Projects

Misuse of Trade Secrets

Project status: Consultation

This consultation exercise examined the question as to whether there should be criminal liability for the deliberate misuse of the trade secrets of another.

Modernising Trust Law for a Global Britain

Project status: Pre-project

The problem A trust is a way of managing assets. Trusts are used widely by people and businesses. Trusts are a significant source of business for the UK and many international corporations and individuals use English law and courts to govern their arrangements. However, English trust law hasn’t been comprehensively reviewed since 1925. Meanwhile, places … Read more >

Murder

Project status: Complete

Download Murder report (1): Partial Defences to Murder Download Murder, Manslaughter and Infanticide The problem The law governing homicide in England and Wales has some rules which have remained unaltered since the seventeenth century. This is even though it has long been acknowledged that they are in dire need of reform. In our 2004 report, … Read more >

Museum Collections

Project status: Pre-project

The problem Britain’s museums are envied the world over, with a rich heritage informing each new generation of the past. But museums face significant problems dealing with objects where acquisition records are hard to come by and as a result it is impossible to know whether the item was gifted outright or loaned to the … Read more >

Offences against Religion and Public Worship

Project status: Complete

We published a report on Offences against Religion and Public Worship (LC145) in 1985. The principal recommendation of this report made its way on to the statute book after 23 years. The repeal of blasphemy and blasphemous libel, as recommended, was effected by section 79 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, which came into … Read more >

Offences against the Person

Project status: Complete

Download the offences against the person report Download the offences against the person summary The problem The main law in dealing with violent offences is the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. It forms the basis of over 26,000 prosecutions every year. In addition, the offences of assault and battery generate over 100,000 prosecutions a … Read more >

Offensive Online Communications

Project status: Pre-project

Research shows that in 2017 28% of UK internet users were on the receiving end of trolling, harassment or cyberbullying. As a result, and as part of its efforts to make the UK the safest place online in the world, the Government asked the Law Commission to review the current law around offensive online communications … Read more >