Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation

Top News

DealRisk®, Mergers and Acquisitions

November 06, 2026 | Curtis Eichelberger

North America

Union Pacific CEO threatened merger opponents with rate hikes, video shows
A row of children on phones

Data Privacy and Security

November 05, 2026 | Maria Dinzeo

North America

Meta, Google, TikTok seek to block California child online safety law
logo on government building exterior

Trade

November 05, 2026 | Zack Budryk

North America

US Customs toughens importer rules as part of Trump crackdown

Antitrust View More

Valve ordered to preserve evidence in damage claim, Portuguese litigant says

November 06, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Valve has been ordered by Portugal’s Competition Court to preserve evidence in a lawsuit brought by consumer protection organization Ius Omnibus on behalf of Steam customers, Ius Omnibus said. The court found...(read more)

Olive sector draws Greek antitrust raids

November 06, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Companies active in supplying, processing and marketing table olives, as well as an industry association, have been raided by Greece’s competition authority on suspicion of price-fixing and coordinating tradi...(read more)

China blocks second major AI deal with SoftBank-ABB veto

November 06, 2026 | MLex Staff

Asia

China rejected SoftBank Group's $5.4 billion acquisition of ABB's robotics business on national security grounds, marking the second publicly known case this year where Beijing blocked a foreign deal in artificial intellig...(read more)

Artificial Intelligence View More

South Korea sets AI legislative priorities, plans task forces on key challenges

November 06, 2026 | Choonsik Yoo

Asia

South Korea’s Presidential Council on National AI Strategy on Friday approved a framework directing ministries to amend existing laws before drafting new AI legislation, with the aim of giving businesses greater regulatory...(read more)

South Korea AI council approves legislation guidelines, new task forces

November 06, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: South Korea’s top policymaking body on artificial intelligence approved a framework to govern future AI-related legislation and two other agenda items at its plenary meeting on Friday. The legislative framewo...(read more)

South Korea issues updated zero-trust security guide for agentic AI

November 06, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT said Friday it has developed a guide with the Korea Internet & Security Agency to help companies apply zero-trust security when adopting and operating agentic artific...(read more)

Mergers and Acquisitions View More

Sun Pharma's acquisition of Organon open for views in EU

November 06, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Parties interested in plans by India-based specialty generics business Sun Pharma to buy US healthcare business Organon have ten days to provide comments to the European Commission. The EU merger watchdog has...(read more)

Amplifon wins EU approval to buy GN Hearing

November 06, 2026 | Anna Lauwereys

Europe

Amplifon got EU clearance for its GN Hearing purchase, according to an update on the regulator's website. The European Commission had set a Nov. 6 deadline to decide on the deal. Amplifon intends to finalize the acquisitio...(read more)

Japan's SoftBank faces Chinese regulatory block on ABB robotics deal

November 06, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: Japanese technology investment company SoftBank Group said Friday that China's foreign investment security review authority had prohibited its acquisition of Swiss engineering group ABB's robotics business in...(read more)

Data Privacy and Security View More

Muji says Chinese customer data safe after Japan app cyberattack

November 06, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: Muji's China operations said Friday Chinese consumers' information was safe following unauthorized access to its Japanese headquarters' official app that put some user data at risk of exposure. Muji Shanghai ...(read more)

Reddit tells Australia's top court digital duty of care less restrictive than ban

November 06, 2026 | Sean Maguire

Oceania

Reddit told Australia’s High Court that the government's proposed digital duty-of-care legislation could protect children from online harm while imposing a lesser burden on political communication than the country's under-...(read more)

Coupang's bid to suspend South Korean privacy fine rejected

November 06, 2026 | Wooyoung Lee

Asia

Coupang’s request to suspend a 423.6 billion won ($312 million) fine imposed by South Korea’s privacy regulator has been rejected by a Seoul court. The Seoul Administrative Court partially granted Coupang’s request for a s...(read more)

Intellectual Property View More

Muji operator loses Chinese trademark appeal over online-product branding

November 06, 2026 | MLex Staff

Asia

Japan’s Ryohin Keikaku cannot rely on its service trademark to justify using “Wuyin Liangpin,” the Chinese characters used for its Muji brand, as product branding on goods covered by another company’s registered trademarks...(read more)

Japan's mascot feud fails to undo unwritten copyright deal

November 06, 2026 | Toko Sekiguchi

Asia

Japan’s Intellectual Property High Court rejected a copyright owner’s attempt to stop the commercial use of a lookalike mascot, finding that its earlier cooperation had given permission it could not simply withdraw.

Pepsi tells US Supreme Court inherent trademark strength is question for judges

November 05, 2026 | Steve Scherer

North America

PepsiCo asked the US Supreme Court to treat trademarks’ inherent strength as a legal question for judges, saying it helps define owners’ rights to restrict similar branding. It argued its win against Rise Brewing should st...(read more)

Financial Crime View More

Colombian businessman to face trial in December in US corruption cases

November 05, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: Colombian businessman Alvaro Pulido Vargas is scheduled to go to trial on Dec. 14 on charges in two separate indictments involving the alleged laundering of more than $2 billion associated with Venezuelan bri...(read more)

Kuwaiti pension fund wins 'breathtaking' corruption claim in UK

November 05, 2026 | Martin Coyle

Europe

Kuwait’s government pension fund has won a claim in the UK courts against a former director of the fund accused of corruption on a “breathtaking scale.”

Former Balt executive seeks details on concessions US made to company

November 05, 2026 | Samuel Rubenfeld

North America

A former executive of Balt's US subsidiary wants to see the concessions the company received as it resolved a corruption investigation that led to criminal charges against him. “The court should order the government to pro...(read more)

Financial Services View More

US GAO finds federal banking agencies actively participated in standard-setting bodies

November 05, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: A report by the US Government Accountability Office found that the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve System and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency helped develop financial stand...(read more)

Webull fined $4.2 million by Finra for anti-money laundering compliance failures

November 05, 2026 | Samuel Rubenfeld

North America

Investment trading platform Webull Financial was fined $4.2 million on Thursday by industry self-regulator Finra for failing to implement anti-money laundering, identity theft and best execution compliance programs.

Finra fines Webull for anti-money laundering, identity theft failures

November 05, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: FINRA has fined Webull Financial LLC $4.2 million for failing to implement reasonably designed programs for anti-money laundering, identity theft prevention and best execution. 

Trade View More

Plastic resin imports come under safeguard probe in EU

November 06, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Imports of certain polyethylene terephthalate resin chemicals, mainly used to make bottles, are now the subject of a safeguard investigation, following a request received from EU countries. Imports of the goo...(read more)

Russian birch plywood faces EU review of antidumping duties

November 06, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Russian birch plywood faces an EU review of antidumping duties after European producers warned that allowing the measures to expire would lead to renewed dumping and harm to their industry. The European Commi...(read more)

Certain polyether polyols from China to be registered at EU borders

November 06, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: EU imports of certain polyether polyols from China will be registered at the bloc's borders starting on Saturday, the European Commission said on Friday. The move follows an anti-dumping probe opened in June....(read more)

State Aid View More

EU energy aid plans put supply-chain tender criteria under scrutiny, official says

November 05, 2026 | Anna Ferrari

Europe

EU countries are revising renewable-support programs with tender criteria intended to strengthen European supply chains, which the European Commission must assess for openness, transparency and nondiscrimination, official ...(read more)

EU state aid exemption review weighs flexibility for startups, official says

November 05, 2026 | Anna Ferrari

Europe

European governments want simpler EU state aid rules and greater legal certainty, requiring a “delicate balance” in the planned revision of rules that allow them to grant certain subsidies without prior EU approval, a seni...(read more)

Italy's corporate debt restructuring rules referred to EU court over state aid

November 05, 2026 | Anna Ferrari and Jean Comte

Europe

An Italian mechanism that allows the approval of debt restructuring for firms despite tax authorities' opposition will be examined by EU judges for its compatibility with state aid rules, following an October referral to t...(read more)

Energy View More

Free allowances face looser conditions under EU carbon-market reform draft

November 05, 2026 | Louis de Briant

Europe

Companies would retain most of their free allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System even if they failed to carry out required decarbonization investments, under a draft compromise from Ireland, which is steering neg...(read more)

OpenAI issues new US data center commitments, policy proposals in wake of midterms

November 05, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: OpenAI has published a National Community Compact and Compute Campus Policy Blueprint, laying out company commitments and policy suggestions for data center development in the US. The compact says OpenAI will...(read more)

EU critical raw materials talks to resume Dec. 9 as govts assess new center

November 05, 2026 | Cynthia Kroet

Europe

Talks on changes to the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act are provisionally scheduled to resume on Dec. 9, as national governments have yet to agree on plans for a dedicated raw materials center, MLex understands. Both membe...(read more)

Technology View More

Australia's top court weighs social-media ban's burden on political speech

November 06, 2026

Oceania

MLex Summary: Reddit and the Digital Freedom Project appeared before Australia’s top court on Tuesday and Wednesday, arguing that the country’s under-16 social-media ban impermissibly burdens political communication, with ...(read more)

Google moves to dismiss amended US claims from Korea-based Android developers

November 05, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: Google moved to dismiss a third amended US complaint filed by Korea-based android developers, which accuses it of unlawfully monopolizing the global markets for Android app distribution and in-app payment pro...(read more)

Supply-chain diversification, energy initiatives slated for EU's December agenda

November 05, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: The EU’s planned supply-chain diversification tool —  DiversifyEU — is scheduled to be unveiled on Dec. 9, according to the European Commission’s latest draft agenda. The EU executive also plans to present it...(read more)