April 28, 2025
Top 3 Global Legal Developments (April 21–28, 2025)
1️⃣ EU Slaps Apple & Meta With €700M DMA Fines The European Union has fined Apple €500m and Meta €200m under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), legislation aimed at curbing big tech power. Apple is penalized for not allowing alternative app marketplaces on its App Store, while Meta is fined for its “consent or pay” model for data collection, which the EU deemed did not offer genuine user consent. Impact: Tech sector antitrust enforcement. Source
2️⃣ UK Libel Trial – Noel Clarke v. Guardian: Actor and producer Noel Clarke began his testimony at the High Court libel trial against the Guardian’s publisher, GNM, accusing them of “smashing his life for years.” He is suing over articles from 2021 and 2022 that contained allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour, which he denies. 1 GNM defends its reporting as true and in the public interest. Judgment is reserved. Source
3️⃣ India Supreme Court: Five significant judgments were delivered by the Supreme Court of India in the past week, covering constitutional and commercial issues. Details are available in the Supreme Court Observer’s latest report. Source
United States
🔹 SCOTUS: Weekends Don’t Toll Immigration Deadlines In Velazquez v. Bondi, the Court held immigration voluntary departure deadlines under 8 U.S.C. §1229c(b)(2) exclude weekends. Impact: Immigration litigation procedures. Source
European Union
🔹 ECJ Upholds GDPR Data Localization for Sensitive Health Data Ruled that EU member states can require domestic storage of cancer registry data under Article 9 GDPR. Impact: Healthcare IT compliance. Source
Ireland
🔹Consumer Protection Code Modernised: The Central Bank of Ireland updated its Consumer Protection Code, affecting all financial service providers. The Defamation Bill has also been revived, and new employment equality legislation is under consideration. Source
India
🔹 GST Appellate Tribunal Procedure Rules, 2025: The Ministry of Finance notified the GST Appellate Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, streamlining tax litigation with online appeal filing and defined tribunal operations. This marks a major step in operationalizing the GST Tribunal, crucial for businesses and tax professionals. Source
🔹 CBIC GST Registration Guidelines: New guidelines simplify GST registration, mandating stricter documentation to prevent fraud and ease compliance for startups. Source
