Month: February 2026

Plant-based drinks maker Oatly has lost a long-running legal fight over its use of the word “milk” in marketing, after the UK Supreme Court ruled that it cannot trademark or use the slogan “post-milk generation” in connection with dairy alternatives.
The case, brought by Dairy UK, centred on whether the term “milk”, which is protected under EU-derived food labelling rules still in force in the UK, can be used in a trade mark for plant-based products.
On Wednesday, the UK Supreme Court upheld an earlier Court of Appeal ruling that “milk” is a reserved term that can only refer to animal-derived products. Judges said the phrase “post-milk generation” could confuse consumers about whether Oatly’s products were entirely milk-free or merely contained reduced levels of dairy.
The decision reinstates the original position of the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), which had refused Oatly’s 2021 trade mark application.
Oatly’s UK and Ireland general manager, Bryan Carroll, criticised the outcome, calling it “a way to stifle competition” that creates “an uneven playing field for plant-based products that solely benefits Big Dairy”.
Under the ruling, Oatly must cancel its UK trade mark registration for “POST MILK GENERATION” and cannot use the phrase to market dairy-free alternatives. However, because the regulation applies only to food products, the company is still permitted to sell pre-existing merchandise such as T-shirts bearing the slogan.
The dispute reflects a broader regulatory framework under which certain food designations, including milk, cheese, butter and yoghurt, are legally reserved for animal-derived products. Although the UK has left the EU, the relevant regulation continues to apply as “assimilated law”.
Richard May, partner at law firm Osborne Clarke, said the ruling confirms the UK’s alignment with EU standards. “The key principle is straightforward: if a product is not derived from animal milk, it cannot be marketed using reserved dairy designations such as ‘milk’ or ‘cheese’,” he said.
Laurie Bray, senior associate and trade mark attorney at Withers & Rogers, said the judgment was decisive. “It has taken the highest court in the land to decide once and for all whether a plant-based milk alternative can be branded as ‘milk’. The outcome is not what Oatly was hoping for,” she said.
Bray added that the ruling may prompt Dairy UK or its European counterparts to challenge Oatly’s EU trade mark registrations covering similar wording.
The case comes amid growing debate across Europe over the labelling of plant-based foods. Last year, the European Parliament voted to tighten rules on the use of terms such as “oat milk” and “veggie burger”, although the measures have yet to be formally adopted.
European farming groups argue that such terms mislead consumers and dilute established product definitions. Environmental campaigners and alternative protein producers, by contrast, have warned that overly restrictive labelling harms innovation and sustainability goals.
For UK plant-based brands, the Supreme Court’s decision sends a clear signal. While factual descriptors such as “dairy-free” remain permissible, the use of protected dairy terminology in branding or trade marks is likely to face legal challenge.
The ruling marks the end of a protracted dispute for Oatly, and underscores how regulatory definitions can shape the fast-growing plant-based food and drink market.
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Oatly loses ‘milk’ branding battle in UK Supreme Court

London-based Mozart AI has raised $6 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round led by Balderton Capital, as the startup looks to reshape how music is created in the age of artificial intelligence.
The fundraise follows a $1.1 million pre-seed round completed last summer, taking Mozart AI’s total funding to more than $7 million. The latest investment coincides with the launch of the company’s long-awaited mobile app and comes amid rapid early traction for its AI-powered “Generative Audio Workstation”.
Mozart AI is positioning itself as a creator-first alternative to legacy digital audio workstations, many of which have dominated music production since the 1990s. Its platform is designed to support everyone from professional producers refining chart-ready releases to bedroom musicians creating and sharing their first tracks online.
The company says more than 100,000 users signed up within two months of its beta launch in September, with over one million songs already created. Artists using the platform include producers and collaborators linked to A$AP Rocky, Avicii and Kodak Black, while some tracks created using the software have already surpassed 10 million streams on Spotify.
Alongside Balderton, the seed round attracted participation from Mercuri, EWOR and a group of high-profile angel investors including Eventbrite co-founder Kevin Hartz, Oscar-winning director Charles Ferguson and Frame.io founder Emery Wells.
The funding will be used to expand Mozart AI’s team, further develop its core technology and build on the viral momentum generated by its beta launch, ahead of a full public release.
Built by musicians, the platform combines traditional digital audio workstation functionality with AI-driven tools that assist rather than replace the creative process. Users can create music from scratch with AI support or generate tracks using prompt-driven “agentic” workflows.
Features include context-aware stem generation, real-time suggestions for MIDI progressions and drums, synth and effects creation, and the ability to remix sounds into new styles. Time-consuming production tasks such as quantisation and time stretching are handled automatically, while built-in video tools allow users to create and share music videos directly to social platforms.
Crucially, Mozart AI says artists retain full copyright over their work. The platform is built on commercially cleared third-party generative models, including those from ElevenLabs, which are trained exclusively on licensed material, enabling users to release and monetise their music without legal uncertainty.
Sundar Arvind, chief executive and co-founder of Mozart AI, said the company’s aim was to remove technical barriers without diluting artistic control. “Far from replacing creativity, AI is levelling up the adrenaline-filled process through which musicians compose and discover the right sounds,” he said. “We’re building toward a world where a spark of creativity can be turned into a release-ready, monetisable song in minutes.”
Industry figures echoed that sentiment. Ash Pournori, songwriter and former manager of Avicii, said the most successful AI music platforms would be those that empower rather than threaten artists. Meanwhile Umair Ali, producer for Kodak Black and Lil Baby, described Mozart AI as “an always-on sketchpad” that accelerates ideation without flattening the creative process.
Daniel Waterhouse, general partner at Balderton Capital, said the investment reflected a belief that AI tools must work with musicians, not against them. “Mozart AI enables artists to spend more time experimenting and iterating on ideas, rather than wrestling with clunky legacy software,” he said.
Founded by a team that blends musical and technical expertise, Mozart AI has moved from concept to premium product in less than a year. With fresh funding secured and a growing user base, the company is now betting that its artist-led vision can help define the next generation of music technology.
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Mozart AI raises $6m to put artists at the heart of AI-powered music creation

Ed Miliband has approved a sweeping expansion of renewable energy projects across the UK, backing solar farms that could cover an area of farmland close to the size of Manchester, alongside dozens of new onshore wind developments.
On Tuesday, the energy secretary awarded consumer-funded subsidies to 134 new solar farms across England and a further 23 in Wales and Scotland. He also approved 28 large onshore wind projects, mainly located on hillsides in Scotland and Wales.
Among the schemes given the green light is the vast West Burton solar farm on prime agricultural land on the Lincolnshire–Nottinghamshire border, as well as one of the UK’s most northerly solar developments on farmland in north Aberdeenshire. Miliband has also approved England’s largest onshore wind project in a decade, the 20 megawatt Imerys Wind Farm on a former mining site in Cornwall.
Under the government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) regime, operators of the new projects will receive a guaranteed minimum price for the electricity they generate for up to 20 years after becoming operational, with the difference funded through levies on consumer energy bills.
The announcement was welcomed by renewable energy developers and industry groups, who argue that large-scale solar and onshore wind are among the cheapest ways to generate new electricity.
However, countryside and community campaigners warned that the decision risks long-term damage to farmland and rural landscapes.
Claire Coutinho, Labour’s shadow energy secretary, said the subsidies would ultimately raise household bills. “The true cost of this power, once you add in network charges and back-up, is far higher,” she said. “All this will do is make electricity more expensive, when what we need is cheaper power to support growth and living standards.”
The approvals include 4.9 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity, 1.3GW of onshore wind and four experimental tidal schemes totalling 21 megawatts. They follow confirmation earlier this month of subsidies for 8.4GW of offshore wind capacity.
Campaign groups argue that the land impact of solar is being underestimated. Rosie Pearson, chair of the Community Planning Alliance, said: “This represents further destruction of countryside and best farmland while warehouse roofs, car parks and houses sit empty of solar panels. Add the pylons that accompany these schemes and rural areas are being industrialised.”
Based on previous developments, the solar farms approved could cover more than 40 square miles of mainly agricultural land, close to the size of Manchester, which spans about 45 square miles. The solar industry counters that improved panel efficiency could reduce the final land take to around 36 square miles, roughly equivalent to Stoke-on-Trent.
Concerns were also raised about the pace of onshore wind development in Scotland. Helen Crawford of the Highland Community Council Convention on Major Energy Infrastructure said communities were being left behind by planning decisions. “The lack of strategic spatial planning has created a democratic deficit between communities and policymakers,” she said.
Industry bodies rejected claims that the projects would push up costs. James Robottom of RenewableUK said new onshore wind would protect consumers from volatile gas prices, while Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK, described the approvals as “proof positive” that solar delivers the cheapest available power.
Miliband defended the decision, saying the expansion would strengthen energy security and cut bills over the long term. “By backing solar and onshore wind at scale, we’re driving bills down for good and protecting families and businesses from the fossil-fuel rollercoaster controlled by petrostates and dictators,” he said.
Under the latest CfD terms, new onshore wind farms will receive a minimum price of £75.50 per megawatt hour (MWh) in today’s prices, while solar projects will receive £68.17 per MWh. That compares with market prices of around £60 per MWh for electricity expected to be delivered in summer 2028.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has previously warned that CfD levies on consumer and business energy bills are projected to rise from £2.3 billion in 2024–25 to around £5 billion by 2030–31, intensifying the political debate over who ultimately pays for the UK’s clean energy transition.
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Miliband backs solar and wind projects covering farmland nearly the size of Manchester

The founder of Starling Bank has reduced her shareholding in the fintech, as new filings reveal that Anne Boden has cut her stake during a secondary share sale that valued the business at up to £4 billion.
Boden, who launched Starling in 2014 after senior roles at Allied Irish Banks and Lloyds, has lowered her holding to around 2.7 per cent from a previous 4.3 per cent, according to the disclosures.
The move follows a secondary share sale launched by Starling last year, aimed at allowing existing shareholders to sell down stakes while creating opportunities for new investors. At the time, the bank was targeting a valuation of between £3.5 billion and £4 billion, according to the Financial Times.
The filings show that Chrysalis Investments, which counts Starling as 53 per cent of its portfolio, retained a stake of more than 10 per cent. The Guernsey-based investment trust has been a long-term backer of Starling, leading a £30 million funding round in 2019 and investing a further £20 million in 2023.
Starling’s largest shareholder remains billionaire Harald McPike, who continues to hold more than 40 per cent of the company through his investment vehicle JTC Holdings.
The secondary sale comes amid a shift in tone from Starling’s leadership on a potential stock market listing. Over the past year, the bank’s senior team has signalled increased openness to a US flotation, marking a departure from earlier commitments to London.
Declan Ferguson, Starling’s chief financial officer, has said the bank has not yet formed a “concrete view” on the most suitable market for a listing, describing the decision as “in flux”. That contrasts with comments made in 2024 by former interim chief executive John Mountain, who said the fintech was “very committed” to a London listing and described the City as its “natural home”.
Mountain succeeded Boden as chief executive in May 2023. Her departure followed reports of tensions with investors after fund manager Jupiter sold its stake in Starling at a price below its previous valuation. Boden later said her decision to step down reflected concerns that her role as chief executive was being unduly influenced by her position as a shareholder.
When asked about her reduced stake, Boden declined to comment.
A spokesperson for Starling said: “During the last year, one of our shareholders agreed to sell some of their shares to another of our shareholders in a private, bilateral transaction. This was done with the company’s full knowledge and support.”
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Starling founder Anne Boden cuts stake in £4bn fintech

UK semiconductor start-up Fractile has announced a £100 million expansion of its British operations, scaling up in London and Bristol as ministers intensify calls for greater domestic ownership of critical artificial intelligence technology.
The investment, to be deployed over the next three years, will fund a new industrial hardware engineering facility in Bristol, alongside the expansion of Fractile’s existing UK sites and a significant increase in its domestic workforce.
The company is focused on developing AI chips optimised for inference, the stage at which large language models generate outputs, an area of growing strategic importance as demand for real-time AI applications accelerates.
Engineers at the new Bristol facility will work on integrating Fractile’s chips into full AI systems and will operate a specialist software testing lab, allowing the company to develop and validate hardware and software in tandem.
The announcement comes as Kanishka Narayan, the government’s AI minister, prepares to urge Britain’s technology founders and investors to “embrace risk” and back home-grown innovation in a speech to the UK’s AI sector. He is expected to stress that British ownership of foundational technologies will be critical if the UK is to shape the future direction of AI.
Founded in 2022, Fractile is developing in-memory computing chips designed to run powerful AI models faster and with significantly lower energy consumption than conventional hardware. The market for AI inference chips is currently dominated by Nvidia, but is increasingly attracting start-ups and hyperscalers seeking more efficient and lower-cost alternatives.
Fractile is backed by the NATO Innovation Fund and has raised more than $35 million (£25.5 million) to date. The company says its technology could dramatically reduce both the cost and power required to run large AI models, an increasingly pressing constraint as data centre demand surges globally.
The expansion is being viewed as a vote of confidence in the UK’s ambitions to build a domestic AI hardware ecosystem, alongside continued investment in software, data and infrastructure. Ministers have identified “sovereign” computing capacity as a national priority, amid rising concerns over supply chains, ownership and national security.
Fractile said the £100 million commitment underlined its long-term intention to build and scale advanced semiconductor hardware on home soil, as scrutiny intensifies across the UK tech sector over who controls critical digital infrastructure.
The move follows a strong year for government-backed AI initiatives, with tens of billions of pounds of private capital pledged to UK AI projects and thousands of jobs expected to be created under the government’s year-old AI Opportunities Action Plan.
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Fractile commits £100m UK expansion as it ramps up AI chip development

Innovate UK has awarded more than £300,000 in funding to a collaboration between the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Sustainable Innovation and UK healthtech company Sanome, to accelerate the development of an AI-enabled system for the early detection of hospital-acquired infections.
The 18-month SMART grant will support the co-design and roll-out of MEMORI, a Class IIb CE-certified software-as-a-medical-device (SaMD) platform that analyses real-time clinical data to predict infection risk up to seven days before symptoms appear.
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) account for more than 20 per cent of NHS bed days each year, with research suggesting that between 35 and 55 per cent are preventable through earlier detection and intervention. Conditions such as pneumonia, MRSA and Clostridium difficile contribute an estimated 7.1 million excess bed days annually, at a cost of around £2.7 billion to the NHS.
Preliminary studies using MEMORI’s first certified version have already shown it outperforming the NHS-standard National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) in detecting patient deterioration. The new funding will support the development of enhanced capabilities, including:
• Integration of additional multimodal data sources such as laboratory results, prescriptions and clinical notes, alongside existing inputs including vital signs and medications
• Deeper integration with Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems to embed insights into clinicians’ existing workflows
• A targeted 20 per cent improvement in predictive accuracy, extending the window for early intervention
• Improved explainability and machine-learning performance to increase transparency and clinical confidence
The upgraded MEMORI v2 platform will be validated through a large-scale live deployment across multiple wards at Royal Devon University NHS Foundation Trust, addressing what remains one of the NHS’s most persistent clinical and financial challenges.
The collaboration is supported by the NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre and is intended to pave the way for broader adoption across the NHS. It also lays the foundations for a long-term partnership between Sanome and the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre, hosted by the Royal Devon in partnership with the University of Exeter.
Together, the partners aim to build a longitudinal, real-time view of patient health, initially focused on infection risk but designed to expand into wider preventative and personalised care pathways.
Benedikt von Thüngen, chief executive and founder of Sanome, said: “Our mission is to prevent deterioration before it becomes life-threatening. MEMORI shows how real-world NHS data, when safely unlocked, can be transformed into actionable bedside insights using multimodal AI. Working with the Exeter HealthTech Research Centre, with support from Innovate UK, allows us to demonstrate both the clinical and system-wide benefits of AI in one of the UK’s leading NHS trusts.”
Dr Nick Kennedy, digital innovation and AI theme lead at the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Sustainable Innovation and a consultant gastroenterologist at the Royal Devon, said early intervention was critical. “Hospital-acquired infections remain one of the biggest threats to patient safety, particularly for vulnerable patients. By co-designing MEMORI, we can show how AI can support clinicians, transform care and ultimately save lives.”
Chris Sawyer, innovation lead for digital health at Innovate UK, added: “Supporting the safe introduction of AI into frontline NHS care is essential for building a more resilient, patient-centred health service. This partnership is a strong example of how innovation and clinical expertise can combine to tackle long-standing challenges.”
Initial impact data from the live deployment is expected throughout 2026, alongside plans for further rollout across NHS trusts and healthcare organisations nationwide.
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Innovate UK awards £300k grant to boost AI-led early detection of hospital infections

Training workers to use artificial intelligence will be “critical” to managing disruption in the UK labour market, according to Andrew Bailey, who said there were already signs that AI was reshaping careers and hiring patterns.
Speaking at a conference in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Bailey said the long-term impact of AI on employment remained “highly uncertain”, but warned that early indicators pointed to meaningful change.
“In the UK, in the last three years, new online vacancies in the most AI-exposed roles have decreased by more than twice as much as in the least exposed group,” he said.
“On the positive side, however, there has been a significant increase in new tasks, such as integrating AI tools into firms’ workflow processes.”
Bailey cautioned against drawing simplistic conclusions about the effect of AI on jobs, stressing that education and reskilling would be central to ensuring workers were not left behind. “Education and training in AI skills will be critical,” he said. “We shouldn’t resort to oversimplified conclusions on the employment effects.”
His comments came at the end of a volatile week for global markets, during which renewed anxiety over artificial intelligence wiped more than $1 trillion off the combined value of the world’s largest technology and software companies.
Investor nerves were rattled in part by new product launches from Anthropic, one of the world’s leading AI developers. The company unveiled tools aimed at automating legal work such as contract review, alongside its latest Claude Opus 4.6 model, which is capable of analysing complex information and producing presentations and spreadsheets.
The developments fuelled fears about job displacement and business model disruption, triggering sharp share price falls among UK-listed companies seen as highly exposed to AI. These included RELX, London Stock Exchange Group, and Sage.
At the same time, concerns grew that enthusiasm for AI may have run ahead of reality in the US technology sector. Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft have collectively committed to spending around $660 billion this year on data centres and advanced computer chips to support AI development.
Fears that such vast capital investment may not deliver sufficient returns have weighed on share prices, adding to wider market turbulence. The pullback follows years of strong gains in US technology stocks, driven by investor optimism about AI-led productivity gains, optimism that has also raised concerns about a potential bubble.
Bailey said there were signs of “fear of missing out” in markets, reinforced by claims that AI represents a structural break from previous technology cycles. “We have seen arguments along the lines of ‘this time is different’, for instance because of the expected productivity benefits of AI,” he said.
He warned that this narrative risked complacency among investors and policymakers alike. “Expectations of AI-driven productivity gains could be disappointed,” he said.
Despite the caution, Bailey struck a broadly optimistic note on the long-term economic potential of AI and robotics. He said he believed the technologies could boost productivity and growth by automating repetitive tasks and creating entirely new types of work.
However, he added that the transition would not be painless. “Some industries might shrink, others grow, and affected workers will need to retrain to adapt their skills,” he said, underlining once again that investment in training would be decisive in shaping the future of the UK jobs market.
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Andrew Bailey warns AI training is critical to future of UK jobs

Ocado is preparing plans that could see up to 1,000 jobs cut as part of a renewed effort to rein in costs, following a difficult year for its automated warehouse technology business.
Up to 5 per cent of the group’s global workforce could be affected, according to people familiar with the discussions, although talks remain at an early stage and no final decision has been taken. An announcement could come as soon as this month.
The majority of redundancies are expected to fall at Ocado’s UK head office, with technology roles likely to be among those affected alongside back-office functions such as legal, finance and human resources.
The proposed cuts come ahead of Ocado’s full-year results on 26 February, after the group reiterated last month that it was targeting positive cashflow in the next financial year, “underpinned by rigorous cost and capital discipline”.
Last year, Ocado said it would cut around 500 roles in technology and finance as it scaled back research and development spending. That followed around 1,000 redundancies across the group in 2023 and 2024.
Founded in 2000 by three former Goldman Sachs bankers, Ocado has built its business around selling robot-operated warehouse systems to global grocery chains, alongside its online grocery joint venture with Marks & Spencer.
However, investor confidence has been shaken after two major North American partners announced plans to close a number of Ocado’s automated warehouses, known as customer fulfilment centres (CFCs), citing concerns over costs and efficiency.
Shares in the FTSE 250 group have fallen by almost a third over the past year. In November, US supermarket giant Kroger said it would close three CFCs, a move that briefly pushed Ocado’s share price back towards the 180p level at which it floated in 2010.
That was followed late last month by Sobeys, which announced plans to shut a CFC in Calgary, Alberta, pointing to slower-than-expected growth in online grocery shopping and the limited size of the regional market.
Although Ocado is set to receive hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation linked to the closures, analysts have warned that the setbacks could undermine its ability to secure new international partnerships. Mutual exclusivity agreements with most retail partners expired in December, raising questions about the long-term pipeline for its technology.
Tim Steiner, Ocado’s founder and chief executive, has previously described the company as the “Tesla of grocery”. Despite its technological ambitions, the group has yet to turn a profit. Pre-tax losses narrowed slightly last year to £374.5 million, from £393.6 million in 2024.
In a statement, Ocado said: “We regularly review our operations to ensure we’re set up for long-term success. If and when decisions are made that affect our people, we are committed to communicating with them directly and ensuring they are supported throughout.”
The coming weeks are likely to be closely watched by investors and staff alike as Ocado seeks to stabilise its business and prove it can translate cutting-edge automation into sustainable financial returns.
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Ocado considers up to 1,000 job cuts in renewed cost-cutting drive

Small business owners struggling with the stress caused by late or unpaid invoices have been offered new support, as fresh guidance is launched to address the mental health impact of cashflow pressure.
Timed to coincide with Time to Talk Day, the Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) has published new online guidance designed to help SMEs and freelancers access mental health support while also pointing them towards practical steps to tackle late payment issues.
Late payment is typically framed as a financial problem, but growing evidence suggests it can also take a significant toll on wellbeing. For many business owners, uncertainty over when they will be paid can trigger ongoing anxiety about meeting overheads, paying staff and keeping their business viable.
The new guidance brings together business-focused advice and trusted mental health resources in one place, offering support for owners who may be feeling overwhelmed. It also outlines practical actions SMEs can take when unpaid invoices begin to affect their financial stability and mental health.
The resource has been developed alongside research from Leapers, which examined the link between financial stress and mental health among small business owners and freelancers.
Emma Jones, Small Business Commissioner (pictured), said running a business can be mentally demanding, particularly when payment delays are involved. She said it was vital that freelancers and small business owners know where to turn for support and feel able to ask for help.
“Having founded a small business support platform and network before becoming Small Business Commissioner, I have seen the profound and positive impact when freelancers join a community of like-minded peers,” Jones said. “At the Office of the Small Business Commissioner we are committed to playing our part, with a focus on tackling and challenging late payment, so those going into self-employment can realise the full benefits of working for yourself.”
However, some industry figures have warned that support alone will not solve the underlying problem.
Stephen Carter, Director of Payment Strategy at Ivalua, said the guidance was right to acknowledge the mental health impact of late payment but argued that the government must go further.
“UK SMEs don’t just need mental health support to cope with late payments. They need legislation and enforcement to stop delays in the first place,” he said. “Late payments aren’t an unavoidable fact of life; they are a failure of governance, accountability and outdated payment processes.”
Carter added that delayed payments are often driven by poor internal controls within large organisations, including fragmented procurement and finance systems, manual processes and a lack of visibility over supplier commitments. He warned that the consequences can be severe, with supply chains disrupted and smaller suppliers pushed to the brink.
Research cited by Ivalua suggests more than a third of UK businesses have seen suppliers go out of business due to cost pressures linked to late payment.
Carter urged the government to publish its response to last year’s late payment consultation without further delay, warning that continued inaction risks signalling to larger organisations that poor payment practices will be tolerated, while SMEs are left to absorb the financial and emotional strain.
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New guidance aims to help small business owners cope with mental strain of late payments