Legal News and Headlines
Legal News and Headlines
The Federal Communications Commission will discuss a Media Bureau proposal at its February open meeting to create new non‑commercial FM translator authorizations. Translators rebroadcast existing stations, extending coverage into underserved areas. The agenda item targets both religious and secular non‑commercial broadcasters seeking additional spectrum. Details on the rule change remain limited pending the meeting’s outcome.
The Dutch House approved a Box 3 overhaul that will tax the annual change in value of liquid assets such as Bitcoin at a flat 36 % rate, effective Jan 1 2028 pending Senate approval. The regime treats crypto like a marked‑to‑market security, meaning...
The latest EDRM weekly letter highlights two pivotal court rulings: client‑self‑help AI documents were deemed non‑privileged and AI hallucinations prompted Rule 11 sanctions. It also promotes the ComplexDiscovery Winter 2026 eDiscovery Pricing Survey, which benchmarks AI‑driven pricing models. Upcoming webinars and podcasts...
On Jan 2026 the FDA issued updated guidance that relaxes oversight for low‑risk digital health products, including many AI‑enabled clinical decision support tools and consumer wellness wearables. The guidance clarifies which software falls outside the medical device definition, allowing these tools...
JURIST, the student‑run international legal news service, launched a 30th‑anniversary webinar series in February 2026. The inaugural session features Robert McCorquodale, a member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, and will be streamed on February 18 at noon...
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has launched an investigation into a potential fraud at the recently collapsed PM Law, where client money is reported missing. The firm’s complex group structure has delayed quantifying the loss, while 80 affected clients have...
Regulated enterprises, especially financial institutions, are shifting focus from merely adopting AI to proving that AI data pipelines are secure and well‑governed. New regulations such as the EU AI Act demand detailed disclosures of training data sources, processing methods, and...
ESMA’s MiFIR reporting page shows the test environment for schema v1.4.0 will open in February 2026, but exact dates remain unconfirmed. The new XML schema removes the separate FITRS quantitative reporting channel, shifting equity transparency calculations to transaction reporting data...
Geisinger Health Plan terminated case‑manager Amber Motko for chronic performance lapses, but a Third Circuit court refused to dismiss her disability discrimination claim because her supervisor repeatedly referenced her ADD diagnosis, including the phrase “ADD brain.” The court ruled Motko’s...
Reconciliation has become a strategic priority for financial services as hybrid work, AI‑generated messages and multichannel tools expand. Theta Lake’s latest report shows 92 % of firms struggle to capture communications in line with record‑keeping obligations, with native retention windows as short...
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has opened a public investigation that could overhaul how vessels call at Spanish ports and how Spanish‑flagged ships operate in foreign harbors. The probe follows Spain’s November 2024 decision to deny docking privileges to...
A class‑action lawsuit against Eightfold AI has thrust data protection and personal data sovereignty into the spotlight of the recruitment‑tech sector. While the case mentions artificial intelligence, the core dispute centers on how candidate information is collected, stored, and shared....
Indian chief negotiator Darpan Jain will lead a delegation to Washington next week to finalize the legal framework of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the United States. The interim agreement announced on Feb 7 reduces U.S. tariffs on Indian exports...
TikTok has joined the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) as a full digital member, aligning with 28 self‑regulatory bodies across Europe. The move underscores the platform’s push for responsible advertising, complementing its expanded TikTok Safety Suite and clear commercial‑disclosure settings....
Penske Media Corp (PMC) filed a federal memorandum opposing Google’s motion to dismiss its antitrust lawsuit, alleging the tech giant broke the long‑standing “fair exchange” of search traffic for indexed content. The complaint says Google’s AI‑driven, zero‑click answers repurpose publisher...
Sony Group has created technology to identify copyrighted music embedded in AI‑generated songs. The system works by either connecting directly to AI model training data or by comparing generated outputs against existing catalogs. Sony AI aims to use the tool...
FinTechs and digital banks are witnessing exponential growth in compliance data, driven by 150% annual customer expansion and increasingly complex regulatory requirements. Meanwhile, compliance operations remain linear, relying on manual, siloed processes that cannot keep pace with the data surge....
Stillfront Group’s two largest shareholders, Laureus Capital GmbH and Knuth Capital LLC FZ, representing roughly 23% of voting rights, have formally requested an extraordinary general meeting to elect a new board and chair. They propose a six‑member slate led by Lars‑Johan...
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has signed an Exchange of Letters with India’s International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), the regulator for GIFT City. The pact commits both bodies to share regulatory knowledge and best‑practice insights, aiming to strengthen links...
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a December 2025 advisory opinion clarifying that employer‑integrated earned wage access (EWA) is not a loan under the Truth in Lending Act. This guidance removes a major regulatory uncertainty that has limited EWA adoption....
UK policymakers are considering extending the VAT deemed‑seller rules to cover both overseas and domestic sellers on online marketplaces. Amazon argues that the change would close a loophole exploited by fraudulent sellers, streamline VAT collection and generate roughly £700 million in...
DPP Link has launched its GS1‑integrated Shield platform to help exporters and manufacturers meet the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The solution automates product registration using GS1 Digital Link standards and tracks material composition with a ten‑year data...
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) remain the cornerstone of global AML frameworks, yet many institutions misunderstand their purpose, treating them as accusations rather than suspicion flags. Regulatory pressure and soaring transaction volumes have driven firms to prioritize filing speed over narrative...
Spreadsheets have long been the default tool for financial crime risk assessments, prized for their flexibility and low cost. However, they cannot enforce governance, version control, or audit trails required by modern compliance frameworks. As institutions expand across products and...
The Legal Cheek podcast episode delves into the daily reality of disputes lawyers, highlighting the blend of courtroom advocacy and behind‑the‑scenes negotiation. Hosts Julia Szaniszlo and Ryan Scott outline the tasks that trainees typically face, such as document review and...
Andrew Jonathan Milne, a 63‑year‑old solicitor, was found guilty of stalking after sending roughly 124 emails, voicemails and a birthday gift to legal blogger Daniel Cloake over five months. The court described the communications as aggressive, including threats of litigation...
OKX has obtained a Payments Institution (PI) licence in Malta, bringing the exchange into compliance with the EU’s upcoming Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) regulation and the revised Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The licence authorises OKX to offer stablecoin‑linked payment...
Legal Cheek’s Monday round‑up highlights a wave of high‑profile legal developments across the UK and beyond. Key stories include the chief barrister’s warning that Lammy jury reforms will not ease case backlogs, the UK prosecutor’s reminder that no one is...
In this Accountancy Age episode, the hosts walk listeners through the two‑step Companies House identity verification process that directors and persons with significant control (PSCs) must complete before filing confirmation statements. They explain how ACSPs report verifications, obtain the 11‑character...
The Federal Circuit Court ruled that being subject to an apprehended domestic violence order does not provide protection from adverse action under the Fair Work Act. Judge Lisa Doust dismissed the employee’s claim, finding no reasonable prospect of success. The...
Australia’s largest supermarket chain, Coles, faces a consumer‑law case over alleged fake discounts. The ACCC alleges the retailer used high‑low pricing to mislead shoppers about price cuts. The lawsuit was sparked by a wave of Reddit‑driven outrage that highlighted questionable...
Saudi Arabia intensified its labour compliance drive, arresting more than 21,000 individuals in a single week across construction sites, housing compounds and transport hubs. The crackdown targets undocumented foreign workers, Saudi citizens who shelter them, and firms that fail to...
Sun Capital has extended its ownership of serious‑injury firm Fletchers through a continuation fund, committing another four to five years of capital. The firm’s EBITDA surged from £8 m to £38 m and case volume rose 60%, prompting a large recruitment drive...
Senior solicitor‑coroner Chinyere Inyama was struck off after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found he deliberately downplayed rape and sexual assault allegations, describing them as “touching up”, to the Chief Coroner’s Office. The tribunal labeled his conduct the “most serious form...
On 16 February 2026 the House of Lords voted to scrap the statutory ‘general’ legal qualification for Crown prosecutors, allowing CILEX lawyers and other non‑solicitor practitioners to apply. Justice Minister Baroness Levitt described the previous rule as an unnecessary barrier...
The Law Society has urged the Legal Services Board (LSB) to tighten oversight of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) after the collapses of Axiom Ince and SSB Group exposed regulatory gaps. It highlighted concerns about the SRA’s ability to supervise...
CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook warns that the Employment Rights Act 2025 will curb permanent hiring, with 37% of UK employers planning to reduce such recruitment. Overall hiring intentions are at their lowest level since the pandemic, while 74% foresee higher...
SA Law introduced the legal director role in 2025 as a formal alternative to partnership, with Clare Mackay becoming its first appointee. The position provides seniority, strategic influence, and professional gravitas while avoiding the capital investment and personal risk associated...
The episode explores how companies are evaluating the integration of Non‑Human Identities (NHIs) into their compliance frameworks, highlighting the benefits of reduced risk, improved regulatory adherence, and operational efficiency. It outlines best‑practice steps such as discovery, automated secret rotation, behavioral...
Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered state agencies and public universities to halt all new H‑1B visa petitions until May 31, 2027, pending written permission from the Texas Workforce Commission. The directive also requires these entities to submit detailed sponsorship data by March 27, 2026....
ZeroDrift emerged from stealth with a $2 million pre‑seed round led by a16z speedrun, aiming to automate compliance for financial‑services communications. The AI‑native platform acts as a real‑time firewall that encodes SEC, FINRA and firm‑specific policies into machine‑readable rulepacks. By integrating...
The European Commission has formally accused TikTok of designing its endless‑scroll feed to be addictive, especially for minors, and is treating this as a systemic risk under the Digital Services Act. The preliminary ruling targets infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendations and...
The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on media ownership in the digital age, zeroing in on the FCC’s 39% national TV ownership cap as the Nexstar‑TEGNA merger moves forward. FCC Commissioner Gomez publicly objected to an investigation of ABC’s...
Bytedance’s new AI video generator, Seedance 2.0, can recreate Disney, Marvel and Star Wars characters with photorealistic fidelity, prompting Disney to issue a cease‑and‑desist letter that calls the practice a “virtual smash‑and‑grab.” The tool is already flooding social media with short...
Amnesty International has called on all UN member states to honor their climate‑change obligations under international law, following Vanuatu’s draft UNGA resolution. The resolution references the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion, urging adoption of enhanced nationally determined contributions,...
A German district court ruled that three logos generated by AI are not eligible for copyright protection, emphasizing that only works reflecting the prompter’s personality qualify. The judges clarified that extensive prompting, subscription fees, or iterative selection do not satisfy...
The FTC has intensified its antitrust investigation into Microsoft by issuing civil investigative demands to at least six competing firms in the business‑software and cloud markets. Regulators are probing Microsoft’s practice of bundling AI, security and identity tools with Windows,...
The latest Friday Footnotes roundup highlights three intertwined trends reshaping accounting and finance. Big‑tech firms’ $3 trillion cap‑ex plans are prompting aggressive depreciation adjustments, as Meta’s $2.6 billion earnings boost shows the earnings‑management risk. Meanwhile, Italian tax authorities have raided Amazon managers’...
President Trump’s Treasury Department has launched an aggressive AML campaign targeting Minnesota and U.S.–Mexico border regions, using new Geographic Targeting Orders and high‑performance data analytics to flag cartel, fraud and immigration‑related transactions. FinCEN now requires banks and money‑service businesses to...
The FCC has issued pay‑or‑show‑cause orders to two broadcasters over unpaid regulatory fees. In Michigan, Sovereign Communications faces potential revocation of six stations for roughly $37,000 in delinquent fees, though it can apply a $9,200 overpayment credit. In Georgia, Core...
