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Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation

Top News

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Artificial Intelligence

November 22, 2024 | Mike Swift

Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, Oceania

Global AI leaders see hopeful signs of alignment despite meltdown threat

DealRisk®, Mergers and Acquisitions

November 22, 2024 | Ilana Kowarski

North America

Tempur Sealy US merger trial outcome may hinge on CEO's credibility

Antitrust, DealRisk®, Mergers and Acquisitions

November 22, 2024 | Natalie McNelis

Europe

National regulators struggle to enforce EU Big Tech rules, Mundt says

Antitrust View More

Trump antitrust enforcers will maintain priorities, US FTC's Liu predicts

November 22, 2024 | Khushita Vasant and Wesley Brown

North America

The Trump administration will be inclined towards rigorous antitrust enforcement, with federal enforcers expected to keep up the fight against serial acquisitions and vertical mergers, a top Federal Trade Comm... (more story)

Google files reply in support of motion to dismiss Yelp's antitrust lawsuit

November 22, 2024

North America

MLex Summary: Google again urged a California federal judge to dismiss Yelp's claims that the search giant illegally monopolized the markets for local search services and local search advertising. In a reply i... (more story)

Change to FTC’s Section 5 enforcement likely inevitable despite win in Amazon case

November 22, 2024 | Alex Wilts and Chris May

North America

The rejection of Amazon’s motion to dismiss the US Federal Trade Commission’s claims that it engaged in unfair methods of competition is unlikely to deter FTC leadership under the Trump administration from par... (more story)

Artificial Intelligence View More

'AI washing' remains in regulators' crosshairs as new US administration looms

November 22, 2024 | Amy Miller

North America

As the use of artificial intelligence explodes, federal agencies are increasingly trying to rein in misleading statements made by startups and investors about the technology’s capabilities — so-called "AI wash... (more story)

Brazil’s ANPD opens public notice for regulatory sandbox

November 22, 2024

Latin America

The National Data Protection Authority announced the opening of a call for partnerships with universities and public institutions interested in providing consulting services for the agency's Regulatory Sandbox... (more story)

UK will hold global AI standards summit next year, minister says

November 22, 2024

Africa,Asia,Europe,Latin America,Middle East,North America,Oceania

MLex Summary: The UK’s AI Standards Hub will host a global summit on standards for artificial intelligence technologies next March, a minister told an AI conference organized by the World Trade Organization. T... (more story)

Mergers and Acquisitions View More

Trump 2.0 merger enforcement expected to remain strong in some sectors

November 22, 2024 | Flavia Fortes

North America

Under a second Trump administration, merger enforcement is overall expected to decrease, as is the application of some of the more novel antitrust theories of harm from the Biden administration, but the change... (more story)

ConocoPhillips completes acquisition of Marathon Oil

November 22, 2024

North America

MLex Summary: ConocoPhillips said it has completed its acquisition of Marathon Oil Corporation.

Vodafone-Three clearance would be a ‘surprising’ UK U-turn, Loriot says

November 22, 2024 | Natalie McNelis

Europe

The EU's top merger official has expressed surprise that a merger between Vodafone and Three's UK operations could be approved by the country's competition authority on the basis of behavioral remedies, includ... (more story)

Data Privacy and Security View More

Lawsuit against Meta over 'Unfollow Everything' extension dismissed by US judge

November 22, 2024

North America

MLex Summary: A US federal judge granted Meta Platforms’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Ethan Zuckerman, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, seeking a declaratory judgment giving him immunity... (more story)

Georgia bows out of costly US multistate addictive-algorithm suit against Meta

November 22, 2024 | Madeline Hughes

North America

Georgia agreed to dismiss its addictive algorithms lawsuit against Meta Platforms today because of resource constraints, but pledged to keep exploring legal options to further protect the state’s children.

US lawmakers say government can impose age-access restrictions on distributors

November 22, 2024

North America

MLex Summary: US Senators Mike Lee and John Cornyn, Representative Chip Roy and 20 other members of Congress asked the Supreme Court to reaffirm that the government can prohibit the dissemination of pornograph... (more story)

Financial Crime View More

Güralp Systems has breached terms of UK plea deal, SFO says

November 22, 2024 | Martin Coyle

Europe

Güralp Systems has breached the terms of a 2019 deferred prosecution agreement that the seismic equipment-testing struck over bribery allegations, the UK’s Serious Fraud Office has said. The company became the... (more story)

UK fraud cases face 'significant challenge' from digital caseload, government told

November 22, 2024

Europe

MLex Summary: The continued growth of digital material in complex criminal cases, particularly involving fraud, are causing problems for prosecutors, a legal expert tasked with examining the UK's legal regime ... (more story)

Sanctioned Russian had UK school fees paid by relative, prosecutors allege

November 22, 2024 | Martin Coyle

Europe

The brother-in-law of Dmitry Ovsiannikov, an alleged close ally of Vladimir Putin, faces two additional criminal charges of breaching the UK’s sanctions regime over the alleged payment of private school fees, ... (more story)

Financial Services View More

UPS to pay $45 million US SEC fine for improperly valuing business unit

November 22, 2024 | Neil Roland

North America

United Parcel Service, the fabled courier-delivery service whose fortunes have been sinking as Amazon’s have been rising, agreed to pay $45 million to settle US Securities and Exchange Commission charges that ... (more story)

UPS to pay $45 million penalty to US SEC for improperly valuing business unit

November 22, 2024

North America

MLex Summary: United Parcel Service agreed to pay $45 million to the US Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve claims that it materially misrepresented its earnings because it failed to follow generally... (more story)

ECB sets out recommendations on macro-prudential policy for nonbank financial intermediation

November 22, 2024

Europe

MLex Summary: The European Central Bank provided several recommendations to strengthen the macroprudential perspective in the regulation of the nonbank financial intermediation (NBFI) sector. In its response t... (more story)

Trade View More

US seeks Mexico’s review of alleged workers’ rights denial at auto part manufacturing facility

November 22, 2024

North America

MLex Summary: The US has asked Mexico to review whether workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining are being denied at the Akwel Juárez México facility.

US Homeland Security adds 29 entities to Uyghur forced-labor list

November 22, 2024

North America

MLex Summary: The US Department of Homeland Security announced that it added 29 Chinese entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List. The list is now comprised of 107 companies total.

US Commerce initiates duty investigations into door springs from China, India

November 22, 2024

Asia, North America

MLex Summary: The US Commerce Department initiated antidumping and antisubsidy duty investigations into overhead door counterbalance torsion springs from China and India.

State Aid View More

German aid to Westspiel must be recovered, EU watchdog says

November 22, 2024

Europe

MLex Summary: A German capital injection of 64.8 million euros in favor of casino operator Westdeutsche Spielbanken isn't in line with the EU's state aid rules and must, therefore, be clawed back, including in... (more story)

Cineca didn't receive Italian state aid, EU watchdog says

November 21, 2024

Europe

MLex Summary: Italian measures in favor of Cineca, a non-profit consortium, whose members include the Ministry of Education and Research as well as universities and institutions in the country, don't constitut... (more story)

Romania's aid to energy-intensive companies wins approval in EU

November 21, 2024

Europe

MLex Summary: Romania has won state aid approval for its plan worth 578 million euros to fund the reduction of a power levy rate for energy-intensive businesses, which promotes electricity from renewable sourc... (more story)

Energy View More

EU should adopt tech neutrality, back nuclear energy, key business lobbies say

November 22, 2024

Europe

MLex Summary: The EU should adopt a technology-neutral approach and back all low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear, the French, German and Italian industry associations have said in a joint declaration.... (more story)

Polluting EU automakers should not be fined next year, center-right EPP set to say

November 21, 2024 | Stefano Porciello and Oscar Pandiello

Europe

EU automakers missing next year’s CO2 reduction goal should not be fined, the powerful center-right European People’s Party is set to say, according to a draft paper seen by MLex. The party also asks to revers... (more story)

Angola's Dos Santos and Ukrainian oligarch Firtash sanctioned under UK 'kleptocrats' crackdown

November 21, 2024 | Martin Coyle

Europe

Isobel Dos Santos, once known as Africa’s richest woman, and Dmitry Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch accused of bribery, were both sanctioned by the UK government today as part of a dirty money crackdown. The mea... (more story)

Technology View More

State agencies warned of contempt proceedings in US social-media addiction litigation

November 22, 2024 | Xu Yuan

North America

State agencies, particularly those in California, risk facing contempt proceedings for failure to comply with court orders over the production of documents in multidistrict litigation over social media’s alleg... (more story)

Ohio, Indiana, other states back Texas age-gating law at Supreme Court

November 22, 2024

North America

MLex Summary: Ohio, Indiana and 22 other states told the US Supreme Court that states have undisputed power to restrict minors’ access to obscene content, including pornography, urging it to uphold Texas’ age-... (more story)

'No plans' to ban social media or smartphones for children, UK government says

November 22, 2024 | Patricia Figueiredo

Europe

Online platforms and tech companies were told today that the UK has "no current plans" to ban social media or smartphones for children or under 16s, despite an earlier suggestion by minister Peter Kyle that it... (more story)