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Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation

Top News

Repsol

DealRisk®, Mergers and Acquisitions

January 20, 2025 | Natalie McNelis

Europe

Repsol and Bunge file biofuel JV for EU review
EU competition chief Teresa Ribera attends a meeting of the European Commission college members on Jan. 15, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium.

Antitrust

January 20, 2025 | Nicholas Hirst

Europe

EU's Ribera promises ‘swift’ antitrust guidance on green initiatives
Basel III

Financial Services

January 20, 2025 | Jean Comte

Europe

EU and UK financial regulators to meet next month as divergences grow

Antitrust View More

Japan's ruling party seeks to amend two subcontract laws to assist SMEs

January 21, 2025 | Sachiko Sakamaki

Asia

Japan’s main ruling Liberal Democratic Party will amend two subcontract laws to support small and medium-sized enterprises. At a meeting today, the lawmakers agreed to pursue amendments not only to the competi... (more story)

Google faces wider antitrust probe of its ad-tech practices in India

January 21, 2025 | Freny Patel

Asia

A consolidated investigation into Google's ad-tech practices has been ordered by the Indian antitrust watchdog, combining the latest complaint with existing probes into the tech giant's alleged anticompetitive... (more story)

China's SAMR to accelerate unified market to counter external challenges

January 21, 2025 | MLex Staff

Asia

China's top market regulator vows to accelerate the building of a unified national market to combat mounting external pressures in 2025. The State Administration for Market Regulation highlighted enhanced impl... (more story)

Artificial Intelligence View More

Google, Mistral AI models tested for language, cultural risks: Korean official

January 21, 2025 | Choonsik Yoo

Asia,Europe

The AI safety institutes from the UK, Japan, Singapore and South Korea have been jointly assessing the AI models developed by Google and Mistral AI to evaluate their security against vulnerabilities related to... (more story)

UK public services face AI productivity, data-sharing overhaul

January 20, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: AI productivity tools have been launched by the UK government to speed up civil servants and improve access to public services as part of a plan to stimulate economic growth and set an example to... (more story)

Khan to leave US FTC in coming weeks; Ferguson takes over as chair

January 20, 2025 | Khushita Vasant

North America

Lina Khan has stepped down as chair of the US Federal Trade Commission and intends to depart the agency "in the coming weeks," MLex has learned. Republican Commissioner Andrew Ferguson took over as chair of th... (more story)

Mergers and Acquisitions View More

IBM's play for HashiCorp raises antitrust concerns in Australia

January 20, 2025

Oceania

MLex Summary: Global tech company IBM’s bid to acquire cloud-software maker HashiCorp through a share sale agreement has raised antitrust concerns for the Australian competition regulator. In a market inquirie... (more story)

Roquette seeks India clearance to acquire IFF Pharma Solutions

January 20, 2025 | Freny Patel

Asia

Roquette Frères has sought approval from the Indian antitrust watchdog for the proposed acquisition of the pharma-solutions business and certain product lines from International Flavors & Fragrances. The propo... (more story)

Saudi Aramco's Petro Rabigh deal wins approval in Lithuania

January 20, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: Saudi Arabian Oil Company has won Lithuanian competition approval to acquire a 22.5 percent share in Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Company. The move will bring up Saudi Aramco's share in the jo... (more story)

Data Privacy and Security View More

Japan's MC Data claims clash of antitrust, data laws as it challenges JFTC order

January 20, 2025 | Sachiko Sakamaki

Asia

Japan’s MC Data Plus, a subsidiary of the major trading firm Mitsubishi Corp., has contested the Japan Fair Trade Commission’s cease-and-desist order regarding the company’s alleged unfair trade practices, in ... (more story)

China denies data collection amid Musk's TikTok concerns

January 20, 2025

Asia, North America

MLex Summary: The Chinese government has never and will never require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in foreign countries in a manner that violates local laws, said Mao Ning, the s... (more story)

China invites global Internet companies amidst Musk's imbalance critique

January 20, 2025

Asia

MLex Summary: China welcomes Internet companies from all countries to develop in China as long as they comply with Chinese laws and regulations and provide safe, reliable products and services, said Mao Ning, ... (more story)

Intellectual Property View More

Coke Morgan Stewart tapped as USPTO deputy director by Trump administration

January 20, 2025 | Melissa Ritti

North America

O’Melveny & Myers senior counsel Coke Morgan Stewart was sworn in today as Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office short... (more story)

UPC Court of Appeal overturns dismissal of damages claim in Fives, REEL case

January 20, 2025 | Inbar Preiss

Europe

The Unified Patent Court’s jurisdiction is not limited to infringements occurring after its establishment, the Court of Appeal found Friday in a dispute between Fives and REEL. As long as the relevant European... (more story)

Realtek’s fee request floats penalizing the non-disclosure of AASIs

January 20, 2025 | Melissa Ritti

Europe, North America

Briefing is complete on a request by Realtek for the attorney fees — more than $134,000 — which it spent in successfully fighting removal of its breach-of-contract case against Broadcom and Avago to federal co... (more story)

Financial Crime View More

DOJ under Biden set records for civil antitrust enforcement, lagged in criminal cases

January 17, 2025 | Chris May, Khushita Vasant, Curtis Eichelberger and Clayton Vickers

North America

The US Department of Justice’s antitrust division had more total active civil investigations open in fiscal year 2024 than in any year for nearly a decade, workload statistics released today show.

Haas Automation fined $2.5 million by US for illicit shipments to Russia, China

January 17, 2025

North America

MLex Summary: As part of a coordinated effort, the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed approximately $2.... (more story)

Former Mozambican minister sentenced in US over role in 'tuna bond' scheme

January 17, 2025

North America

MLex Summary: Manuel Chang, the former Mozambican minister of finance, was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 102 months and ordered to pay $7 million in forfeiture. Chang was convicted after a four-week t... (more story)

Financial Services View More

UK financial watchdog urges court to let it intervene in car financing dispute

January 20, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: The Financial Conduct Authority applied to the Supreme Court for permission to intervene in a hearing over a major judgment on car financing. According to a document dated Jan. 14 and published t... (more story)

EU banks see banking authority kick off 2025 stress test

January 20, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: The European Banking Authority today started the 2025 EU-wide stress test and released the macroeconomic scenarios. The exercise aims to assess the resilience of EU banks to severe shocks over a ... (more story)

UK FCA’s proposed failure metrics underscore risks in pro-growth agenda

January 20, 2025 | Phoebe Seers and Sofia Gerace

Europe

The UK government's relentless pro-growth agenda could lead to more companies failing and more fraud, the financial services watchdog has warned. The question now is how much failure the government is willing ... (more story)

Trade View More

EU gas price cap must be renewed — possibly lowered — lawmakers say

January 20, 2025 | Stefano Porciello

Europe

Europe’s energy companies should see the EU’s emergency gas price-limiting mechanism renewed before its expiration on Jan. 31 — and possibly lowered — a varied group of 37 lawmakers has said in a letter. They ... (more story)

EU can deploy anti-coercion weapon against US tariffs, Lange says

January 20, 2025 | Joanna Sopinska

Europe, North America

A potential misuse of tariffs by the new US administration against the EU to gain concessions in the field of defense or digital policy will be met with the bloc's swift response, a top EU lawmaker said. Bernd... (more story)

EU, Malaysia seek deal to deepen EUR45 billion trade relationship

January 20, 2025 | Oscar Pandiello

Asia, Europe

The EU and Malaysia will restart free trade talks after a 13-year halt, aiming to boost their 45 billion-euro annual trade relationship. Key sticking points include industrial production, sustainability, and M... (more story)

State Aid View More

Scai can be asked to repay public support granted to Buonotourist, EU court says

January 16, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: The Italian region of Campania can order Scai to repay support, based on a recovery decision the European Commission made with regard to Buonotourist, and on account of economic continuity betwee... (more story)

Madeira loses appeal over Portugal's tax incentives at top EU court

January 16, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: The Portuguese territory of Madeira has lost its appeal at the EU's top court against the European Commission's order for Portugal to recover tax reductions granted to companies. In 2023, the low... (more story)

Ryanair’s appeals of re-approved Italian Covid aid published by EU court

January 13, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: The EU General Court today released summaries of appeals by Ryanair against an earlier decision to readopt Italian support to airlines to compensate them for damages triggered by the Covid pandem... (more story)

Energy View More

EU energy sector invited to comment on hydrogen infrastructure gaps

January 20, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: The European gas transmission operators' network is open to receiving feedback on its draft report on hydrogen infrastructure gaps identification for the Ten-Year Network Development Plan 2024. T... (more story)

Tackle digital-markets power concentration, advisory body tells German government

January 20, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: Taking decisive action to counteract the concentration of economic power — especially in digital markets — is one of several recommendations made to the next German government by an advisory body... (more story)

EU automotive ‘strategic dialogue’ starts on Jan. 30, commission says

January 20, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: Europe’s carmakers will see the EU “strategic dialogue” on the future of their industry start on Jan. 30, the European Commission said. The dialogue will consist of regular meetings among industr... (more story)

Technology View More

Italy's anti-piracy law may lead to over-blocking, CCIA says

January 21, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: In a letter to the European Commission, CCIA Europe, a lobby group representing platforms such as Google, Meta and X, says that Italy's anti-piracy initiative — designed to block access to websit... (more story)

Meta says fact-checking policy backflip won't affect Australian elections

January 20, 2025 | James Panichi

Oceania

Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to wind back fact checking on Meta Platforms' social-media outlets won’t affect their Australian content ahead of the upcoming federal election, with third-party agreements set to remai... (more story)

E-commerce platforms continue unjustified geo-blocking, EU auditors say

January 20, 2025

Europe

MLex Summary: Online retailers in the EU are still engaging in “unjustified geo-blocking” that is limiting consumers’ freedom by restricting their access to online goods and services across the EU, according t... (more story)