actively opt in – a decision which will also influence the case brought against TikTok by the former children’s commissioner Anne Longfield on behalf of millions of children in the UK and EU who have used the app.
   
• Apple has experienced its best-ever start to the year as demand for iPhones rocketed, with revenues rising 53% and net income doubling to $23.6 billion. The tech giant, which has a market value of $2.2 trillion, saw demand for various devices soar in the first quarter of 2021 – iPhone sales jumped by nearly 66% to $47.94 billion; iPads and Mac sales were up 79% at $7.8 billion and 70% at $9.1 billion respectively; wearable and accessory items, including smartwatch and headphones, jumped 25% to $7.84 billion; and sales in the services division increased 27% to $16.9 billion.

• It has been confirmed that an NHS app will be used as a covid passport for travel overseas when restrictions allow. Meanwhile, as part of a “traffic light” system set out by ministers, a “green list” of countries where Britons can travel without being required to quarantine will be released in the coming weeks, according to information the transport secretary told Sky News.

• The government could legalise hands-free driving on UK roads by the end of 2021. The vehicles would need to have automated lane-keeping systems (ALKS) enabled – a technology that controls the car’s position and speed in a single lane, with speed limited to 37mph. The government has confirmed that vehicles with this technology can be defined as ‘self-driving’, “as long as they receive GB type approval and that there is no evidence to challenge the vehicle’s ability to self-drive”, according to the BBC.

• Liverpool FC has revealed the costly impact that the pandemic has had on the club, with a pre-tax loss of £46 million during its latest financial year and revenue falling below £500 million.
  
  Meanwhile, the Premier League has revealed that it wants to roll over its existing £5 billion broadcasting deal with Sky, BT and Amazon, instead of going ahead with its planned domestic media rights auction. In the past this has involved broadcasters bidding against each other for Premier League media rights. For the move to go ahead, the Premier League requires government approval. According to individuals aware of the talks, some of the league’s biggest clubs had previously requested additional time to review the proposal, despite the league’s executives being eager to move forward with the plan for several months. News that England’s ‘Big Six’ clubs would join the European Super League sparked further anger following the earlier decision to stall the media rights sale.

Be sure to check the News every Thursday for this weekly commercial news round-up. Follow @LawCareersNetUK on Twitter and like us on Facebook for instant business news updates.