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16 September 2020 / Professor Sarah Green , Matthew Barry
Issue: 7902 / Categories: Features , Commercial , Profession
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Delivering the goods—lessons from Farepack

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Sarah Green & Matthew Barry discuss modernising the transfer of ownership rules
  • Why amend the transfer of ownership rules?
  • The Law Commission’s proposed rules.
  • The questions asked in the consultation paper.

The Law Commission has recently launched a consultation on a draft Bill that would amend the rules governing when consumers acquire ownership of goods under sales contracts. The consultation follows on from the Law Commission’s July 2016 Report, Consumer Prepayments on Retailer Insolvency (https://bit.ly/3itIRfj) which recommended reform of the transfer of ownership rules. In this article, we set out the case for reform, briefly explain our proposed rules, and describe the scope of our consultation.

Why amend the transfer of ownership rules?

Consumers often pay for goods in advance of receiving them. This happens whenever consumers buy goods online. It can also happen when consumers pay for goods in a physical store, but the goods have to be made to the consumer’s order, are not available to

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NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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