In today’s email:

• A&O’s loving AI

• Our highlights of 2023

• Good news: inflation is falling

• Tesla picks a fight with a whole country

• Is your reaction time faster than 266ms?

• The coolest way to improve your typing speed

• Struggling to pick which movie to watch? There’s an AI for that.

… and more!

EDITOR’S RAMBLE 🗣

It’s our last post of 2023, so I want to say a MASSIVE thank you for being a part of LittleLaw’s journey this year.

I'm proud of what we've achieved at LittleLaw in 2023:

• 👉 Worked with forward-thinking law firms like Gowling WLG

• 👉 Readership nearly doubled (check out the pic below)

• 👉 Launched our uni brand rep campaign

Without you, none of this would be possible. 🙏 

- Idin

FEATURED REPORT 📰

⚽️ Clifford Chance show UEFA’s actions crossed the line

What's going on here?

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled FIFA's and UEFA's rules — which required their approval for new competitions — as unlawful. This major verdict challenges UEFA's monopoly over European football.

What’s this all about?

Well, at the moment, the best football teams in Europe play in a competition called the UEFA Champions League (which is governed by the European football association UEFA).

In 2021, 12 of the best European teams announced that they’d be joining the newly created European Super League — a competitor to the UEFA Champions League.

Many of the 12 teams quickly backed out after the public disapproval of the plans. UEFA and FIFA also threatened to sanction clubs participating in the Super League, effectively killing it.

But now, the ECJ has said that UEFA and FIFA can’t forbid the new competition from forming.

How did this verdict come about?

Well, here’s where the lawyers get involved.

Clifford Chance represented the European Superleague Company and A22 — the creators of the new competition.

The Clifford Chance team in Spain advised the organisers on all legal aspects of the project, including the legal proceedings before the European Court of Justice.

The ECJ ruled that:

• ☝️ the market for organisation of sports tournaments should be open to alternative proposals, and therefore…

• ✌️ European football clubs are free to create their own competitions.

What’s next?

The initial format of a 12-team Super League has been scrapped. The organisers have a new plan which involves:

• replacing the Champions League with a 64-club men’s competition and a 32-club women’s competition,

• streaming the Super League for free on a new platform that would make money from advertising, premium subscriptions, and sponsorships.

But football fans (especially British fans) still hate the idea. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even said he’d ban Premier League teams from joining the project.

What’s the big picture effect?

This story highlights the importance of the legal process and the role lawyers can play in changing the face of an industry.

Sports are big business — and football is about as big as they come.

But for years, European football has been monopolised by UEFA — no one else could get in the door. Until now.

The Super League might be controversial, but this ruling means that sports are being opened up as a new area for innovation and investment (there’s planned to be $4bn (£3.1bn) put into the Super League).

We’ve seen recent changes in other sports too, like the new ‘Hundred’ format in cricket.

Is it good for the sport? Maybe - it’s hard to tell.

But could a change like this happen without lawyers? Definitely not.

A BIT OF FUN 😄

it's 👏 still 👏 the 👏 holiday 👏 period 👏

IN OTHER NEWS 🗞

• 📰 The New York Times sues Microsoft and OpenAI over ChatGPT. They claim billions in damages, alleging the AI used their articles without permission, impacting subscription and ad revenue. This lawsuit adds to OpenAI's growing list of legal challenges.

• 💻️ Allen & Overy team up with Microsoft and Harvey to launch ContractMatrix, a software designed to revolutionise contract drafting. It's powered by AI, cutting down contract negotiation time by hours and letting lawyers focus on strategy. Over 1,000 A&O lawyers have already put it to the test, and it's set for a wider launch with big clients in January. A&O say they’re the only law firm offering such a tool globally.

• 💷 UK inflation takes a surprising dip — November saw consumer prices rising at their slowest in over two years, sparking talks about potential interest rate cuts by the Bank of England (BoE). The inflation rate fell to 3.9%, lower than the expected 4.4%, thanks to reduced energy and food costs. This shift has traders betting on rate cuts next year, impacting the British pound and boosting London's big stocks. However, the BoE remains cautious, reminding everyone that inflation is still way above their 2% target.

• 🇸🇪 Tesla’s in trouble in Sweden as over 130 mechanics strike, protesting against Tesla's refusal to sign a union agreement. The ripple effect? Swedish unions in various sectors are joining in solidarity, with regional investors and Danish pension funds pulling back. A major labor showdown is unfolding, not just in Sweden but potentially across the US too.

AROUND THE WEB 🌐

• ⌨️ Cool: Improve your typing speed and accuracy by rewriting your favourite books and novels!

• 📺️ Helpful: Not sure what movie or TV show to watch? That’s why this site exists.

• 🤯 Fun: This site lets you test your reaction time. (let me know if you beat my best score of 266ms)

Credit: r/internetisbeautiful

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