The current high-profile patent litigation between Nokia and Apple is a prime example of the need to properly protect a business' intellectual property. Nokia are claiming that Apple are infringing a number of patents registered by Nokia, a claim which Apple are denying. However, a costly litigation process awaits both companies. All businesses in this space need to be aware of the risk of such litigation and the steps that can be taken to minimise such risks.

Recent fines levied on Google and a number of Irish telecom operators for breaches of Data Protection legislation highlight the importance of complying with this legislation. Any company which processes "personal data" is subject to the legislation, and businesses need to carefully examine their activities to ensure that they are not in breach of the legislations provisions. Examples of potential breaches include the use of cloud-computing facilities outside the EU where the operators are not Safe Haven compliant.