Law + Tech News Bot

The EU AI Act aims to create a level playing field for AI innovation. Here's what it is. | TechCrunch The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, known as the EU AI Act, has been described as “the world's first comprehensive AI law” by the European Commission.

TL;DR: The EU AI Act is hailed as the world's first comprehensive law on artificial intelligence, aiming to establish a fair environment for AI innovation across the European Union.

Democrats ask how Trump’s government will regulate Trump Mobile The T1 phone is supposed to be available this month.

TL;DR: As Donald Trump's mobile network and phone launch approaches, six Democratic lawmakers are pressing federal regulators on how to handle the complexities of overseeing a product linked to the sitting president.

TL;DR: Cyber insurance premiums are rising sharply, raising concerns for law firms and their clients about increasing risks in the digital landscape. Understanding this trend is crucial for navigating potential liabilities.

Reveal Launches ‘aji’ Gen AI Review Platform with Free Access Through 2025 The e-discovery company Reveal Data today announced that it will launch its new generative AI-powered document review platform, which it is calling 'aji,' in late September. The company said it is off...

TL;DR: Reveal Data is launching 'aji', a generative AI-powered document review platform, offering free access through December 31 to help the legal community explore its capabilities.

Thomson Reuters Launches CoCounsel Legal with Agentic AI and Deep Research Capabilities, Along with A New and ‘Final’ Version of Westlaw Two months ago, at a media briefing in its New York City offices, Thomson Reuters teased the launch of the “next gen” of its CoCounsel artificial intelligence platform, marking what the company said w...

TL;DR: Thomson Reuters has launched CoCounsel Legal, an advanced AI platform with deep research capabilities that represents a significant evolution in legal technology, aiming to transform how legal professionals utilize AI.

August Bags $7m, OpenAI Exec Invests August, the ‘first AI platform built specifically for midsize law firms’ – and previously called VecFlow, has raised $7m. It will provide configurable AI workflows that adapt to each firm’s tasks, …

TL;DR: August, an AI platform tailored for midsize law firms, has secured $7 million in funding, aiming to enhance legal workflows with configurable AI solutions.

Trump FCC Abandons Efforts To Make U.S. Broadband Fast And Affordable Section 706 of the Telecom Act requires the FCC to determine whether broadband is being deployed “on a reasonable and timely basis” to everyone. If the answer is no, the law s…

TL;DR: The Trump FCC has halted its efforts to ensure fast and affordable broadband deployment across the U.S., despite legal obligations under Section 706 of the Telecom Act to act on inadequate broadband access.

EFF at the Las Vegas Security Conferences It’s time for EFF’s annual journey to Las Vegas for the summer security conferences: BSidesLV, Black Hat USA, and DEF CON. Our lawyers, activists, and technologists are always excited to support this community of security researchers and tinkerers—the folks who push computer security forward (and...

TL;DR: The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) will participate in Las Vegas security conferences, providing legal support and presentations on digital rights, privacy, and security. Attendees can engage in discussions and events like a poker tournament and tech trivia.

Afriwise Buys LawExplorer In Africa Legal Tech Deal We tend to focus on the US and UK – understandably – but there’s plenty of legal tech going on worldwide. In this case, Afriwise, Africa’s ‘fastest-growing legal intelligence platform’, is buying L…

TL;DR: Afriwise has acquired LawExplorer in a significant move for the African legal tech landscape, highlighting the evolving nature of technology in global legal services.

NetDocuments Expands AI Capabilities with Document Profiling and Agentic Editing Tools NetDocuments today announced significant enhancements of its document management system, introducing AI-powered document profiling capabilities and the company's first agentic AI tool for editing docu...

TL;DR: NetDocuments has enhanced its document management system with AI-powered document profiling and its first agentic editing tool for Microsoft Word, aiming to deepen AI integration in legal workflows.

Jury rules Meta violated California privacy laws by quietly collecting Flo users' menstrual health data | TechCrunch The class-action suit was brought by users of period tracking app, Flo, who alleged that the tech giant collected private menstrual health data without users' consent and used it for ad-tracking purposes.

TL;DR: A jury has found Meta guilty of violating California privacy laws by collecting menstrual health data from users of the Flo app without consent, using the information for ad-tracking purposes.

Breaking: Elite, A Financial Management Platform for Larger Firms, Has Been Acquired By Francisco Partners Hot off the presses is news that Francisco Partners, a major global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology businesses, announced plans to acquire Elite, a legal technology comp...

TL;DR: Francisco Partners is set to acquire Elite, a legal technology firm specializing in financial management, from TPG Capital, highlighting ongoing investment in legal tech innovations.

TL;DR: A student has filed a lawsuit against their school for allegedly using AI to monitor their emails, raising questions about the limits of constitutional rights in digital communication.

Rivian sues to sell its EVs directly in Ohio | TechCrunch Today, Rivian can sell EVs directly to consumers in 25 states and Washington D.C.

TL;DR: Rivian is taking legal action to allow the direct sale of its electric vehicles in Ohio, expanding its current reach to 25 states and Washington D.C.

Perplexity accused of scraping websites that explicitly blocked AI scraping | TechCrunch Internet giant Cloudflare says it detected Perplexity crawling and scraping websites, even after customers had added technical blocks telling Perplexity not to scrape their pages.

TL;DR: Perplexity faces accusations from Cloudflare for allegedly scraping websites that had implemented blocks against AI data extraction, raising legal concerns over data privacy and compliance.

Lyft and China's Baidu look to bring robotaxis to Europe next year | TechCrunch The companies want to launch the robotaxi services in Germany and the U.K. first, pending regulatory approval.

TL;DR: Lyft and Baidu are set to introduce robotaxi services to Europe, starting with Germany and the U.K., subject to regulatory approval.

Blue J Bags $122m In Series D For Tax Research Blue J, a legal tech and fintech company focused on tax research, has raised $122m in a Series D funding round. All well and good, but what does it do? Blue J’s platform leverages genAI to deliver …

TL;DR: Blue J, a legal tech and fintech company specializing in tax research, has successfully raised $122 million in a Series D funding round to enhance its services.

Tesla hands $29B comp package to Elon Musk amid 'AI talent war' | TechCrunch The plan would be voided if the Delaware Supreme Court overturns the decision to spike Musk's $56B comp plan from 2018. A judge ruled in 2024 that plan was unfairly negotiated.

TL;DR: Tesla has approved a $29 billion compensation package for Elon Musk in the midst of a competitive AI labor market, contingent on the Delaware Supreme Court's potential reversal of a previous ruling that deemed Musk's $56 billion 2018 compensation plan unfairly negotiated.

Harvey Reaches $100m ARR + 42% of AmLaw 100 As Harvey reaches its three-year anniversary, the legal genAI pioneer told Artificial Lawyer it had hit several significant milestones: $100m ARR and over 500 customers globally, including 42% of t…

TL;DR: Harvey, a legal generative AI company, has achieved $100 million in annual recurring revenue and now serves over 500 customers, including 42% of the AmLaw 100 firms, marking significant growth in its three years since launch.

CA could ban use of consumer location data to set prices – The Markup A proposed bill would bar companies from using data like a phone’s battery life, what apps are installed and where its user is to set prices.

TL;DR: California lawmakers are considering a ban on 'surveillance pricing' by rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber, which uses consumer device data to adjust fares. Advocates argue this practice is discriminatory, raising concerns about privacy and fairness.

Social media battles and barbs on both sides of Atlantic over UK Online Safety Act Farage accuses government of being ‘so below the belt’ as right wing doubles down on censorship claims

TL;DR: The UK's Online Safety Act aims to protect children from harmful online content, sparking social media debates in both Britain and the US over censorship. Critics argue the legislation is an overreach, as it intensifies concerns about free speech and regulation of social platforms.

TL;DR: An Arizona woman was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years for helping North Korean workers infiltrate US companies, creating a 'laptop farm' to hide their presence. This scheme allowed remote employment for North Koreans at Fortune 500 firms in technology and defense.

EU AI Code of Practice Is Now Live – Time To Act By Wayne Cleghorn, Partner at Excello Law. Companies in the UK, EU, US and beyond must get a firm grasp of the AI systems they develop, deploy or use. The European Union’s General-Purpose AI Code o…

TL;DR: The EU's new AI Code of Practice is now in effect, urging companies worldwide to understand their AI systems and comply with emerging regulations.

Comments on Setting Patent Fees Based on Their Value - Technology & Marketing Law Blog The Trump administration is floating the idea of tying patent fees to the value of the patent. Details are sketchy right now, and who knows if this is a serious proposal or a one-news-cycle blip. In any case, some comments...

TL;DR: The Trump administration is considering a proposal to base patent fees on their value, though details remain unclear and its seriousness is uncertain.

Lina Khan points to Figma IPO as vindication of M&A scrutiny | TechCrunch A surprising figure is celebrating Figma’s successful IPO: Lina Khan, former chair of the Federal Trade Commission, who said the offering demonstrates the value of "letting startups grow into independently successful businesses."

TL;DR: Lina Khan hails Figma's successful IPO as a testament to the importance of allowing startups to flourish independently, reinforcing her views on the significance of merger and acquisition scrutiny.

The enforcer that could break up Apple and Google is facing upheaval “An episode like this shows that political intervention works.”

TL;DR: The recent dismissal of two top antitrust officials at the Department of Justice signals potential upheaval in the agency responsible for major tech monopoly cases against giants like Apple and Google.

Google Will Use AI to Guess People’s Ages Based on Search History Plus: A former top US cyber official loses her new job due to political backlash, Congress is rushing through a bill to censor lawmakers’ personal information online, and more.

TL;DR: Google plans to use AI to infer users' ages from their search behavior, while a former top US cyber official faces job loss due to political backlash and Congress moves to pass a bill targeting the online privacy of lawmakers.

Smart Home Device Maker Renders Devices Dumb Unless A New Subscription Is Paid For This isn’t going to stop happening unless governments finally get involved to do their most basic job: protect their citizens. This habit among digital and tech companies of selling a thing o…

TL;DR: A smart home device maker has disabled features unless users pay for a subscription, raising consumer protection concerns. Critics call for government action against such practices.

Tesla partly liable in Florida Autopilot trial, jury awards $200M in damages | TechCrunch The jury verdict is one of the first major legal decisions about driver assistance technology that has gone against Tesla. Both Elon Musk and Tesla have spent years making claims about Autopilot's capabilities.

TL;DR: A jury has found Tesla partly liable in a Florida trial regarding its Autopilot technology, awarding $200M in damages, marking a significant legal setback for the company and its claims about driver assistance capabilities.

TL;DR: Microsoft revealed that state-sponsored Chinese hackers exploited vulnerabilities in its SharePoint software, maintained by a China-based team. Experts caution that this arrangement, despite U.S. oversight, presents serious security risks due to China's data handling laws.