Intel has won a significant victory in a legal battle that spanned nearly two decades, as the European Union’s Court of Justice ruled in its favour on Thursday. The court dismissed an appeal by the European Commission, which had accused the US chipmaker of anti-competitive practices aimed at undermining rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
The dispute centred on Intel offering rebates to major computer manufacturers, such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, NEC, and Lenovo, for primarily using Intel chips. EU regulators had fined Intel €1.06 billion, arguing the rebates were intended to block AMD’s market share. However, Intel consistently challenged the fine, asserting that regulators failed to prove any anti-competitive impact from the rebates.
Earlier this year, Intel’s case gained momentum when a legal adviser indicated that EU regulators had not sufficiently conducted an economic analysis to support their claims. This led to the court’s final decision to overturn the fine, bringing the lengthy legal struggle to a close.
The United States Justice Department introduced new rules on Monday to safeguard federal and personal data from foreign adversaries such as China, Russia, and Iran. The regulations aim to limit certain business transactions that could transfer sensitive American data to these countries.
The proposal implements an executive order from President Biden and seeks to prevent the misuse of American financial, health, and genomic data by foreign governments for purposes like espionage and cyber attacks. Countries such as Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea are also included in the list of nations targeted by the rule.
Among the data types restricted from transfer are human genomic data on more than 100 individuals, and financial or health data on over 10,000 people. Geolocation data on more than 1,000 US devices will also be restricted under the new rule.
The Justice Department plans to enforce compliance through both civil and criminal penalties. Apps like TikTok could potentially violate the new regulations if they transfer sensitive data to their Chinese parent companies.
Arm Holdings is cancelling a key architectural license agreement with Qualcomm, escalating the legal dispute between the two companies. According to a Bloomberg News report, Arm has given Qualcomm a 60-day notice to terminate the agreement, which allows Qualcomm to design chips using Arm’s intellectual property. The two tech giants have been embroiled in a legal battle since 2022 when Arm sued Qualcomm for not renegotiating the license after its acquisition of chip startup Nuvia.
Qualcomm criticised Arm’s decision, calling it a ‘desperate ploy’ to disrupt the upcoming trial, which is set to begin in December. Qualcomm claims its rights under the agreement will be upheld and accuses Arm of anti-competitive behaviour. The dispute could impact shipments of laptops using Qualcomm’s chips, including Microsoft’s Copilot+ devices, and potentially reverse Qualcomm’s acquisition of Nuvia.
Despite the tensions, some analysts expect the companies to reach a settlement before the trial. A legal victory for Arm could have significant consequences for Qualcomm and its partners.
Australia’s corporate regulator has charged Grant Colthup, the former CEO of Mine Digital, with fraud involving a A$2.2 million transaction. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) claims that a customer paid this amount to ACCE Australia, which operated the crypto exchange, to purchase Bitcoin in July 2022. However, the customer allegedly received no cryptocurrency in return.
ASIC alleges that Colthup used the funds to cover ACCE’s liabilities or acquire cryptocurrency for others. Mine Digital, active from 2019 to 2022, shut down following financial issues. Investigations revealed that the company had only A$20,000 in assets, far below the A$16 million owed to creditors.
The charges come amid ongoing scrutiny of the collapsed exchange and growing concerns over the accountability of cryptocurrency platforms. Colthup’s case sheds light on the challenges of regulating the digital asset sector and ensuring transparency.
The Magistrates Court in Ipswich will hear the case next on 16 December 2024. Legal proceedings are expected to explore Colthup’s role and whether funds were misappropriated to benefit others.
Dow Jones and the New York Post have taken legal action against AI startup Perplexity AI, accusing the company of unlawfully copying their copyrighted content. The lawsuit is part of a wider dispute between publishers and tech companies over the use of news articles and other content without permission to train and operate AI systems.
Perplexity AI, which aims to disrupt the search engine market, assembles information from websites it deems authoritative and presents AI-generated summaries. Publishers claim that Perplexity bypasses their websites, depriving them of advertising and subscription revenue, and undermines the work of journalists.
The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, argues that Perplexity’s AI generates answers based on a vast database of news articles, often copying content verbatim. News Corp, owner of Dow Jones and the New York Post, is asking the court to block Perplexity’s use of its articles and to destroy any databases containing copyrighted material.
Perplexity has also faced allegations from other media organisations, including Forbes and Wired. While the company has introduced a revenue-sharing programme with some publishers, many news outlets continue to resist, seeking stronger legal protections for their content.
Alcon Entertainment, the producer behind Blade Runner 2049, has filed a lawsuit against Tesla and Warner Bros, accusing them of misusing AI-generated images that resemble scenes from the movie to promote Tesla’s new autonomous cybercab. Filed in California, the lawsuit alleges violations of US copyright law and claims Tesla falsely implied a partnership with Alcon through the use of the imagery.
Alcon stated that it had rejected Warner Bros’ request to use official Blade Runner images for Tesla’s cybercab event on October 10. Despite this, Tesla allegedly proceeded with AI-created visuals that mirrored the film’s style. Alcon is concerned this could confuse its brand partners, especially ahead of its upcoming Blade Runner 2099 series for Amazon Prime.
Though no specific damages were mentioned, Alcon emphasized that it has invested hundreds of millions in the Blade Runner brand and argued that Tesla’s actions had caused substantial financial harm.
A California judge has granted Google’s request to delay a ruling that required overhauling its Play Store by 1 November. The pause allows more time for an appeals court to consider Google’s challenge to the order, which aimed to give users more choice in downloading apps.
The ruling came as part of an antitrust lawsuit from Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite. Google warned that implementing the changes quickly would introduce security risks across the Android ecosystem. The company’s request for a longer pause during the full appeals process was denied.
Epic criticised Google’s argument as fearmongering, stating the court had dismissed the appeal as meritless. The initial order required Google to permit rival app stores within the Play Store and enable third-party payment systems. The ruling also barred Google from incentivising device makers to preinstall its store.
Google has already challenged the antitrust findings and maintains that Play competes directly with Apple’s App Store. The company argued it should not be labelled a monopolist and warned that complying with the injunction would unfairly force it to collaborate with rivals.
Meta Platforms is facing a lawsuit in Massachusetts for allegedly designing Instagram features to exploit teenagers’ vulnerabilities, causing addiction and harming their mental health. A Suffolk County judge rejected Meta’s attempt to dismiss the case, asserting that claims under state consumer protection law remain valid.
The company argued for immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields internet firms from liability for user-generated content. However, the judge ruled that this protection does not extend to Meta’s own business conduct or misleading statements about Instagram’s safety measures.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell emphasised that the ruling allows the state to push for accountability and meaningful changes to safeguard young users. Meta expressed disagreement, maintaining that its efforts demonstrate a commitment to supporting young people.
The lawsuit highlights internal data suggesting Instagram’s addictive design, driven by features like push notifications and endless scrolling. It also claims Meta executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, dismissed concerns raised by research indicating the need for changes to improve teenage users’ well-being.
US federal prosecutors are ramping up efforts to tackle the use of AI tools in creating child sexual abuse images, as they fear the technology could lead to a rise in illegal content. The Justice Department has already pursued two cases this year against individuals accused of using generative AI to produce explicit images of minors. James Silver, chief of the Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, anticipates more cases, cautioning against the normalisation of AI-generated abuse material.
Child safety advocates and prosecutors worry that AI systems can alter ordinary photos of children to produce abusive content, making it more challenging to identify and protect actual victims. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports approximately 450 cases each month involving AI-generated abuse. While this number is small compared to the millions of online child exploitation reports received, it represents a concerning trend in the misuse of technology.
The legal framework is still evolving regarding cases involving AI-generated abuse, particularly when identifiable children are not depicted. Prosecutors are resorting to obscenity charges when traditional child pornography laws do not apply. This is evident in the case of Steven Anderegg, accused of using Stable Diffusion to create explicit images. Similarly, US Army soldier Seth Herrera faces child pornography charges for allegedly using AI chatbots to alter innocent photos into abusive content. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Nonprofit groups like Thorn and All Tech Is Human are working with major tech companies, including Google, Amazon, Meta, OpenAI, and Stability AI, to prevent AI models from generating abusive content and to monitor their platforms. Thorn’s vice president, Rebecca Portnoff, emphasised that the issue is not just a future risk but a current problem, urging action during this critical period to prevent its escalation.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump revealed that he spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook about the financial penalties imposed on the tech giant by the European Union. Trump claimed that Cook informed him about a recent $15 billion fine from the EU, along with an additional $2 billion penalty, although Apple has not confirmed the details of the call.
The EU is investigating major tech companies to limit their influence and promote fair competition for smaller businesses. Recently, Apple encountered major challenges, including a court ruling that required the company to pay about $14 billion in back taxes to Ireland. Additionally, Apple was hit with a $2 billion antitrust fine for allegedly restricting competition in the music streaming sector via its App Store.
During the podcast with Patrick Bet-David, Trump expressed his commitment to protect American companies from what he described as unfair treatment. He stated, ‘Tim, I got to get elected first. But I’m not going to let them take advantage of our companies.’ Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris are currently in a tight race for the 5 November presidential election.
