Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation

TikTok, Snap to take more heat in US fight over social media addiction

LetterOne appeal could influence UK national security divestment disputes

OpenAI, Microsoft amici clash over creativity, competition in US copyright fight

Anthropic says privacy concerns a pervasive regulator risk as IPO looms

Major porn sites risk EU fines as child-safety probes near completion

Latest News

Top News

Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Data Privacy and Security

November 03, 2026 | Maria Júlia Baumert

Latin America

Probe into Meta moderation practices urged by Brazil secretariat
Michael Selig, chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), speaks with US President Donald Trump during a meeting with crypto and prediction market executives in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026.

Financial Services

November 03, 2026 | Neil Roland

North America

`Equity perps’ can start trading on US CFTC-registered exchanges, Selig says
Nikki Iyer, a student at the University of California-Berkeley, is co-chair of Design It For Us, an international group of young people pushing for state design codes.

Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy and Security, Technology

November 03, 2026 | Mike Swift

North America

OpenAI facing first US age-code suit; case reflects 'drive' by young people
Probe into Meta moderation practices urged by Brazil secretariat
`Equity perps’ can start trading on US CFTC-registered exchanges, Selig says
OpenAI facing first US age-code suit; case reflects 'drive' by young people

Antitrust View More

Spanish energy group faces antitrust probe over suspected abuse of dominance

November 04, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: An unnamed energy group is under investigation over suspected abuse of dominance in Spain’s energy markets, the national competition authority said on Wednesday. The CNMC is examining possible di... (more story)

Japan's IT vendors face antitrust scrutiny over local government procurement

November 04, 2026 | Sachiko Sakamaki

Asia

Japan’s competition regulator launched a market survey Wednesday into local governments’ procurement of information technology systems, amid concerns that vendor lock-in is hampering efforts to reduce costs an... (more story)

Hong Kong targets April passage for bid-rigging bill, defends leniency system

November 04, 2026 | Yonnex Li

Asia

Hong Kong aims to pass legislation criminalizing bid rigging in building-maintenance projects by April, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau told the city's legislature. The proposed ti... (more story)

Artificial Intelligence View More

Hyundai Motor Group temporarily curbs external AI access amid security review

November 04, 2026 | Choonsik Yoo

Asia

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group has temporarily restricted employees’ access to certain external artificial intelligence services in “some areas” as part of a review of AI use, aimed at improving productivit... (more story)

China's top economic planner eyes AI social safeguards as adoption expands

November 04, 2026 | MLex staff

Asia

China plans to strengthen monitoring of job displacement caused by artificial intelligence and introduce safeguards against addiction and emotional dependence, as authorities seek to contain the technology's s... (more story)

China plans patent examination updates for AI, tougher filing scrutiny

November 04, 2026 | MLex Staff

Asia

China plans to adapt patent examination to AI-driven invention and emerging industries while tightening scrutiny of bad-faith filings and abuse of patent invalidation proceedings, according to a new plan from ... (more story)

Mergers and Acquisitions View More

Deutsche Börse's Allfunds takeover open for views in EU

November 04, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Parties interested in plans by Deutsche Börse to take over funds distribution platform Allfunds have ten days to provide comments to the European Commission. The EU merger regulator has set a pro... (more story)

AkzoNobel-Axalta deal to gain EU merger approval

November 04, 2026 | Nicholas Hirst

Europe

EU merger regulators are set to approve the $25 billion merger of paint and coatings makers AkzoNobel and Axalta after the companies tweaked their remedy offer, MLex has learned. 

OppFi abandons bid to buy BNC Bank

November 03, 2026

North America

MLex Summary:  OppFi, a technology-enabled digital finance platform that partners with banks to offer financial products and services, has withdrawn its application to federal regulators to acquire BNC Nationa... (more story)

Data Privacy and Security View More

TikTok opposes Australian duty-of-care bill over eSafety chief's 'invasive' powers

November 04, 2026 | Saloni Sinha

Oceania

TikTok Australia warned that the country’s proposed digital duty-of-care law in its current form would give the online safety regulator “invasive” powers, including to direct how online services must be operat... (more story)

Australian court recordings accessed overseas in error, privacy watchdog says

November 04, 2026 | Sean Maguire

Oceania

Australia’s privacy watchdog closed preliminary inquiries into unauthorized overseas access to federal court recordings, finding that subcontractor employees in India accessed snippets from 93 court matters fo... (more story)

Australian privacy watchdog closes inquiry into court-recordings probe

November 04, 2026

Oceania

MLex Summary: Australia's privacy watchdog issued a preliminary report on Wednesday, finding that three employees of an India-based subcontractor accessed a limited number of Australian court recordings and tr... (more story)

Intellectual Property View More

Japan heat-shielding patent win backfires as exaggerated claims trigger damages

November 04, 2026 | Toko Sekiguchi

Asia

A Japanese patent owner proved a competitor infringed its roof heat-shielding patent, but was ordered to pay damages to that same competitor after telling its franchisees that the infringement extended to othe... (more story)

Novartis trademark-sale ruling clarifies boundaries of Indian IP transfers

November 04, 2026 | Freny Patel

Asia

Novartis’s sale of Indian pharmaceutical trademarks was an outright transfer despite territorial and contractual restrictions, a Mumbai tax tribunal ruled. The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal rejected the royalt... (more story)

ROSS Intelligence asked US appeals court to revisit AI case over Westlaw

November 03, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: ROSS Intelligence asked a US appeals court to rehear a Thomson Reuters' copyright case against it over Westlaw headnotes, saying the panel asked the wrong question on its fair-use defense. "Like ... (more story)

Financial Crime View More

Block reaches 'agreement in principle' with US on anti-money laundering failures

November 03, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: Block has reached an agreement in principle with the US Justice Department for the virtual payment firm to enter a deferred prosecution agreement alleging that the company failed to maintain an e... (more story)

Venezuelan man sentenced in US to prison for laundering more than $1 billion

November 03, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: Jorge Figueira, a Venezuelan national who resided in Miami, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after laundering billions of dollars for numerous and varied illicit actors, including drug traffic... (more story)

Binance cites fake job interviews in $6.3 billion crypto theft incident report

November 03, 2026

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

MLex Summary: Binance issued an initial report on the Oct. 29 attack that led to the theft of about $6.3 billion in assets, saying the cryptocurrency exchange has closed the entry points identified as being us... (more story)

Financial Services View More

Singapore launches institute to accelerate AI adoption in finance

November 04, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: The Monetary Authority of Singapore on Tuesday said that the Future of Finance Institute has commenced operations, initially focusing on accelerating AI adoption in financial services. The public... (more story)

EU Commission to withdraw financial data access proposal, draft shows (update*)

November 03, 2026 | Fanny Roux

Europe

The European Commission plans to withdraw its proposed Financial Data Access Regulation, or FIDA, within six months, according to a draft 2027 work program, obtained by MLex. The proposal, aimed at facilitatin... (more story)

'Banking omnibus,’ geo-economic deterrence pact on EU executive's 2027 agenda

November 03, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: A package proposal dubbed “omnibus bank financing — competitiveness and simplification” and a geo-economic deterrence pact are among the key initiatives planned by the European Commission for nex... (more story)

Trade View More

Indonesia seeks expanded Developing-8 preferential trade agreement

November 04, 2026

Africa, Asia, Middle East

MLex Summary: Indonesia plans to promote greater use and potential expansion of the Developing-8 preferential trade agreement during its 2026-2027 chairmanship of the economic cooperation group, the Trade Mini... (more story)

Indian, Turkish chromium trioxide imports harm industry, USITC says in final vote

November 03, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: The US International Trade Commission unanimously voted in a final determination that a domestic industry is injured by imports of chromium trioxide from India and Turkey. Since the Department of... (more story)

Challenge to Thai, Cambodian solar cells finding dismissed by US trade court as moot

November 03, 2026 | Zack Budryk

North America

The US Court of International Trade dismissed as moot a lawsuit from a solar energy trade group against the International Trade Commission's determination that Thai and Cambodian solar cell imports did not mat... (more story)

State Aid View More

EU probe into Romanian aid to nuclear plant open for feedback

November 04, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Parties interested in Romania's plan to grant €600 million and other benefits to state-owned Nuclearelectrica National Company — to refurbish the Cernavodă 1 reactor — have one month to provide i... (more story)

Japan's Rapidus, HCLTech open chip centers in India

October 27, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: Japan's government-backed chipmaker Rapidus and Indian technology company HCLTech said on Monday that they have opened two semiconductor development centers in Bengaluru and Hubli, India, to supp... (more story)

Greek newspaper Dimokratia sees EU Court referral decision published

October 26, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: The Greek Council of State has released the public version of its decision in August to refer to the EU top court a dispute between the Greek state and the newspaper Dimokratia. The dispute regar... (more story)

Energy View More

EU Commission plans to abandon stalled energy tax reform

November 03, 2026 | Louis de Briant

Europe

The European Commission plans to withdraw its 2021 proposal to overhaul energy taxation, aimed at taxing polluting fuels more heavily, according to a draft of its 2027 work program, which the commission is exp... (more story)

xAI ruling deals blow to US efforts to block citizen enforcement of clean air law

November 02, 2026 | Amy Miller

North America

The NAACP's lawsuit against xAI over alleged pollution from its data center power plant will go on after a Mississippi federal judge upheld citizen enforcement of the Clean Air Act, dealing a blow to the compa... (more story)

EU hydrogen overhaul tests balance between lower costs, certainty of demand

November 02, 2026 | Louis de Briant

Europe

EU plans to ease renewable-hydrogen production rules could lower costs, but uncertainty over future binding targets for demand risks deterring investors. Companies and national officials at European Hydrogen W... (more story)

Technology View More

EU judges question whether digital rulebook blocks German media transparency rules

November 03, 2026 | Júlia Tar

Europe

Companies operating online platforms could be subject to additional German transparency requirements to protect diversity of opinion, depending on how the EU Court of Justice interprets the Digital Services Ac... (more story)

Tech companies to see reform of EU consumer-enforcement structure

November 03, 2026 | Sara Brandstätter

Europe

A broad range of tech companies are set to face a reform of the EU's consumer-enforcement structure, a senior European Commission official confirmed on Tuesday. The reform would allow the commission to take on... (more story)

Regulation must accelerate UK tech industry, not slow it down, minister says

November 03, 2026 | Patricia Figueiredo

Europe

UK tech businesses facing regulatory barriers to growth should raise them with the government early, science, innovation and investment minister Chris McDonald has said. The government should become a “better ... (more story)