Brisk summer business usually comes in the shape of holidays, barbeques, and ice cream sales. But for BTG the summer sun boosts the flogging of snake anti-venom. BTG, the pharmaceutical group which was first created by the Government to protect British inventions back in the 1940s, shot up the FTSE 250 index after reporting that it had outperformed in the first half and was increasing its revenue expectations for the full year.

Cadbury owns the colour purple – in chocolate packaging terms at least, a High Court judge has ruled.

Cadbury owns the colour purple – in chocolate packaging terms at least, a High Court judge has ruled.

Don't you mean Edward Elgar?

A tit-for-tat spat between Apple and Samsung has resulted in both companies being fined and their products banned from being sold in South Korea.

Rehearsal footage of the Olympic opening ceremony was removed from YouTube today as organisers stepped up efforts to keep details of tomorrow's eagerly awaited curtain-raiser under wraps.

Yet again Scotland has stolen a march on a signal piece of social legislation. It was first to ban smoking in public places, first to introduce a minimum price for alcohol, and now it looks set to be the first to legalise gay marriage. While the UK Government missed the chance to include such a Bill in the Queen's Speech in May, the Scottish Government announced yesterday that it would legislate for the change after a huge response to a public consultation.

Some of the biggest names in British music have written to David Cameron calling for a crackdown on illegal file-sharing.

Internet freedom campaigners are celebrating after a controversial international agreement, which would have forced internet service providers to hand over details of people suspected of online copyright infringement, was rejected by the European Parliament.

Buying up patents is big business. But the system that was designed to protect the small investor is being twisted by big companies who are using it to stifle the small guys

A US judge on Tuesday backed Apple Inc's request to stop Samsung Electronics selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the United States, giving the iPhone maker a significant win in the global smartphone and tablet patent wars.

In any other week, this column would be forced to begin with a personal appeal to Barack Obama, modelled on The Skibbereen Eagle's legendary warning to the Tsar of Russia, concerning American justice. This particular week, however, the President must be spared to focus on an arguably weightier legal matter than the hideously imbalanced Anglo-American extradition treaty of 2003. It's squeaky-bum time for the Prez, and we cannot chastise him for concentrating on more pressing legal concerns than the fate of Richard O'Dwyer.

Illegal downloaders face a "three strikes and you're out" system under plans unveiled by Ofcom.

Plagiarism is a growing threat to the integrity of Britain's higher education system, the head of the body set up to hear students' complaints warns today.