UK Supreme Court Reshapes Evidence Rules in Sexual Offense Trials
The UK Supreme Court ruled that the "collateral evidence" rule in Scottish sexual offense trials cannot be used as a mechanical shield to exclude evidence vital to the defense. In the cases of Keir and Daly, the Court determined that evidence regarding a complainant's credibility or the context of consent must be admissible if excluding it would violate the accused's right to a fair trial, prompting an immediate shift in judicial procedures.
Source: The Supreme Court UK
UK Introduces Sweeping Cyber Security and Resilience Bill
The UK Government introduced new legislation to replace the 2018 NIS Regulations, expanding regulatory oversight to Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and data centers. The Bill mandates the reporting of ransomware payments and requires significant incidents to be reported within 24 hours, backed by GDPR-style fines of up to £17 million or 4% of global turnover for non-compliance.
Source: Gov.UK
EU General Court Confirms Amazon's 'Very Large Online Platform' Status
The EU General Court dismissed Amazon's appeal against its designation as a "Very Large Online Platform" (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act. The Court ruled that "systemic risk" encompasses the sale of illegal goods and unsafe products, meaning Amazon must comply with the strictest regulatory tier, including public transparency regarding its advertising algorithms.
Source: COJ - European Union
CJEU Limits Police Retention of Biometric Data
The Court of Justice of the EU ruled that indefinite retention of biometric and genetic data by police violates privacy rights under the Law Enforcement Directive. The judgment requires national laws to ensure data retention is "strictly necessary," mandating periodic reviews and the ability for rehabilitated individuals to request data deletion.
Source: COJ European Union
German Court Rules AI 'Memorization' of Lyrics Infringes Copyright
The Munich Regional Court ruled that OpenAI’s ChatGPT infringed copyright by reproducing song lyrics, rejecting the defense that the AI only stores "probability weights." The Court denied the application of the Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception, holding that generating competing content that serves as a market substitute constitutes infringement.
Source: Bird & Bird
Supreme Court of India Rules on Gubernatorial Discretion
The Supreme Court of India ruled that Governors cannot use indefinite inaction or "pocket vetos" to stall state legislation. While refusing to set a rigid timeline for assent, the Court held that "prolonged and unexplained" delays are justiciable, subjecting the Governor's constitutional discretion to limited judicial review.
Source: The Hindu
Indian Supreme Court Recalls Judgment on Environmental Clearances
Citing massive economic impact, the Supreme Court of India recalled its own May 2025 judgment that had struck down ex post facto environmental clearances. The 2:1 majority decision revived the notifications allowing industries to seek permission after starting operations, drawing a sharp dissent that termed the move a "backtracking on sound environmental jurisprudence."
Source: The Hindu
US Court Rules in Favor of Meta in Antitrust Case
A U.S. District Court rejected the FTC's attempt to force Meta to divest Instagram and WhatsApp, ruling that the regulator's definition of the "Personal Social Networking" market was artificially narrow. The Judge found that excluding competitors like TikTok and YouTube was fatal to the FTC's claim of monopoly power and dismissed the "buy or bury" theory as unproven.
Source: Democracy Now
FTC Loses Challenge to Medical Tech Merger
In the first major antitrust ruling of the new Trump administration, the FTC lost its bid to block the merger of medical tech firms Surmodics and GTCR. The Court accepted the companies' proposal to divest assets to a third party, rejecting the FTC's "structural presumption" of illegality and signaling judicial openness to remedies over regulatory blocks.
Source: JD Supra