Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation

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Data Privacy and Security

October 08, 2026 | Mike Swift

North America

Trial looms for Apple following loss in Ill. biometric privacy case over Photos app
Colin McDonald

Financial Crime

October 08, 2026 | Samuel Rubenfeld

North America

New US DOJ Fraud Division gets marching orders for corporate investigations
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes

Antitrust, DealRisk®, Mergers and Acquisitions

October 08, 2026 | Curtis Eichelberger

North America

US state AGs say competition enforcement will factor into election campaigns

Antitrust View More

Hong Kong competition regulator's first false-information case goes to court

October 09, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: An individual appeared in Hong Kong's Eastern Magistrates' Courts on Friday in the first criminal case involving allegedly providing false or misleading information to the Competition Commission,... (more story)

Japan to survey 50,000 businesses on unfair IP practices

October 09, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: Japan's antitrust watchdog said Friday that it would survey 50,000 businesses to examine potentially unfair practices involving intellectual property rights, know-how and data, following the publ... (more story)

China proposes supply-chain assessments for shipping cooperation agreements

October 09, 2026 | MLex Staff

Asia

International liner shipping companies would be required to assess how their cooperation agreements affect China's shipping-related industrial and supply chains under proposed regulations that would also intro... (more story)

Artificial Intelligence View More

Dutch privacy watchdog sets up AI oversight directorate

October 09, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: The Netherlands’ privacy regulator has established a directorate to coordinate AI oversight and prepare for enforcement of the EU’s AI Act, it said Friday. The regulator has yet to be formally de... (more story)

China proposes tighter algorithm controls to protect platform workers

October 09, 2026 | MLex Staff

Asia

China is proposing tighter controls on algorithms used to manage platform workers, seeking greater transparency and human oversight of decisions affecting their livelihoods as part of broader labor protections... (more story)

China proposes tighter algorithm rules, broader protections for platform workers

October 09, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: Seven Chinese government agencies have proposed broader protections for platform workers, including restrictions on how companies use algorithms to manage their work, with public comments open th... (more story)

Mergers and Acquisitions View More

CSG Chemical Solutions wins Irish clearance for Celtic Water acquisition

October 09, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: CSG Chemical Solutions’ proposed acquisition of Celtic Water Care Solutions was cleared by the Irish competition authority on Friday after an in-depth probe. The deal does not substantially lesse... (more story)

Amplifon's GN Hearing deal open for views in EU

October 09, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Parties interested in providing feedback on Italian hearing aid company Amplifon to acquire Danish business GN Hearing now have ten days to reach out to the European Commission. The EU merger reg... (more story)

Thailand's dominance overhaul lowers thresholds but clouds digital-platform criteria

October 09, 2026 | Choltanutkun Tun-atiruj

Asia

Thailand's proposed overhaul of market-dominance and merger-control rules could bring more businesses and transactions under competition scrutiny, but the absence of clear criteria for assessing dominance in d... (more story)

Data Privacy and Security View More

Automated nuisance call complaints hit five-year high, UK regulator says

October 09, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: The UK’s Information Commission’s Office is investigating a surge in automated nuisance calls after complaints reached their highest level since 2021, it said Friday. Complaints rose from 1,374 i... (more story)

Japan's Adventure reports data breach affecting 14.6m customer records

October 09, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: Adventure, a Japanese online travel-booking platform operator, said on Friday that unauthorized access affecting its skyticket online travel-booking platform resulted in the leak or potential lea... (more story)

Philippine Senate backs under-18 social-media ban, House favors tiered approach

October 09, 2026 | James Konstantin Galvez

Asia

The Philippine Senate has approved a bill that would prohibit people under 18 from holding or using social-media accounts, setting up a potential clash with a House proposal that would allow teenagers access u... (more story)

Intellectual Property View More

Japan Supreme Court finds tort liability for free-riding beyond copyright

October 09, 2026 | Toko Sekiguchi

Asia

Japan’s Supreme Court for the first time found the “special circumstances” test satisfied for tort liability when a business copies material outside copyright protection, upholding damages over a free, adverti... (more story)

Cloudflare appeals Italian ruling upholding €14.2m piracy-blocking fine

October 09, 2026 | Giorgi Dvalishvili

Europe

US internet services provider Cloudflare has appealed Italian court rulings that upheld a regulatory order for it to help prevent users in Italy from reaching sites reported as carrying pirated live streams an... (more story)

China proposes examination rules for bad-faith trademark filings, dynamic marks

October 09, 2026 | MLex Staff

Asia

China has proposed more detailed standards for identifying bad-faith trademark filings and protecting prior rights, while setting out examination rules for dynamic marks ahead of the implementation of its newl... (more story)

Financial Crime View More

Amex Bank fined $350 million by US OCC for BSA, money laundering defects

October 08, 2026 | Neil Roland

North America

The American Express National Bank, one of the US’s largest credit and charge card issuers by transaction volume, was fined $350 million by the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for deficiencies in ... (more story)

Former Barclays trader Merchant says bank must face 'justice' after UK appeal win

October 08, 2026 | Martin Coyle

Europe

Former Barclays trader Jay Merchant, who saw his conviction for rate rigging quashed at a London appeals court on Wednesday, has said he will sue the bank, saying it needed to face "justice."

Remaining Iranian 'shadow fleet' sanctioned by US

October 08, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: The US Treasury Department said it was targeting the remnants of Iran's shadow fleet, the aging network of tankers the government relies on to move billions of dollars worth of petroleum and petr... (more story)

Financial Services View More

EU govts reach deal on capital markets integration package stance

October 09, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: EU finance ministers reached a compromise on Friday on a major package proposal to better integrate and supervise the bloc’s capital markets. It narrows down the scope of EU-level supervision ini... (more story)

China rejects currency-manipulation claims as EU talks intensify

October 09, 2026 | Yonnex Li

Asia

China's central bank has issued a forceful rejection of claims that it manipulates the yuan exchange rate to gain trade advantages, declaring that market forces play the decisive role in determining the curren... (more story)

US GAO to probe impact of CFTC workforce cuts on duties, Warren says

October 08, 2026 | Neil Roland

North America

The nonpartisan US Government Accountability Office has said it will investigate the impact of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's workforce cuts on the agency's ability to carry out its expanding respo... (more story)

Trade View More

Armenia wins EU tariff relief after Russian trade restrictions

October 09, 2026

Asia, Europe

MLex Summary: Almost 80 percent of Armenian exports to the EU will benefit from temporary trade preferences from Saturday, under measures aimed at supporting producers affected by Russian trade restrictions, t... (more story)

EU selects 46 new raw materials projects, with recycling in focus

October 09, 2026 | Ryan Harrison and Oscar Pandiello

Europe

The EU has selected 46 new strategic raw materials projects to strengthen industrial supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. Together with earlier selections, they could meet the bloc’s 2030 ca... (more story)

Dumping probe into Sinopec's PVA imports resumes; registration begins

October 09, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: A dumping probe into imports of polyvinyl alcohol made by Sinopec will re-start with a view to recalculate the dumping tariff for the Chinese group, the European Commission said Friday. The move ... (more story)

State Aid View More

Greek energy tenders exclude three bidders after EU doubts over foreign-subsidy info

October 08, 2026 | Lewis Crofts

Europe

Three companies are blocked from submitting tenders in two public projects in the Greek energy sector after the European Commission said they'd failed to provide enough information on foreign subsidies, MLex h... (more story)

EU extends ‘temporary’ state aid rules as energy prices remain high

October 07, 2026 | Anna Lauwereys

Europe

The European Commission will extend Metsaf — its temporary state aid framework for energy-intensive industries — allowing EU countries to continue providing subsidies to companies hit by elevated energy prices... (more story)

Romanian compensation for solar energy investors open for views in EU

October 06, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: The European Commission is seeking feedback into whether an arbitration award — ordering Romania to pay €42.2 million plus interest and costs to 10 solar-energy investors — is in line with state ... (more story)

Energy View More

Singapore competition watchdog seeks feedback on ENEOS’ proposed Chevron acquisition

October 09, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: Singapore’s Competition and Consumer Commission is seeking public feedback on ENEOS APAC’s proposed acquisition of Chevron Singapore. The regulator accepted the application on Oct. 2 to assess wh... (more story)

EU renewable-energy targets for transport should extend beyond 2030, industry urges

October 08, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Binding renewable-energy targets for transport should continue beyond 2030 to support investment and reduce reliance on imported fuels, 13 industry groups urged in a joint letter to the European ... (more story)

Cleaner fuels should be central to EU refinery dialogue, official says

October 08, 2026 | Louis de Briant

Europe

Europe's refineries should put their transition to cleaner fuels at the heart of the European Commission's planned strategic dialogue to address the immediate supply and cost pressures fuelled by conflict in t... (more story)

Technology View More

Philippine Senate passes social-media ban for under-18s on third reading

October 09, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: The Philippine Senate on Thursday passed on third reading Senate Bill No. 2424, or the Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces, or SMART KIDS Act, which seeks to b... (more story)

Asos confirms customer data accessed in UK after hacker impersonated a contact

October 08, 2026 | Imogen Howse

Europe

UK fashion retailer Asos has confirmed that a hacker gained access to personal customer information — including names and contact details — after impersonating a trusted contact to obtain an employee’s login c... (more story)

Meta sued in Germany over legal costs after Digital Services Act content dispute

October 08, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Meta Platforms faces a German lawsuit over its alleged refusal to reimburse legal expenses after losing an out-of-court dispute over Facebook content originating from the Russian state-affiliated... (more story)