Shows
MLex Market InsightPrivacy Matters: Navigating Enforcement & Risks in 2024In April, MLex Chief Global Digital Risk Correspondent Mike Swift sat down with Benjamin Wiseman, the US Federal Trade Commission's Associate Director, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, for a deep-dive discussion of pressing privacy issues for 2024—including child privacy and addictive algorithms, healthcare data, personal data autonomy and unfair use of AI.2024-05-0233 min
MLex Market InsightMLex’s IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2024 roundtable recapAs 5,000 lawyers, regulators, academics and technologists convened for the International Association of Privacy Professionals Global Privacy Summit 2024, a team of MLex journalists were in Washington DC to chronicle the most important yearly gathering of the world’s privacy community. Covering GPS panels on artificial intelligence, data transfers and an array of privacy issues, and interviewing key regulators on the sidelines of the conference, the MLex team gathered after the conference to share their insights on the event.2024-04-1827 min
MLex Market InsightClearview AI founder Hoan Ton-That on weathering a global regulatory storm, and the road aheadEven as it surpasses a database of 40 billion faces to train its algorithms, the founder and chief executive of Clearview AI told MLex in an exclusive interview that it isn't going back to doing business in Europe, the UK, Canada or Australia, where the controversial facial-recognition startup has faced regulatory opposition. In the US, however, Clearview has put many of its most thorny legal problems behind it, according to Hoan Ton-That.2024-01-2933 min
MLex Market InsightClash over Australia’s new merger laws focuses on future role of Federal CourtAustralian merger laws are facing a revamp, amid concerns that the voluntary-notification system was being gamed by global dealmakers. But while there’s broad agreement that the voluntary component of the existing regime needs to be scrapped, there are divisions about which model Australia should embrace. The antitrust regulator is campaigning for a formal but speedy model; lawyers are campaigning for a US-style model that would give their clients ready access to the Federal Court of Australia. MLex has covered all the twists and turns of the debate and spoken to key players in the process, including Chief Adviser to th...2023-12-1429 min
MLex Market InsightEU digital chief Jourová tells Big Tech bosses to improve content moderation amid Israel-Hamas warVěra Jourová is a Czech politician and lawyer who has been European Commissioner for Values and Transparency since 2019. She previously served as the EU’s Justice Commissioner. More recently, she has added digital duties after the EU’s digital commissioner Margethe Vestager took a leave of absence. Jourová is now responsible for the enforcement of the Digital Services Act, the EU’s landmark content-moderation legislation. The tragic events unfolding in the Middle East and social-media platforms’ role in spreading disinformation has been the first test for the DSA. Jourová is also focused on the AI Act, which is another initiative t...2023-12-0130 min
MLex Market InsightTalus, Assuming Chair Of The EDPB, Aims To Cut New TracksAnu Talus, who succeeded Andrea Jelinek to become the second chair of the European Data Protection Board in May, hopes to build on Jelinek’s work as she focuses on making GDPR enforcement more coherent, efficient and harmonized across the bloc’s member states. In an extended conversation with MLex on the sidelines of the Global Privacy Assembly meetings this year, Talus discussed issues ranging from the EDPB’s highly unusual step of making permanent and EU-wide a temporary Norwegian ban on Meta Platforms targeting users with behavioral-based ads without their consent issued under the GDPR’s urgency procedure, to how she...2023-11-2829 min
MLex Market InsightIn cases like Snap AI chatbot, Edwards seeks ‘agile enforcement’ for final three years as ICO chiefApproaching his second anniversary as the UK’s Information Commissioner, John Edwards believes the culture change he has led since taking the job at the start of 2022 has the regulator ready for an “agile” spectrum of responses to data protection problems.
Sitting down with MLex recently for an extended conversation at the Global Privacy Assembly meetings in Bermuda, Edwards discussed the need for data protection regulators to have a more assertive response to the privacy risks of generative artificial intelligence than they had to the rise of social media business models more than a decade ago. For companies that want to com...2023-11-0235 min
MLex Market InsightHow DeLaine Prado believes Google can avoid ‘race to the bottom’ on privacyHalimah DeLaine Prado is Google’s top lawyer, leading what she describes as an in-house, multidisciplinary law firm within the tech giant. As Google marks its 25th birthday this fall, it has rarely, if ever, been under more legal pressure around the world, including multiple antitrust and privacy trials in the US that could force changes to the crown jewels of its business – search, the Google Play app store and its digital ads ecosystem. During an extended conversation with MLex, DeLaine Prado talked about her hopes that Google can avoid “a race to the bottom” on privacy by nudging the ad indus...2023-10-0935 min
MLex Market InsightFTC Consumer - Protection Boss Sam Levine Takes On Privacy, Emerging TechnologiesSam Levine, the new head of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, says he’s proud of his agency’s recent achievements on protecting the public by using the “very broad, flexible authority” conferred by the law. In an in-depth interview with MLex, Levine says that the FTC Act allows the Bureau to pursue technology companies over privacy concerns, even if practices have been disclosed in a privacy policy. As for generative AI, while the technology may be new, Levine says that the FTC has been thinking about issues involving artificial intelligence for many years.2023-09-0530 min
MLex Market InsightThe UK regulator’s Microsoft-Activision Blizzard red light will be hard to reverseMicrosoft has lashed out at the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority over its decision to veto the software giant’s $69 billion acquisition of gaming company Activision Blizzard. Microsoft President Brad Smith called the decision “the darkest day of our four decades in Britain,” warning that the regulator’s red light had shaken the company’s confidence about doing business in the UK. On this week’s podcast, MLex’s M&A team examines the fallout of the CMA’s decision and what it means for the prospects of the global deal.2023-05-0515 min
MLex Market InsightThe Big-Picture Themes To Emerge From The 2023 IAPP Global Privacy SummitMLex’s data-privacy and security team was out in force at the International Association of Privacy Professionals Global Privacy Summit 2023, held in Washington, DC. And there was no shortage of news for our reporters to cover — including the latest chatter on the pesky chatbot ChatGPT. Perhaps unusually, there was also a degree of optimism on the part of those who believe that democracies are converging on data protection, with hope that the privacy chasm that has endangered the legal flow of data between the EU and the US will be bridged. Our reporters were also able to sit down with the...2023-04-1119 min
MLex Market InsightGlobal antitrust issues face scrutiny at ABA conference in the USFor antitrust enforcers wanting to get a message out to the world, the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Spring Meeting is a time to shine. This year was no exception — in fact, with Covid-related travel restrictions now a thing of the past, attendance at the Washington DC even was up. US federal and state enforcers were there to remind the antitrust community that they’re nobody’s concierge — with both civil and criminal enforcement now on the cards. Senior European regulators were also out in force at the ABA, with discussion about the UK’s merger reviews and the European Commission’s...2023-04-0311 min
MLex Market InsightDramatic resignation puts the US FTC’s leadership at centerstageIn the first of a three-part podcast series about the US Federal Trade Commission, the MLex panel discusses the high-profile clashes at the very top of the agency. The antitrust world was rocked recently about the very noisy resignation of Commissioner Christine Wilson. Today’s program examines the extent to which the criticisms leveled by Wilson at FTC Chair Lina Khan go beyond the normal cut-and-thrust of US political divisions.2023-02-2412 min
MLex Market InsightAustralia’s Top Antitrust Official Discusses Leadership And The Challenges AheadAs one of Australia’s top antitrust lawyers, Gina Cass-Gottlieb had a reputation for being calm, measured and in control — honing a consensus-based leadership style that appears to have served her well. Now, as the head of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, Cass-Gottlieb’s sang froid will be put to the test, as the competition enforcer grapples with its criminal-cartel enforcement agenda, while taking on well-resourced tech companies and holding payment companies up to scrutiny. In an extended interview with MLex’s Sydney-based correspondent Laurel Henning, Cass-Gottlieb discusses both how she got to where she is and the way forward for her 2023-02-1518 min
MLex Market InsightChallenges to financial-services regulation in an era of green finance and crypto-assetsToday’s podcast brings together MLex financial-services reporters around the globe to discuss our most recent special report, covering the regulation of crypto assets and policies that address sustainable finance.2023-02-0718 min
MLex Market InsightThe enforcement of the EU’s DMA and DSA shapes up as the privacy story of 2023In this letter from Brussels, chief correspondent covering data privacy and security, Matthew Newman, explains why the enforcement of the EU’s Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act is likely to be dominating MLex’s coverage in 2023. It will come down to what Big Tech companies are designated as gatekeepers and what they will need to do to comply with the legislation.2023-01-1208 min
MLex Market Insight2023 shapes up as an eventful but not critical year for Big Tech in the USBig Tech can expect a big year of policy, litigation and legislation in the US — although it’s still unclear whether digital platforms will suffer any significant setbacks in 2023. According to MLex’s Washington-based chief antitrust correspondent for the US, the year ahead is most likely to reveal itself as a mixed bag for the tech giants.2023-01-1109 min
MLex Market InsightPost-Brexit challenges, shadow banking set to dominate UK’s 2023 financial-services outlookIn today’s podcast, MLex’s London-based Financial Services Chief Correspondent, Fiona Maxwell, outlines what she expects will be the most important areas of interest for her reporting in 2023: Shadow-banking, Basel 3.1 and the UK’s post-Brexit Financial Services Markets Bill. In this special, forward-looking edition of the program, Fiona walks us through the detail of her top three and explains why these regulatory issues matter.2023-01-0608 min
MLex Market InsightBig Tech faces US regulatory challenges in 2023, as new state-based rules come into effectMLex Chief Global Digital Risk Correspondent Mike Swift walks us through privacy and data-protection challenges that lie ahead for Big Tech in 2023. With a raft of state-based rules set to come into effect, and the Federal Trade Commission likely to maintain its focus on location data privacy, there will be plenty to keep MLex’s US data-privacy team very busy over coming months.2023-01-0507 min
MLex Market Insight2023 is set to be another year of antitrust challenges for Big Tech, as new rules start to biteIn today’s podcast, MLex Editor-in-Chief Lewis Crofts walks us through the complex regulatory landscape facing global technology companies — from app stores to self-preferencing. But there’s more than just legislative changes on the horizon, with several significant instances of enforcement expected to capture international headlines in 2023.2023-01-0410 min
MLex Market InsightFuruya ponders the JFTC’s role in a fast-evolving regulatory landscapeJapan’s top antitrust official, Kazuyuki Furuya, has a lot on his plate. The chairman of the Japan Fair Trade Commission is grappling with the role his agency can play as inflation soars and the country’s population declines, amid concerns that large companies may be saddling smaller businesses with rising costs. To mark the publication of MLex’s special report, based on an extended interview with Furuya, our Tokyo correspondents weigh up the issues confronting Japan and the qualities the JFTC chief is bringing to the regulatory table.2022-11-3018 min
MLex Market InsightEuropean privacy officials tackle the big issues at Brussels conferenceThe International Association of Privacy Professionals’ Europe Data Protection Congress attracted large crowds in Brussels last week, with a plenty of meaty policy and enforcement issues on the table. Irish Data Protection Commission head Helen Dixon suggested that the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation’s system of cross-border enforcement wasn’t “built for speed;” while a trio of Meta Platforms companies — Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram — are being scrutinized by the bloc’s national data-protection authorities over privacy concerns. Privacy advocate Max Schrems delighted the audience with some props – a black box and rubber stamp – to criticize a new court set up by the latest E...2022-11-2315 min
MLex Market InsightEU’s new digital envoy says he’s in Silicon Valley to talk, not enforceThe EU’s new envoy for digital says his office in San Francisco will pave the way towards a more cooperative relationship with Big Tech companies. In an interview with MLex, Gerard de Graaf discussed the role of the new office, the EU’s landmark legislation targeting tech platforms and the future of the internet. The envoy expects his new office to provide the bloc with a direct line of communication with key decisionmakers in tech companies including Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta Platforms.2022-10-1411 min
MLex Market InsightAutomated vehicles ready for takeoff as regulators, lawmakers play catch-upAs leading automated vehicle companies including General Motors’ Cruise, Alphabet’s Waymo and Intel’s Mobileye prepare for deployment, regulators and lawmakers are still grappling with how to manage the challenge posed by self-driving cars. As for data generated from connected vehicles, they’ve increasingly become a source of contention among different market players — everyone wants the data, but in the United States companies are facing litigation over how that data is processed. On this special edition of the MLex podcast, our future-mobility team teases out some of the themes covered by our most recent special report.2022-09-2824 min
MLex Market InsightThe GDPR is a “global standard” for privacy — but does it live up to the hype?Rightly or wrongly, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation — the bloc’s landmark privacy legislation — is now held up as a global regulatory standard. But does the GDPR live up to the hype? MLex’s data privacy & security team has done a deep dive into the legislation, crunching the numbers to work out the extent to which, four years after their implementation, the rules have delivered on the promise of tougher privacy standards. In this podcast, MLex reporters will tease out the key themes of their GDPR special report.2022-09-2025 min
MLex Market InsightThe human story behind Australia's landmark Country Care criminal-cartel trialWhen officials from Australia’s competition enforcer raided a disability-aid store in the town of Mildura, they were making history. It was the first time that an individual had been charged under the country’s 2009 criminal-cartel offenses; and the first time in over 100 years that an Australian company had been targeted by a criminal antitrust prosecution. It took Rob Hogan, the owner of the retail business, five years and millions of dollars to be acquitted of the charges. A year after the trial wrapped up, Hogan has decided to speak out about his ordeal. In this audio documentary, MLex reporter Laur...2022-08-1939 min
MLex Market InsightFocus on AustraliaMLex's reporters have had a frantic start to 2022, with global competition lawsuits against Google and Apple spilling over into the Federal Court of Australia and a criminal-cartel prosecution involving local foreign-exchange businesses culminating in guilty pleas. Laurel Henning and James Panichi have also been examining Australian lawmakers' slow progress in updating the 1988 Privacy Act and concerns over how big business manages personal data. For example: Why are private-health insurance companies in Australia so keen to get their hands on fitness data collected by Australian smart-watches? Laurel and James talk through the challenges and the highlights of their Australian regulatory coverage.2022-08-1020 min
MLex Market InsightKhan’s FTC leadership faces internal criticism; and conflict-resolution for EU privacy watchdogsLina Khan’s leadership of the US Federal Trade Commission has come under fire recently, with surveys suggesting the agency’s regulatory force of 1,100 staffers is particularly unhappy. But is the disquiet simply the result of institutional reluctant to embrace new directions? Or is there more to it? MLex reporters have investigated the issue. Also on today’s podcast: The mechanism designed to bring privacy regulators in different EU jurisdictions to the negotiating table when they disagree on privacy enforcement. While the mechanism under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation hasn’t been used much, there are already suggestions the system...2022-06-1022 min
MLex Market InsightKhan, Kanter In The Spotlight At Berlin Antitrust Conference; And Are US M&A Reviews Too Lax?All eyes were on top US competition regulators Lina Khan and Jonathan Kanter at a recent conference in Berlin, with European officials keen to know how the relatively new heads of the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s antitrust division would manage what appears to be a remarkable overhaul in the US’s regulatory landscape. MLex’s Nicholas Hirst was at this year’s ICN conference and was able to cover the comments by the heavy hitters of global antitrust. Also on this week’s podcast: How the FTC and DOJ’s revamp of antitrust reviews is likely to un...2022-05-1322 min
MLex Market InsightSpecial Edition: IAPP Global Privacy SummitMLex brings you a very special edition of the Market Insights podcast. Matthew Newman speaks to Mike Swift about the 2022 IAPP Global Privacy Summit in Washington DC. They discuss their thoughts on this year’s meeting including the key themes and key data privacy and security stories and trends to keep your eyes on this year.2022-04-1418 min
MLex Market InsightSpecial Edition: ABA Antitrust Spring MeetingMLex brings you a very special edition of the Market Insights podcast. Lewis Crofts speaks to Khushita Vasant and Nicholas Hirst about the 2022 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting. They discuss their thoughts on this year’s meeting including the key take-aways and themes.2022-04-1113 min
MLex Market InsightBlack underrepresentation in the acquisition of divested assets raises questions at FTC and DOJDivestitures are part and parcel of the US regulatory landscape: When a deal raises red flags, the merging companies offer to shed parts of their businesses, in a bid to get the proposal over the line. But who buys those divested assets and businesses? According to an investigation by MLex’s sister publication FTC Watch, black-owned and black-backed businesses are missing out. In fact, over a recent three-year period, no African American businesses have been involved in acquiring divested assets. It’s something that goes to the heart of the merger operations of both the Federal Trade Commission and the Depa...2021-12-2217 min
MLex Market InsightThe connected-car revolution highlights the urgency of the global regulatory challenge aheadNew technology is revolutionizing the way we get from A to B. Gone are the gas-guzzling, analog cars of yore; tomorrow’s roads are likely to feature high-tech electric vehicles, pumping data back to manufacturers and pulling up at specially designed service stations to recharge. This new frontier comes with immense regulatory challenges — challenges that have to be met today, given the frantic pace at which the new paradigm is taking shape. Our Future Mobility service will be bringing MLex’s in-depth coverage to the new smart-car reality and the accompanying uncharted regulatory landscape.2021-10-0819 min
MLex Market InsightMLex podcast on summer recessThe MLex podcast team is taking some time off for the northern-hemisphere summer. But our global team of reporters will be back in your feed from Friday, Sept. 10, with all of the latest in regulatory news.2021-08-2500 min
MLex Market InsightThe legacy of regulation and enforcement left by Australia’s bold digital platform investigationAustralia’s world-first antitrust review of Facebook and Google’s business models has spawned a new generation of regulation and enforcement, with the country’s competition watchdog using consumer lawsuits, market inquiries and merger reviews to create one of the western world’s most assertive regulatory regimes. But as a recent MLex Special Report argues, there are signs that the legacy of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s 18-month Digital Platforms Inquiry, which wound up in 2019, could yet be tarnished by the reluctance of Australia’s courts to embrace significant parts of the regulator’s agenda.2021-04-0716 min
MLex Market InsightWhy 2021 is shaping up as a significant year for global privacy regulationTo mark Data Privacy Day, this special-edition MLex podcast examines the year that was and glances ahead at what lies in store for privacy regulation and enforcement. Mike Swift will chat about the impact of new data-privacy enforcement agencies around the world, the controversial collapse of the Privacy Shield allowing trans-Atlantic data transfers and the advent of muscular national sovereignty in regulating global digital companies. We also examine how the incoming Biden administration may want to ride the wave of privacy enforcement directed at Big Tech.2021-01-2814 min
MLex Market InsightSingapore's antitrust chief finds a delicate balance in her agency's Covid-19 responseJust a few months into the job, Singapore’s antitrust chief had to quickly adjust to changing realities amid the Covid-19 pandemic. But on the road to recovery, Sia Aik Kor says the stakes of ensuring competitive markets have never been higher. In this special edition of MLex’s regulatory podcast, our Southeast Asia correspondent, Jet Damazo-Santos, walks us through Sia’s eventful year and examines the regulatory challenges facing both the city-state and the region, along with other highlights of the December edition of MLex’s special report.2020-12-1011 min
MLex Market InsightAs the effects of Covid-19 reverberate around the world, regulators experiment with new settingsThe Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a raft of regulatory measures addressing antitrust and state-subsidy programs, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Some of these measures will be lifting as the economy emerges from its lockdown-induced slumber; others may have a lasting effect. In this special podcast, we address three examples of three policy areas over which the coronavirus has cast a shadow: M&A in the United States; the enforcement hiatus in the European Union; and the Philippines's controversial decision to wave through significant deals, without regulatory scrutiny. MLex journalists walk us through their reporting for the Covid-19 special report...2020-09-1422 min
MLex Market InsightAustralia’s criminal-cartel offenses highlight the pitfalls of antitrust prosecutionsAs the first criminal-cartel prosecutions in over 100 years start to percolate through Australia’s legal system, MLex’s local team of reporters examines how the country’s competition watchdog has used the offenses to tackle anticompetitive agreements. In a new, in-depth special report, we examine the challenges faced by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, along with the defense strategies put forward by the accused companies and individuals. We also contemplate how similar legislation now adopted by New Zealand may mold the antitrust landscape in that country.2020-08-3111 min
MLex Market InsightUS prosecutions on criminal antitrust offenses come at a high cost for foreign offendersThe harshness of the penalties faced by three foreigners who have faced jailed time in the United States over criminal-antitrust offenses is being read as a cautionary tale for anyone, anywhere in the world, who has violated US cartel laws. The offenses may amount to white-collar crime, but the unforgiving prison regime faced by those who have been convicted, along with the readiness of US authorities to extradite those accused from third countries, is a reminder that even senior managers of wealthy companies can’t expect leniency from the Department of Justice. As MLex’s reporting has revealed, this unforgiving regi...2020-07-2422 min
MLex Market InsightUnaoil bribery trial of former executives holds uncomfortable lessons for UK’s Serious Fraud OfficeUnaoil bribery trial of former executives holds uncomfortable lessons for UK’s Serious Fraud Office by MLex Market Insight2020-07-2113 min
MLex Market InsightGrifters and grafters: Indonesia's anticorruption agency under attackThe staff at Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission have found their respected agency under attack from a seemingly unlikely source: parliament. A new bill passed just this week is set to clip its wings by making its activities and independence subject to the whims of a handpicked supervisory panel. It's an unwelcome development for an agency that is the most trusted of any state body in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, particularly because the legal offensive comes from the country's least trusted, the legislature itself. The uncharacteristic quiescence of the country's "clean-hands" president, Joko Widodo, seems set to allow the bill pass...2019-09-1912 min
MLex Market InsightSour note: Tencent Music, record labels and licensing in ChinaThe content-licensing practices of Tencent Music – far and away China’s biggest music download service – have struck a discordant note with the country’s antitrust regulator, which is looking into the company’s exclusive licensing arrangements amid concerns that they are locking competitors out of the action in the world’s 7th-largest music market. The investigation of Tencent Music – the first such Chinese probe targeting a local tech giant, and the first involving non-price vertical agreements – has roped in the world’s biggest music labels, Universal Music, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music, alongside such corporate heavyweights as Apple, Alibaba, Baidu, NetEase and...2019-09-1615 min
MLex Market InsightLibra, the Facebook-backed cryptocurrency, faces regulation woesSam Wilkin and Jack Schickler of MLex discuss Facebook's foray into cryptocurrency, Libra, and the regulation impact already expected in its home jurisdiction of Switzerland.2019-09-1212 min
MLex Market InsightUK Regulatory Reviews Piling UpNew business minister Leadsom inherits bulging competition reform in-tray
Theresa May entered 10 Downing Street in July 2016 with grand hopes of fixing Britain’s “dysfunctional” markets in favor of hard-pressed consumers. But she was pushed from office three years later with reforms to consumer protection, competition in digital markets, foreign investment screening and the audit market half-done. They now lie in the hands of business secretary Andrea Leadsom – and a divided parliament. In this discussion from MLex’s London bureau, senior correspondent Matthew Holehouse and antitrust correspondents Simon Zekaria and Victoria Ibitoye consider the priorities and possibilities ahead.2019-08-1416 min
MLex Market Insight‘Cybersecurity with Chinese characteristics’—A well-mapped regulatory landscape, but pitfalls awaitChina enacted its Cybersecurity Law just over two years ago, and the regulatory ecosystem that has emerged as regulations have developed around it is appreciably easier to navigate than it once was. But risks for companies both foreign and domestic remain as those rules are tweaked and as various government agencies clamor to play a role in enforcing them. MLex has compiled a special report highlighting the key issues in Chinese cybersecurity. MLex Deputy Managing Editor for Asia Padraic Convery sat down with Correspondent Xu Yuan, whose reporting on Chinese cybersecurity issues forms the basis of this report, to get...2019-07-1215 min
MLex Market InsightThe Valle-dictory Tour: EU Chief Economist Tommaso Valletti reviews his three years in BrusselsOn July 11 MLex hosted a discussion between the EU’s outgoing chief economist for competition, Tommaso Valletti, and Cristina Caffarra, Charles Rivers Associates’ head of European competition. Valletti advocated for bolder competition enforcement, celebrated European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager, and recounted memorable moments from his three years in post. The discussion was moderated by MLex journalist Nicholas Hirst.2019-07-111h 19
MLex Market InsightGDPR at one: Legal certainty still eludes EU privacy lawOne year after the General Data Protection Regulation took effect, the sweeping EU privacy law is still clouded in uncertainty. A 50 million-euro fine against Google, imposed by France, has opened up a dispute about jurisdiction as well as the vexed question of how, exactly, companies can legally get people’s consent to process their data. As national regulators look to step up their enforcement in the GDPR’s second year, MLex is releasing a Special Report to shine a light into the regulation’s murky corners. In this podcast, three of the contributors — Matthew Newman, Jack Schickler and Cynthia Kroet — discuss th...2019-05-2428 min
MLex Market InsightConnected cars patent disputes carry echoes of battles pastAs cars integrate ever more technology, a legal fight is brewing over whether the holders of connectivity-related patents should offer licenses to the makers of the relevant car parts, or of the cars as a whole. With parallels to the “smartphone wars” of the past decade, this new front will strain the complex relationships between carmakers and their suppliers and pit industrial giants such as Daimler and Nokia against each other. It will also test the limits of antitrust law, with patent holders being accused of withholding licenses. Listen to Sam Wilkin, Matthew Newman and Michael Acton from MLex’s Brusse...2019-05-0317 min
MLex Market InsightLeveling the online playing field: Asia-Pacific regulators go after GAFAThey are the Titans of their markets. But the blow-back has now begun. Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, collectively known as GAFA, have had the heat turned up on them in the past year as regulators in Asia-Pacific have gone after them over problems ranging from data privacy to dominance abuse and other competition issues. MLex Australia Senior Correspondent Laurel Henning and MLex Japan Senior Correspondent Toko Sekiguchi look at how three key countries in the region are taking a tougher line on tech's Big Four and the regulatory challenges they have triggered.2019-02-2514 min
MLex Market InsightTech in 2019: legal disputes and other impending regulatory and litigation issuesTech in 2019: legal disputes and other impending regulatory and litigation issues by MLex Market Insight2018-12-1812 min
MLex Market InsightSilicon Valley loses its fight against Australia’s encryption lawSilicon Valley loses its fight against Australia’s encryption law by MLex Market Insight2018-12-0716 min
MLex Market InsightBrexit progress gives glimpse of battles yet to comeBrexit’s not done yet. EU leaders endorsed the withdrawal agreement and a political declaration on future relations on Sunday, but even if this passes the UK parliament, we’re still potentially years away from an agreement on the permanent relationship. MLex reporters Zosia Wanat and Mike Acton, who were at the latest summit, talk to Brussels news editor Sam Wilkin about the issues that will come to the fore if and when we reach a transition period — from competition to kippers.2018-11-2816 min
MLex Market InsightData privacy grabs attention of Big Tech CEOsApple boss Tim Cook was in Brussels last week for a meeting of global privacy regulators, the first time the CEO of a tech giant had attended. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai also delivered video messages. It’s clear that privacy has become a top-level issue for tech companies as regulators clamp down after a series of scandals, but how can they reconcile privacy with their data-hungry business models? MLex tech correspondents Cynthia Kroet and Amy Miller join Brussels news editor Sam Wilkin to discuss.2018-10-3109 min
MLex Market InsightBrexit & Japanese Industry: Views from MLex bureaux London & TokyoEver since British former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher rolled out the red carpet for Nissan to set up operations in the UK in the 1980s, the country has been corporate Japan's gateway to the European single market. But as Britain prepares to leave the European Union, could all that be about to change? MLex's UK/EU Correspondent Matthew Holehouse and Tokyo-based Senior Correspondent Sachiko Sakamaki look at what's at stake for Japanese companies' place in the British economy as Brexit enters its most sensitive and dangerous phase.2018-09-1014 min
MLex Market InsightDOJ willing to offer leniency to companies that report bribery in newly acquired firmsThe US Justice Department is encouraging companies involved in mergers to come forward when they find bribery in businesses they’ve taken over. The DOJ’s emphasis on merger and acquisitions, an outgrowth of its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Corporate Enforcement Policy, gives self-reporting companies a presumption of no prosecution if they cooperate and remediate. But there’s a lot at stake for companies that self-report. MLex correspondent Robert Thomason talks with Amy Miller about the likely impact.2018-09-0407 min
MLex Market InsightSweeping new data protection laws emerge in Brazil, California and India – What’s at stake?Sweeping new data protection laws emerge in Brazil, California and India – What’s at stake? by MLex Market Insight2018-08-2914 min
MLex Market InsightEU’s proposed tech tax causes controversyTaxing tech giants such as Google and Facebook has become a political battleground in Europe. The European Commission has proposed a new digital levy that it says can generate 5 billion euros a year, but many national governments accuse the EU executive — whose formal taxation powers are limited — of overreach. With a discussion between finance ministers due next month, Brussels news editor Sam Wilkin discusses what’s next with Todd Buell, a reporter at MLex’s sister publication Law360.2018-08-2113 min
MLex Market InsightUK Unexplained Wealth Orders – a landmark legal challengeDetails of a 16 million pound ten-year luxury shopping bill hogged the headlines surrounding a High Court challenge against the UK’s first so-called Unexplained Wealth Orders. But the case also threw up a number of important and interesting legal arguments that could dictate how these orders work in future. Ana Rita Rego, MLex’s London Managing Editor, and Corruption Correspondent Ben Lucas discuss these arguments and take a look at what the forthcoming judgement is likely to focus on.2018-08-1308 min
MLex Market InsightPetrobras four years on: How Brazil’s compliance culture is changingIt’s been four years since Brazilian prosecutors first started probing a systemic bribery scheme at state-controlled oil company Petrobras, and the Brazilian corporate landscape is slowly changing. Listen to MLex’s latest podcast on how the companies involved have started to change their corporate culture and take corruption compliance programs seriously.2018-06-2912 min
MLex Market InsightOnline, out of line: Amazon's troubles in Japan may herald heightened regulatory attentionE-commerce giant Amazon is under a cloud in Japan, where the country's competition regulator is weighing whether it abused its relationships with its suppliers. Japanese-style rules on abuses of superior bargaining positions are a relative rarity around the world, and they are sparingly used even in Japan. But they may be gaining a new lease on life as the country's antitrust regulator eyes a probe of another household-name platform business in Germany – an investigation of Facebook that shares similar concerns over an asymmetry of market power. MLex Correspondent Toko Sekiguchi and Chief Global Antitrust Correspondent Leah Nylen join Asia Managing Ed...2018-05-3010 min
MLex Market InsightLaying down the law: Hong Kong's Competition Ordinance in line for its first major reviewCompetition law came late to Hong Kong, entering into force only in 2015, but it has developed quickly and continues to do so. After just three years of enforcement, the territory's Competition Ordinance is set for a no-holds-barred government review. MLex Correspondent Xu Yuan explains the key focus areas that will be looked at, and what the competition regulator is seeking from the exercise, to our Chief Global Antitrust Correspondent, Leah Nylen.2018-05-2908 min
MLex Market InsightNo-poach: How antitrust prosecutors are trying to help you get a raiseFor years, US wages have remained stagnant with experts pointing to everything from globalization to technological change to declining unions. US antitrust prosecutors think there might be one other factor to blame: no-poach or wage-fixing agreements between employers. MLex's Chief Global Antitrust Correspondent Leah Nylen talks about the latest developments in the US and around the world with our Australia Managing Editor James Panichi.2018-05-2412 min
MLex Market InsightNow, it's personal: Defending data and protecting privacy in ChinaChina may be well known for monitoring its citizens' online activities, but that doesn't mean it's unconcerned about personal data protection. As the revelations continue to pile up in the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal, Beijing's guidelines for handling personal information are more relevant than ever, and they're going into effect in just a few weeks. MLex Correspondent Xu Yuan explains the latest Chinese digital developments to our Asia managing editor, David Plott.2018-04-1809 min
MLex Market InsightEU seeks exemption to Trump tariffsA week after US President Donald Trump signed steep tariffs on steel and aluminum into law, producers and trade partners around the world are scrambling to respond. The EU has vowed to hit back with its own measures, but it's also seeking an exemption from Washington. MLex trade reporters Poppy Carnell and Joanna Sopinska talk to editor Sam Wilkin about the forms an exemption could take, and how likely Brussels is to succeed.2018-03-1510 min
MLex Market InsightAll together now: China brings antitrust enforcement under one roof at a brand new agencySince China’s Anti-Monopoly Law came into force in 2008 until the present day, a ministry and two state agencies have overseen separate aspects of antitrust enforcement in the country. Now, a new super-regulator is about to make those subdivided roles all its own. MLex Asia Managing Editor David Plott hears from our China-based Market Analyst Eliot Gao why Beijing has shaken things up, and what’s in store.2018-03-1309 min
MLex Market InsightJapan backs global dialogue on Bitcoin, including at G-20As Bitcoin has grabbed headlines with its wild price swings, authorities around the world have been scrambling to regulate the new phenomenon of digital currencies. Tsering Namgyal, MLex’s Hong Kong-based financial correspondent, was in Brussels with chief correspondent John Rega and news editor Sam Wilkin. Here they discuss different global approaches and what’s at stake.2018-03-0809 min
MLex Market InsightSaputo, Murray Goulburn deal plots tricky Australian regulatory pathCanadian dairy giant Saputo is aiming to acquire ailing Australian milk producer Murray Goulburn Co-operative for AUD $1.3 billion ($1 billion), with Australia’s competition regulator set to decide on the acquisition on March 1. But the deal is not without its regulatory challenges, as MLex’s managing editor for Australasia, James Panichi, and Senior Correspondent Laurel Henning discuss.2018-02-1611 min
MLex Market InsightHigh-stakes trial between Uber and Google's self-driving car unit kicks off in San FranciscoMLex reporters Amy Miller and Mike Swift talked about the scheduled Feb. 5 start of the high stakes trial between Uber Technologies and Waymo over whether an Uber engineer stole 14,000 digital files containing proprietary self-driving car technology, as well as about the colorful Judge William Alsup, who will preside over the trial in San Francisco.2018-02-0514 min
MLex Market InsightEverything Old is New Again: How Trump has changed TradePresident Donald Trump’s election in January has deeply impacted the world of international trade. MLex reporters Leah Nylen and Adam Sigal talk NAFTA, China and the other biggest trade stories of the year and what may emerge in 2018.2017-12-2115 min
MLex Market InsightThe Year in Antitrust and Privacy: AT&T, Equifax and Net NeutralityMLex’s chief correspondents Leah Nylen and Mike Swift wrap-up 2017’s biggest stories in US antitrust, privacy and data security, with outlooks for what to expect in the new year.2017-12-2022 min
MLex Market InsightReversal of fortune: A win for innovators as patent policy pendulum swings back in their favorA recent policy U-turn on standard-essential patents in the United States could set the tone for how intellectual property issues are handled by regulators and courts around the world. Listen in as MLex Chief North America Correspondent Leah Nylen, Brussels-based Senior Correspondent Matthew Newman and Senior Correspondent Toko Sekiguchi from Tokyo weigh in on this fundamental rethink of IP rights and its impact around the world.2017-12-0119 min
MLex Market InsightUS sides squarely with owners of technology standards in patent licensing negotiationsMLex Chief Global Digital Risk Correspondent Mike Swift and Senior Antitrust Correspondent Joshua Sisco discuss the shift in policy at the Department of Justice on licensing practices for standard essential patents.2017-11-2910 min
MLex Market InsightSBM Offshore’s struggle to settle global corruption probesCorporate settlements are becoming the norm in resolving international corruption investigations, but the path isn’t always straightforward. Join Ana Rita Rego, Managing Editor in London, and MLex’s corruption and bribery reporters Ben Lucas and Rodrigo Russo to discuss SBM Offshore’s attempts to settle historic wrongdoing in the Netherlands, Brazil and the United States.2017-11-2213 min
MLex Market InsightAluminum foil sets the stage for US and China trade disputeMLex Chief Global Antitrust Correspondent Leah Nylen and Trade Correspondent Adam Sigal discuss the outcomes of a recent trade defense investigation by the US Department of Commerce into Chinese produced aluminum foil.2017-11-1308 min
MLex Market InsightThe Gupta leaks go globalMLex’s London Managing Editor Ana Rita Rego is joined by Correspondent Ben Lucas in London to discuss the implications of the “Gupta leaks” in South Africa for multinational companies. Listen to MLex discuss the regulatory risks companies are facing across the globe and the lessons that can be learned from the case.2017-11-0609 min
MLex Market InsightTechnology's financial Frontier - blockchain, Bitcoin And the future of bankingListen to MLex Regional Correspondent, Hong Kong Tsering Namgyal and our Managing Editor in Asia, David Plott discuss the latest developments in blockchain, Bitcoin and the future of the financial services sector.2017-11-0116 min
MLex Market InsightUS Congress kills pro-consumer arbitration rule, setting stage to block payday lending ruleMLex Senior Correspondent Neil Roland and Financial Regulation Correspondent Neil Haggerty discuss the recent move by the the US Senate to block a rule by the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would allow consumers to sue banks and credit card companies.2017-10-3108 min
MLex Market InsightWatch repairers left to ponder next move in fight against Swiss giantsMLex Managing Editor, EU James Panichi and Senior Correspondent, Antitrust and Merger Regulation Matthew Newman discuss the recent court victory by luxury watchmakers to withhold spare parts from independent repairers.2017-10-2512 min
MLex Market InsightUS ramps up penalties in fight against illegal ‘no poach’ agreementsMLex Chief Global Antitrust Correspondent Leah Nylen and Brussels Managing Editor James Panichi discuss wage fixing and no-poach agreements as well as the latest attempts by US regulators to stamp out the practice.2017-10-1209 min
MLex Market InsightEU e-bike dumping probe could worsen trade tensions between Europe and ChinaMLex Chief Correspondent Trade Poppy Carnell and Brussels Managing Editor James Panichi discuss an expected dumping probe into Chinese e-bike producers by European regulators.2017-10-0211 min
MLex Market InsightThe privacy debate goes global - rights, risks and regulation in an interconnected ageListen to MLex Chief Global Digital Risk Correspondent Mike Swift and our Managing Editor in Asia David Plott, discuss the latest developments in data privacy and security.2017-10-0215 min
MLex Market InsightBrexit negotiations continue in the shadow of May’s Florence speechListen in as MLex's Managing Editor in Brussels James Panichi is joined by Senior Political Correspondent Simon Taylor and UK-EU Correspondent Matthew Holehouse for a lively discussion covering the Brexit negotiations in the aftermath of Theresa May's Florence speech.2017-09-2820 min
MLex Market InsightThe Equifax Data BreachMLex Senior Correspondent Joshua Sisco and Chief Global Digital Risk Correspondent Mike Swift discuss the recent data breach of credit reporting agency Equifax and the potential regulatory implications.2017-09-2510 min
MLex Market InsightBrazil, White-Collar Crime and PetrobrasMLex London Managing Editor Ana Rita Rego is joined by Martin Coyle and Ben Lucas in London, and Rodrigo Russo in São Paulo, to discuss the latest developments in the large-scale investigation into Petrobras, known as Operation Lava Jato. Listen to MLex’s bribery and corruption team discuss the implications for multinational companies that have been named in Brazilian prosecutors' documents.2017-09-1914 min
MLex Market InsightThe Intel antitrust decision and the EUMLex Chief Global Correspondent Lewis Crofts and Senior Mergers and Antitrust Correspondent Matthew Newman join Brussels Managing Editor James Panichi to discuss this week's decision by the EU Court of Justice to refer the complex Intel decision back to a lower court.2017-09-0821 min
MLex Market InsightPrivate colleges seek antitrust carve-out for cost-related woesMany private colleges are having trouble with their finances and they say getting a carve-out of the antitrust laws might help them. MLex Chief Global Antitrust Correspondent Leah Nylen is joined by Claude Marx, a correspondent at MLex and our sister publication FTC:Watch, to find out more about the rising costs and tuition fees that have led to colleges requesting this exemption from Congress.2017-08-3104 min
MLex Market InsightBrexit: UK-EU talks at a crossroadsNeed to know the ins and outs of this week's Brexit talks in Brussels? Listen in as MLex's Managing Editor in Brussels James Panichi is joined by Senior Political Correspondent Simon Taylor and UK-EU Correspondent Matthew Holehouse for a lively discussion covering the tactics, the strategies, the impact of the UK election, post-Brexit dispute resolution and more.2017-08-3027 min
MLex Market InsightThe City of London Prepares for BrexitThe pressure is mounting on banks, insurers and other financial services companies based in London to plan for Brexit.
MLex's London Managing Editor Ana Rita Rego and Financial Services Correspondent Hugo Coelho discuss how companies in London are preparing for the UK’s departure from the bloc and what steps they’ll have to take to access EU markets.2017-08-3011 min
MLex Market InsightJapan’s Big Data ChallengeListen in as MLex Senior Tokyo Correspondent Toko Sekiguchi talks with our Managing Editor in Asia David Plott about a recent Japan Fair Trade Commission report on the competition issues surrounding Big Data. For more on the JFTC Report, read this recent insight from MLex: http://bit.ly/2sOHjpo.2017-06-1910 min
MLex Market InsightChina's Cybersecurity Law, critical information infrastructure and cross-border data transfersListen to MLex Correspondent Xu Yuan and our Managing Editor in Asia David Plott discuss China's new Cybersecurity Law (due to come into effect on Thursday June 1 2017) and what it means for companies doing business in China.
You can find out more about this new law in two recent insights published on MLex Market Insight:
- China considers sweeping regulation of cross-border data transfers http://bit.ly/2ropPjw
-China considers 19-month grace period before enforcing cross-border data transfer rules http://bit.ly/2s2vyYr
To listen to the podcast in Mandarin Chinese click here: http://bit.ly/2raCzJb.2017-05-2610 min
MLex Market InsightUS Antitrust & Merger Regulation Under President TrumpListen to MLex Chief Global Antitrust Correspondent Leah Nylen talk with MLex's Brussels Managing EditorJames Panichi about the recent developments in the antitrust administration in the United States, more precisely with the DOJ and the FTC. To listen, just click on the image above.2017-05-1913 min
MLex Market InsightThe 1MDB Money Laundering InvestigationListen to MLex Senior Correspondent Toh Han Shih talk with MLex's Editor in Chief Robert McLeod about 1MDB.2017-05-1509 min
MLex Market InsightAnti-Bribery & Corruption Developments in ChinaListen to MLex Senior Correspondent Toh Han Shih talk with MLex Managing Editor, Asia, David Plott about this insight and related anti-bribery and corruption developments in China. To listen, just click on the image above. You can read the analysis on our website here: http://bit.ly/2pbB0d72017-05-0211 min
MLex Market InsightAlleged bribery at Indonesia's MAXpowerListen to MLex Correspondent, Phoebe Seers talk with MLex Managing Editor in Asia David Plott about this analysis in a new edition of the MLex podcast. To listen, just click on the image above. You can read more about Standard Chartered & MAXPower here: bit.ly/2oQ5kXO2017-04-2807 min
MLex Market InsightMargrethe Vestager and EU Competition LawListen to MLex Global Chief Correspondent, Lewis Crofts & Senior Correspondent for Antitrust and Merger Regulation, Matthew Newman talk with MLex Brussels Senior Managing Editor James Panichi about this analysis in a new edition of the MLex podcast. To listen, just click on the image above. You can read the comment on our website here: http://bit.ly/2fR7Mtz2017-03-2016 min
MLex Market InsightThe European Central Bank looks beyond capital in urging banks to cut costs, mergeListen to MLex Chief Correspondent, Financial Services John Rega talk with MLex Brussels Senior Managing Editor James Panichi about this analysis in a new edition of the MLex podcast. To listen, just click on the image above. You can read John's comment on our website at http://bit.ly/2nVtqjj .2017-03-2005 min
MLex Market Insight‘End’ of EU mobile roaming marks the start of implementation headachesListen to MLex's Chief Correspondent, Telecoms, Magnus Franklin talk with MLex Brussels Senior Managing Editor James Panichi about his October comment: "‘End’ of EU mobile roaming marks the start of implementation headaches". You can read Magnus' comment here: http://bit.ly/2el27du .2017-03-1412 min
MLex Market InsightChina rises from ashes of US climate-policy uncertaintyListen to MLex Senior Energy Correspondent Laurel Henning talk with MLex Brussels Senior Managing Editor James Panichi about this analysis and related new developments in a new edition of the MLex podcast. To listen, just click on the image above. You can read Laurel's comment on our website at http://bit.ly/2kMH3Dm .2017-02-0807 min
MLex Market InsightTrump’s plans to abandon UN climate deal puts EU projects in doubtListen to MLex Senior Energy Correspondent Laurel Henning talk with MLex Brussels Senior Managing Editor James Panichi about her November 2016 comment, "Trump’s plans to abandon UN climate deal puts EU projects in doubt". This podcast episode, recorded the week of Trump's inauguration, includes discussion of developments occurring since the story was published. You can read Laurel's comment on our website at http://bit.ly/2k4K6qB2017-01-1808 min