UK announce Online Safety Bill which could lead to tough penalties on tech and social media chiefs

If you have developed a new product, or perhaps come up with an innovative way of doing something, you may find that other businesses who are keen to make use of your ideas or creations ask you to enter into an intellectual property (IP) licensing agreement.

New National Security and Investment Act will regulate acquisitions across 17 business sectors including transport, energy and advanced materials

The most common reason why a director will be required to provide a personal guarantee is because a lender or supplier perceives a level of risk in your business. Perhaps the lender is not confident that your business cash flow is liquid enough to fulfil its obligations. Maybe they feel that, while your business is financially secure, your sector or industry is too volatile, and they need further protection. Perhaps your business has had a history of late payments, defaults, or liquidity issues in the past.

The shareholders agreement is often one of those documents that startups sometimes forgo or even 'bootstrap' by cutting and pasting from other documents without taking independent legal advice.

If you are contemplating buying another business, then you will have been suitably impressed with the sale particulars. But these do not tell the whole story and when you decide to acquire the assets of a business you will want to satisfy yourself that you can continue trading and can realise any potential growth plans.

The UK's proposed new laws on Digital Regulation are set to strengthen protection against internet misuse and create space for new tech companies to take on the multi-national social media giants.

Setting out the terms upon which you provide your goods or services to another business will reduce the risk of a dispute by making clear the expectations on either side. But what if a dispute arises and a client or customer claims that they have suffered a loss because of your product or service?

While many founders and business owners will implement succession plans to sell or pass their business to a new generation of owners, sometimes it is clear that you have reached the end of the road and the best decision is to call it a day and close the company. Having made this tough decision, you will need to plan the best approach to achieve this cleanly and cost-effectively before the final closure can be made official.

If you are a fan of Marmite or Hellman's mayonnaise, you may recall a brief dispute that broke out between Tesco and Unilever in late 2016 which led to the supermarket temporarily