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 DPhil in Protein Chemistry and is particularly interested in matters relating to the IT and pharmaceutical industries.

²is a partner in the Intellectual Property Department at Bristows. He has a BSc in Physics and a DPhil in Semiconductor Physics. He specialises in noncontentious 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

The deadline for the implementation of the Data Retention Directive that requires data be retained by communications service providers has recently passed. Although like many Member States the UK has opted to defer implementation of the provisions relating to internet data until March 2009, it has enacted legislation dealing with many of the Directive's requirements. This paper examines the new UK regulations and considers the obligations that will be placed on service providers when they come into effect in October 2007, and the potential ramifications for those like database marketers who use electronic communications services extensively.