Correspondence: Ewan Nettleton, Bristows, 3 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3AA UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 7400 8000; Fax: +44 (0)20 7400 8050; e-mail: ewan.nettleton@bristows.com

¹is a solicitor in the Intellectual Property Department at Bristows. He specialises in intellectual property law. He has an MA in Chemistry and a D Phil in protein chemistry and is particularly interested in matters relating to the IT and pharmaceutical industries.

¹is a partner in the Intellectual Property Department at Bristows. He has a BSc in physics and a D Phil in semiconductor physics. He specialises in non-contentious IT matters, particularly transactional matters, such as negotiating software development, system integration and outsourcing agreements. He also has particular expertise in relation to e-commerce and data protection.

Abstract

In the aftermath of the terrorist atrocities of recent years, it is perhaps not surprising that steps have been taken to track and retain electronic communications data. The significant variation in the measures initially applied around Europe has led to the adoption of a new Data Retention Directive that will oblige providers of publicly available communications services to retain large quantities of electronic communications data across Europe. The existing regime, the need for harmonisation and the provisions of the Directive are considered below.