Report from Bloomberg In Brief – The Culture Minister of Friedrich Merz’s German Government has revealed that they are drafting legislation for a national digital services tax (DST) targeting the biggest internet companies operating in country, in particular US giants...
Senate Budget Bill Includes Modified “Revenge Tax” to Counter DSTs
Report from the New York Times In Brief – The Senate version of the massive budget reconciliation bill includes a modified version of a tax provision included by the House of Representatives that penalizes foreign countries that impose “unfair” taxes on US companies....
Senate Version of State AI Regulation Moratorium Header to the Floor
Report from Politico In Brief – The budget reconciliation bill that will be considered by the full Senate will likely include a modified version of the 10-year moratorium on state laws regulating AI following a key decision by the Senate Parliamentarian. The...
Federal Judge Delivers Ruling That AI Training is Copyright Fair Use
Report from The Verge In Brief – Federal Judge William Alsup has ruled on summary judgement that artificial intelligence company Anthropic did not break the law when it used copyrighted books to train its AI chatbot without the consent of the authors or publishers,...
Judge Sides with Meta on AI Training Saying Plaintiffs Made Wrong Argument
Report from Reuters In Brief – In an order granting Meta summary judgement in an AI-training copyright infringement case brought by 13 authors, Federal Judge Vince Chhabria delivered an impassioned dissent to fellow judge William Alsup’s order released only a few days...
Apple’s Latest DMA Compliance Bid with New App Store Rules and Fees
Report from TechCrunch In Brief – Apple has announced more changes to its European app developer policies to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and avoid more fines from the European Commission. They expand the ability of developers to communicate with...
FTC’s Ad Company Merger Agreement Prohibits Viewpoint Boycotts
Report from the New York Times In Brief – The Federal Trade Commission has announced a consent decree with advertising companies Omnicom Group and Interpublic Group to allow their $13.5 billion merger after the companies agreed that they would not boycott media...
US Supreme Court Goes Easy on Age Checks for Online Porn Sites
Report from the Washington Post In Brief – The US Supreme Court has ruled that requiring online porn websites to use age verification tools to confirm that users are adults does not violate the First Amendment. Advocates for the porn industry argued that Texas’s...
AI Regulation Moratorium Stripped from Senate Budget Bill in Late Night Vote
Report from Bloomberg In Brief – The moratorium on state laws regulating AI was stripped from the massive budget reconciliation bill carrying the budget and spending priorities of President Trump and the Republicans. A broad 10-year version, backed by AI industry...
Paris Court Pauses French Law Imposing Age Checks on EU Porn Sites
Report from Euractiv In Brief – A French administrative court has paused the implementation of a national law enacted in 2024 that requires all websites displaying adult content to use technical age verification methods to block minors in France from accessing their...
View By Monthly
Latest Blog
Ninth Circuit Panel Rules That Code Developed by Generative AI Is Not a Copy
Report from Reuters In Brief – The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a 2024 ruling favoring AI developers in a lawsuit brought by computer coders alleging that OpenAI’s Codex and Microsoft’s Copilot violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by...
Meta Fined $25 Billion for Privacy Violations in New Mexico (Billion with a B)
Report from the Wall Street Journal In Brief – A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay $25 billion to the state after a jury found that the company violated state consumer protection law by misleading users about its data-privacy practices. The jury ruled that Meta...
Turkey Bans Social Media for Teens Under 15
Report from Politico In Brief – Turkey has banned social media access for children under 15, with the law taking effect November 1st following its passage by Parliament in April. Social media platforms must implement “necessary technical and administrative measures,...
High Court Considers Applying 80’s Video Rental Law to Online Advertising
Report from USA Today In Brief – The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared skeptical of broadly applying the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) to modern online advertising. The 1988 law prohibits video stores from disclosing the rental history of customers....
Character.ai Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in Reorganization Effort
Report from CNN In Brief – Character.ai, an AI “companion” chatbot startup facing extensive regulatory pressure and lawsuits alleging its app contributed to teen mental health problems and suicides, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as part of a plan to sell its...
Platform Economy Insights produces a short email four times a week that reviews two top stories with concise analysis. It is the best way to keep on top of the news you should know. Sign up for this free email here.