Category: Business

As all things old are new again, a bill that would make obtaining bad patents easier and harder to challenge is being considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA) would reverse over a decade of progress in fighting patent trolls and making the patent system more balanced. PERA would overturn […]

Alaa Abd El Fattah is finally free and at home with his family. On September 22, it was announced that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had issued a pardon for Alaa’s release after six years in prison. One day later, the BBC shared video of Alaa dancing with his family in their Cairo home and […]

The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) issued a record fine earlier this month to Tractor Supply, the country’s self-proclaimed largest “rural lifestyle” retailer, for apparently ducking its responsibilities under the California Consumer Privacy Act. Under that law, companies are required to respect California customers’ and job applicants’ rights to know, delete, and correct information that […]

Tokyo/Zurich, 8 October 2025 — Japan’s SoftBank Group has agreed to acquire the robotics division of Swiss engineering giant ABB in a deal valued at $5.4 billion, marking one of the most significant moves yet in its push to expand into artificial intelligence and automation. Strategic Shift The acquisition underscores SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son’s renewed […]

Brussels, 8 October 2025 — Boeing is poised to win conditional approval from the European Union for its planned $4.7 billion acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, according to people familiar with the matter. The European Commission is expected to issue its decision by 14 October. Conditions for Approval EU regulators raised concerns over the deal’s impact […]

Birmingham, 7 October 2025 — The West Midlands has launched a major initiative to protect and revitalise its night-time economy, a sector employing more than 120,000 people in hospitality alone. The newly formed Night-Time Economy Commission, chaired by Wolverhampton councillor Chris Burden, will bring together leading voices from hospitality, culture, and entertainment to shape a […]

Brussels, 7 October 2025 — Global confectionery and pet care giant Mars Inc. is set to secure unconditional approval from the European Union for its planned $36 billion (€30.9 billion) acquisition of Kellanova, according to sources familiar with the review. A final decision from the European Commission is expected by 19 December. A Landmark Deal […]

Los Angeles, 7 October 2025 — A Los Angeles jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay $966 million to the family of a California woman who died from mesothelioma, ruling that the company’s talc-based baby powder contributed to her illness. The Case The verdict was delivered in the case of Mae Moore, an […]

Dublin, 7 October 2025 — Paris-based investment firm Ardian has agreed to acquire Energia Group, one of Ireland’s largest energy providers, from infrastructure investor I Squared Capital, in a transaction valued at more than €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion). The deal marks Ardian’s first investment in Ireland and underscores the growing importance of energy infrastructure in […]

The European Union Council is once again debating its controversial message scanning proposal, aka “Chat Control,” that would lead to the scanning of private conversations of billions of people. Chat Control, which EFF has strongly opposed since it was first introduced in 2022, keeps being mildly tweaked and pushed by one Council presidency after another. […]