Analysis

Trump Admin Calls AI Giants' Exemption Bid 'Moat-Digging'

By Bryan Koenig

Artificial intelligence companies have approached both Congress and federal regulators about granting them a broad exemption from antitrust liability that would let them pursue a coordinated slowdown of development.

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Cyber Consultant Convicted Of $53M Uranium Finance Heist

By Stewart Bishop

A federal jury in Manhattan convicted a Maryland cybersecurity consultant on Wednesday of what prosecutors say was a two-pronged heist of well over $53 million in cryptocurrency from Uranium Finance that wiped out the short-lived decentralized exchange.

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4th Circ. Says FCC Defied Congress Through Political Ad Rule

By Courtney Bublé

A split Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday granted a request from Democratic candidates to force the Federal Communications Commission to issue a ruling on whether broadcasters may only charge the lowest possible rate for ads purchased by political committees attached to candidates.

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Scheduling 'Cascade' Hangs Over Amazon's FTC, Calif. Trials

By Bryan Koenig

Amazon.com sparred with the Federal Trade Commission in a Washington federal court filing over whether to stick to a late March trial kickoff, or whether the multiple trials against the company in 2027 must be pushed back because a California state judge has called a January start unrealistic.

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Florida AG Seeks To Force Meta To Curb Addictive Features

By Emily Field

The Florida attorney general Wednesday asked a state court to compel Meta Platforms Inc. to impose age verification measures and curb addictive features, saying that a recent $17.1 billion settlement with other state attorneys general shows that the social media giant can do so.

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US, 14 Allies Pledge Coordination On EV, Chip Overproduction

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. and 14 trading partners, including some that are subject to a pending and related tariff investigation, have pledged to address global excess manufacturing production and capacity across key sectors, according to a statement published Wednesday by the U.S. Trade Representative.

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House, Senate Dems Pitch Plans To Clamp Down On AI Harms

By Allison Grande

A House Democrat floated draft legislation Wednesday aimed at making it easier for those harmed by emerging artificial intelligence systems to sue developers for damages, on the same day that the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee unveiled her own comprehensive framework for addressing "catastrophic" risks posed by AI.

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FCC Weighing Reg To Block Adversary Equipment Labs

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission will consider an order this month to block certain foreign adversaries' testing labs from clearing equipment for the U.S. market.

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FCC Eyes Spectrum Sale To Boost 5G, Satellite D2D

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission's staff has teed up a proposal that would pave the way for a new auction of 25 megahertz worth of spectrum that could be used for advanced Earth-based wireless service and satellite connectivity to smart devices.

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Don't Let Post-Merger Iridium Disrupt Astronomy, FCC Told

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Astronomers have warned the Federal Communications Commission that aerospace company Rocket Lab USA Inc. must fulfill its obligations to avoid harmful interference if the agency approves the license transfer needed for its proposed $8 billion purchase of satellite operator Iridium Communications.

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Local Banks Want In On Plan To Use Banks To Stop Robocalls

By Nadia Dreid

Community banks want to make sure they qualify to issue letters of credit to voice providers if the Federal Communications Commission decides to go through with rules that would require companies to show they have financial backing in the hopes of staunching the onslaught of robocalls.

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DHS Eyes Up To $100K Foreign Student Work Program Fee

By Britain Eakin

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule Wednesday that would impose a $70,000 fee for foreign students to work in their fields, and another $30,000 tacked on for students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

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Brief

Copyright Office Probes AI's Role In Streaming Fraud

By Ivan Moreno

The U.S. Copyright Office is examining whether music-streaming fraud and artificial intelligence-generated music are affecting royalty payments and licensing systems as part of a broader inquiry requested by Congress.

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GDC Owes $3.1M In Digital Rights Management Patent Trial

By Elliot Weld

A Texas federal jury has awarded nearly $3.1 million to a patent-holding company, finding that a digital cinema products business willfully infringed a patent, but cleared the company of infringement allegations on a second patent.

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Kia Settles E-Key, User ID Tech Patent Cases In Texas

By Craig Clough

Kia and Emerging Automotive LLC told a Texas federal court Tuesday they had reached a settlement in principle resolving their patent disputes over e-key and vehicle user identification technology, asking for a 30-day pause to finalize the agreement in litigation over technology that also involves Toyota.

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Ex-Deloitte Duo Can't Shake Feds' Trade Secrets Claims

By Hailey Konnath

A West Virginia federal judge on Wednesday refused to throw out criminal charges against a pair of former Deloitte employees accused of stealing the company's trade secrets, finding that the issues raised by the workers must be addressed by a jury.

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Tenn. Judge Tosses Developer's Data Centers Moratorium Suit

By Isaac Monterose

A Tennessee federal judge has tossed a data center developer's challenge to a moratorium on data centers without prejudice, ruling in part that the suit is inconsistent when it comes to the type of property interest that the developer is asserting with its allegations.

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Latch Investors Get Final OK For Derivative Suit Settlement

By Sarah Jarvis

A New York federal court has given its final approval to a settlement that includes various corporate governance improvements for the home technology company Latch Inc., after shareholders sued the company's top brass for allegedly improperly recognizing revenue in financial disclosures which led to restatements and a stock price decline.

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ATG Hid Alliance In Chancery Proxy Fight, Del. Justices Told

By Jarek Rutz

Empery Digital Inc. directors urged the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday to reverse a ruling requiring activist investor ATG Capital Opportunities Fund LP's board nominees to stand for election, arguing ATG failed to disclose an alleged voting arrangement with another stockholder, while ATG maintained the company is trying to impose disclosure requirements its bylaws do not contain.

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Colo. Panel Mulls Telecom Co.'s Challenge To $24M Judgment

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado wireless internet company urged a Colorado appellate court Wednesday to overturn a $24 million judgment against it that the company says came without due process, fielding the panel's questions on the appropriate standard to use in evaluating the company's appraisal dispute with its shareholders.

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Trump 'Outsourced' White House Press Functions, Judge Told

By Cara Salvatore

Media organizations urged a New York federal judge on Wednesday to stop President Donald Trump from using Truth Social for his communications as long as the company offers paid early access to those posts, arguing that the private company's "entwinement" with the president violates the First Amendment.

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FIFA Seeks Dismissal Over Unpaid AI Citation Sanctions

By Andrea Keckley

FIFA has told a Puerto Rico federal judge that a law firm has "not paid a single dollar" of a sanction levied over a year ago for error-riddled, allegedly artificial intelligence-generated court filings in an antitrust suit filed by a shuttered soccer league.

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Roblox Says Suicide Suit Must Be Arbitrated Or Dismissed

By Mike Curley

Roblox Corp. is asking a Kentucky federal judge to send to arbitration a mother's suit alleging her teenage daughter died by suicide as a result of using the platform, saying both the child and her parents repeatedly agreed to an arbitration clause in its terms of service, and that it is immune from liability for third-party content.

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Tether Accused Of Damaging Tech Co. With $2.8M Freeze

By Sydney Price

Fintech payment company Conduit Technology says stablecoin issuer Tether Holdings damaged its business and is seeking injunctive relief over Tether's decision to freeze about $2.8 million Conduit stored in a digital wallet.

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DLA Piper, Loeb Guide Stablecoin Firm's $250M SPAC Merger

By Katryna Perera

Guided by DLA Piper and Loeb & Loeb LLP, stablecoin issuer First Digital Group Limited will merge with CSLM Digital Asset Acquisition Corp III Ltd., a special purpose acquisition company, and go public in a deal valued at $250 million.

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FCC Proposes $10M In Fines For Alleged Lifeline Fraud

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed more than $10 million in fines against two providers for allegedly defrauding the agency's Lifeline program, which provides discounts on phone and internet services to qualifying low-income Americans.

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1st Circ. Clearing Appeals Over Old FCC Jail Phone Cap Order

By Nadia Dreid

The First Circuit is clearing up a tangle of appeals it has on its plate challenging the Federal Communications Commission's prison phone rate caps after the agency threw a wrench in the plan by updating those regulations post-oral argument.

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Pa. Justices To Review Geofence Challenge Post-Chatrie

By Brandon Lowrey

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed this week to hear a challenge to a geofence warrant just months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Chatrie v. U.S. that such warrants implicate Fourth Amendment search protections.

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GAO Says Company Was Ineligible For DHS Wireless Award

By Tom Lotshaw

A company awarded a U.S. Department of Homeland Security cellular services contract worth up to $3 billion should have been deemed ineligible based on a noncompliant carrier commitment and an attempt to skirt service level requirements, the U.S. Government Accountability Office has said.

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NLRB Memo Signals Narrower View Of Protected Activism

A recent National Labor Relations Board memo concluding that Microsoft lawfully discharged two employees who conducted a pro-Palestinian protest on company property indicates that the current NLRB general counsel may take a more restrictive view of when political or social advocacy qualifies as protected activity, say attorneys at Franczek.

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Series

Illinois Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3

Recent banking developments in Illinois include significant new consumer protection legislation, three meaningful Seventh Circuit decisions, and a high-profile constitutional challenge to the state's new digital asset tax, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

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Why And How To Build A Neurodiversity-Informed Practice

By better understanding neurodiversity and implementing simple accommodations for clients with autism, ADHD or learning differences, attorneys can build stronger relationships with those who may otherwise struggle to obtain and benefit from legal services, while developing good habits that will benefit everyone they represent, says Ting Cheung at Sanford Heisler.

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Sheppard Mullin Hit With Class Action Over Data Breach

By Jake Maher

A former Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP paralegal launched a proposed class action against the firm in California federal court on Wednesday over a cyberattack it had in August, in which she says at least 1,000 people's names and Social Security numbers were stolen.

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IP Rights Group Urges Against Litigation Funding Disclosure

By Elliot Weld

An inventor rights advocacy group has told a federal courts rules committee that requiring the disclosure of who is funding civil litigation would put independent inventors at a disadvantage when trying to enforce patents against a larger company.

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Analysis

New Fraud Division Flexes Might In Latest Enforcement Policy

By Phillip Bantz

The National Fraud Enforcement Division's new corporate enforcement policy emphasizes the quick pursuit of certain types of fraud through data analysis and staff resources, expands the target list beyond traditional healthcare providers and highlights the division's growing dominance within the U.S. Department of Justice, experts say.

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Cornell Defendant Seeks To Nix James As Special Prosecutor

By Andrea Keckley

One of the seven men accused of drugging and raping a fellow Cornell University student at a fraternity home has asked a New York state court to void Gov. Kathy Hochul's appointment of New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor in the case.

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Gov't Attys Could Face Sanctions Over AI Use Omissions

By Madeline Lyskawa

A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge has ordered four government attorneys to explain why they shouldn't be sanctioned for making factual misrepresentations about the U.S. Army's use of artificial intelligence to evaluate contract proposals.

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Split Congress Could Spur Competing Probes, Cleary Finds

By Courtney Bublé

If the new year brings an era of divided Congress, then "dueling investigations" into the same topics should be expected, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP said in a report it released Thursday.

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Fla. Judge Says Oct. 7 Attack Was 'Inflection Point' For U.S.

By David Minsky

U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman addressed a small group of attorneys in a Florida law office to speak on his book about the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, saying public debate over facts surrounding the event and underlying feud has reached an "inflection point" in America.

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Buzbee Faces $970K Fee Bid In Dismissed Conspiracy Cases

By Lynn LaRowe

A Mississippi lawyer is asking a Texas state court to award her more than $970,000 in fees after defeating claims that she and her law firm conspired with rapper Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP to retaliate against prominent Houston plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee and two of his former clients.

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Dems Says GOP Broke Senate Rules In Jack Smith Hearing

By Courtney Bublé

The Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have accused Republicans of violating committee rules during a hearing last week with former special counsel Jack Smith.

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