Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation

USTR hears concerns on Russia digital laws ahead of WTO report

EU standards overhaul risks weakening global tech influence, ETSI warns

Meta's pugilistic trial strategy proved costly in recent US litigation

US trade court certifies importer class, opening new tariff refund fight

OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta asked by EU about AI law compliance, tech chief says

Latest News

Top News

AI privacy

Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy and Security

October 14, 2026 | Mike Swift

North America

In new OpenAI, SpaceX suits, privacy emerges as growing US AI litigation risk
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser

Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy and Security

October 14, 2026 | Emma Whitford

North America

US states say consumer protections must be part of any Character.AI sale
Aus beef cattle

Antitrust

October 14, 2026 | Chris May

North America

Meatpackers seek to slow US antitrust case during class certification appeal
In new OpenAI, SpaceX suits, privacy emerges as growing US AI litigation risk
US states say consumer protections must be part of any Character.AI sale
Meatpackers seek to slow US antitrust case during class certification appeal

Antitrust View More

Australian watchdog backs broad merger scrutiny ahead of thresholds review

October 15, 2026 | Sean Maguire

Oceania

Australia’s competition watchdog has defended the broad reach of the new mandatory merger regime ahead of Treasury’s review of notification thresholds, saying it is revealing consolidation in essential service... (more story)

Australian competition watchdog seeks views on mobile coverage and services

October 15, 2026

Oceania

MLex Summary: The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission on Thursday said it is seeking feedback on mobile coverage, prices, service quality and provider choice, particularly in regional and remote areas... (more story)

In US FTC-Amazon case, judge issues 'ground rules' for Economics Day hearing

October 14, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: The federal judge overseeing the US Federal Trade Commission's case against Amazon issued ground rules for a second "Economics Day hearing" scheduled for Dec. 4, where the parties' experts will p... (more story)

Artificial Intelligence View More

Global FSB identifies 12 ways to minimize AI risks, maximize responsible adoption

October 15, 2026 | Neil Roland

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

The Financial Stability Board identified 12 ways to minimize artificial intelligence risks among financial firms while maximizing responsible AI adoption – including “strongly” encouraging board and senior man... (more story)

​Monitor usage of AI agents, financial institutions worldwide are told

October 15, 2026

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

MLex Summary: Financial institutions should strengthen oversight of autonomous AI, limit agents’ actions, set triggers for human approval and test mechanisms to stop them safely, the Financial Stability Board ... (more story)

Japan's NICT, companies to develop AI safety-testing system

October 15, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, or NICT, a public research institute under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, said in a joint statement ... (more story)

Mergers and Acquisitions View More

Vehicle auctioneers Copart, ACV see US merger review period expire

October 14, 2026 | Ilana Kowarski

North America

Copart and ACV Auctions — two companies that not only provide sales venues for automobiles but also provide data on used cars — announced the expiry of the US antitrust review wait period for their merger via ... (more story)

Ânima Educação buyout of FMU under review in Brazil

October 14, 2026

Latin America

MLex Summary:  Brazil’s competition watchdog, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense, will conduct a full-form review of Ânima Educação’s acquisition of Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas Educacionais (... (more story)

Manaus cinemas cite property barriers, signal demand absorption to Brazil's CADE

October 14, 2026 | Henrique Santiago

Latin America

Rivals in the sale of UCI Cinemas' business to a new joint venture known as Cia Brasileira de Cinemas told Brazil's competition authority that the capital of Amazonas offers a limited number of movie theaters ... (more story)

Data Privacy and Security View More

OpenAI sued by eight US states on claims ChatGPT 'coached' harmful acts

October 15, 2026 | Mike Swift

North America

OpenAI was sued by the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and West Virginia over consumer protection allegations that the maker of ChatGPT misrepresented the chatbot as a safe ... (more story)

Australia's digital duty-of-care bill proposes opt-in for algorithmic feeds

October 14, 2026

Oceania

MLex Summary: The digital duty-of-care legislation introduced in the Australian parliament on Thursday proposes requiring social media services to let users decide if they want to opt in to the algorithm, a mi... (more story)

Supreme Court justices ask how 1988 US video law applies to new technologies

October 14, 2026 | Madeline Hughes

North America

As US Supreme Court justices heard arguments Wednesday about who qualifies as a consumer under the Video Privacy Protection Act, they asked a broad range of questions about how the law should apply to new technologies.

Intellectual Property View More

OpenAI agrees to give Apple forensic access to employees' devices in trade secrets dispute

October 15, 2026 | Maria Dinzeo

North America

OpenAI has agreed to give Apple forensic access to its employees' devices, emails and messages known to contain Apple's confidential information, avoiding a court order in a contentious trade secrets dispute i... (more story)

Tech, auto groups back Apple's bid to tighten USITC domestic-industry test

October 14, 2026 | Steve Scherer

North America

In three separate briefs, two industry coalitions and Unified Patents urged the US Supreme Court to hear Apple's challenge to an Apple Watch import ban arising from its patent dispute with Masimo. They contend... (more story)

Anthropic moves to dismiss BMG's US copyright claims

October 14, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: Anthropic moved to dismiss BMG’s US copyright claims over musical composition, arguing that BMG can’t identify any infringing outputs by its Claude models. Anthropic noted that the suit is the th... (more story)

Financial Crime View More

Colombian businessman makes initial US appearance over Venezuela bribery schemes

October 14, 2026 | Samuel Rubenfeld

North America

Alvaro Pulido Vargas, a Colombian businessman, made his initial appearance in Miami federal court on charges in two separate indictments involving the alleged laundering of more than $2 billion associated with... (more story)

Bosnian man sentenced to prison in US over scheme to buy North Korean missiles

October 14, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: A Bosnian national was sentenced to 60 months in US prison after pleading guilty to federal export and sanctions violations by conspiring and attempting to broker the sale of anti-aircraft missil... (more story)

AI-enabled financial fraud needs stronger safeguards, IMF, World Bank say

October 14, 2026

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

MLex Summary: Generative AI is making cyber-enabled financial fraud easier to scale, says a paper accompanying a framework from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group, as the two authorities issu... (more story)

Financial Services View More

US OCC releases report on major banks’ debanking activities

October 14, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has released a report of its findings from its supervisory review of debanking activities at the nine largest national banks it supervises: JPMorg... (more story)

Rules for supervisory review of CSDs published in EU Official Journal

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: A set of regulatory measures governing the supervisory review and evaluation of central securities depositories, or CSDs, and settlement discipline was published on Wednesday in the Official Jour... (more story)

EU lawmakers seek deal on divisive crypto oversight, stablecoins, market abuse

October 14, 2026 | Fanny Roux

Europe

Significant cryptoasset service providers would come under ESMA's direct supervision, and smaller ones could opt for EU-level oversight, under a compromise proposed as part of lawmakers' scrutiny of the EU cap... (more story)

Trade View More

US trade commission hears testimony on USMCA rules of origin

October 14, 2026 | Zack Budryk

North America

Witnesses told the US International Trade Commission Wednesday that any update to the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement's automotive rules of origin must address both the proliferation of EVs and US worker protections.

US Commerce says Brazil, Norway dumping pulp

October 14, 2026

Europe, Latin America

MLex Summary: The US Commerce Department said in a final determination that Brazil and Norway are dumping and Brazil is subsidizing high purity dissolving pulp. Commerce assigned Brazilian producers a 6.50 per... (more story)

USTR invokes USMCA labor mechanism to examine Mexican textile factory

October 14, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: The Office of the US Trade Representative has invoked the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement's Rapid Response Labor Mechanism to review potential labor rights violations, including denial of c... (more story)

State Aid View More

Greek row over state aid for newspapers prompts EU court questions

October 14, 2026 | Jean Comte

Europe

The EU's top court has been asked to specify which criteria member states can use to decide whether two companies should be considered as a single state aid recipient. The dispute is related to a legal challen... (more story)

Leonardo's military-vehicle deal EU clearance decision published

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Italian defense company Leonardo saw its approved deal with Iveco and Astra published by the European Commission on Wednesday, seven months after its clearance. The regulator found that the trans... (more story)

Bidder in Greek energy tender gets EU 'call in' under foreign subsidies rules

October 13, 2026 | Lewis Crofts

Europe

A foreign-backed company bidding for a tender in Greece's energy sector must notify the European Commission of financial contributions it has received from outside the EU, even though the bid falls below manda... (more story)

Energy View More

Delay to EU methane importers' reporting requirements to 'alleviate pressure'

October 14, 2026 | Louis de Briant

Europe

EU methane monitoring, reporting and verification requirements for fossil-fuel importers would be postponed by 12 months to January 2028 under a European Commission proposal announced Wednesday. The delay woul... (more story)

EU fossil-fuel importers see proposal for 12-month methane reporting delay

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: The European Commission has proposed delaying by one year methane emissions monitoring, reporting and verification requirements for EU importers of natural gas, oil and coal, as well as methane-i... (more story)

Former Goldman banker Berko loses effort to throw out US bribery conviction

October 13, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: A US judge has denied former Goldman Sachs banker Asante Berko's post-verdict motion for acquittal on corruption charges for paying bribes to Ghanaian officials to open a power plant. The judge a... (more story)

Technology View More

Florida social media law doesn’t violate First Amendment, US court says

October 14, 2026 | Xu Yuan

North America

A Florida law that imposes age-based restrictions on social media platforms to protect children online doesn’t violate the Constitution, a US appeals court ruled, reversing a preliminary injunction against the law.

OpenAI sued by Montana over safety concerns

October 14, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of knowingly encouraging harmful behavior among children and teenagers and engaging in other deceptive practices throug... (more story)

Character.AI bankruptcy spurs US states to seek consumer protections

October 14, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: State attorneys general made a filing in bankruptcy court identifying concerns about Character.AI’s safety and privacy practices and calling for consumer protections in any sale of the company's ... (more story)