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Category: 3. Business

  • 66-year-old man detained on suspicion of DWI after Southwest Side crash, SAPD says

    66-year-old man detained on suspicion of DWI after Southwest Side crash, SAPD says

    Crash happened just before 3:30 a.m. in the 3700 Block of SW Military Drive

    San Antonio police car (KSAT)

    SAN ANTONIO – A man was detained on suspicion of driving while intoxicated early Wednesday following a two-vehicle crash on the Southwest Side, according to San Antonio police.

    Officers responded just before 3:30 a.m. to the crash in the 3700 Block of SW Military Drive.

    A 30-year-old woman was driving eastbound on the road, with the unidentified man traveling west. The woman attempted to turn onto Bynum Avenue when the man’s vehicle hit hers, police said in a preliminary report.

    The woman was taken to the hospital for unspecified injuries. Officers detained the man on suspicion of DWI, police said. It is not immediately clear if he is facing charges.

    SAPD’s investigation is ongoing.

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    Copyright 2025 by KSAT – All rights reserved.

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  • UK Patents Court Rules on RAND Licensing Jurisdiction – Publications

    UK Patents Court Rules on RAND Licensing Jurisdiction – Publications

    In a judgment handed down last week by Mr Justice Mellor, the UK Patents Court held that (1) Nokia’s challenge to the jurisdiction of the court to determine the terms of global licences in respect of certain video codec technologies on reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) terms has failed and (2) the applications by Acer and ASUSTeK (as well as Hisense, who were separately represented) (together, the Claimants) for declarations relating to interim RAND licences have succeeded.

    This decision is a significant win for Morgan Lewis clients Acer and ASUSTeK. It is also the first time that the court has determined the scope of RAND undertakings given by standard essential patent (SEP) holders to ITU-T, the relevant standard setting organisation for video codec SEPs, and whether an SEP owner has the right to specify arbitration rather than court determination of RAND rates. Further details on the decision are set out below.

    Acer and ASUSTeK are represented in the United Kingdom by Tim Powell and Hiroshi Sheraton, assisted by their team members Benjamin Rowlatt, Kristjan Bloudoff, Kulraj Singh Bhangra, Dania Al-Bayati, and Teal St. Nicklaus. Morgan Lewis is also representing Acer in parallel US International Trade Commission (ITC) proceedings in the United States, with a team led by partners Brent Hawkins and Stephanie Roberts and associate Zack Miller.

    1. BACKGROUND

    The Claimants had been each attempting to negotiate with Nokia on the terms of a RAND licence to Nokia’s portfolio of video codec patents, which were declared by Nokia to be essential to ITU-T standards under H.264 and H.265. Nokia brought numerous sets of proceedings around the world (including in the United States, the Unified Patent Court (UPC), Germany, Brazil, and India) seeking injunctions against the Claimants, but without any request for those courts to determine the terms of a RAND licence. As a defensive response, the Claimants each initiated proceedings in the United Kingdom, seeking inter alia the determinations and declarations of RAND terms for global interim and final licences.

    2. NOKIA’S CHALLENGE TO JURISDICTION IS REJECTED

    Nokia challenged the jurisdiction of the UK Patents Court to make the determinations and declarations sought by the Claimants. Ultimately, the court held that the orders granting each of Acer, Hisense, and ASUSTeK permission to serve their respective claims on Nokia outside of the jurisdiction had been correctly granted. In addition, the court found that the declaratory relief sought by the Claimants is available under Swiss law, and in the alternative, is also available as a matter of English procedural law.

    The heart of Nokia’s jurisdiction challenge was two-fold: (1) an SEP owner that has declared its patents essential to the ITU-T under either the H.264 or H.265 standards is obliged to merely negotiate in good faith rather than offer a licence on RAND terms and (2) any obligation owed by Nokia to the Claimants is discharged by Nokia’s offers to settle the terms of a RAND licence through arbitration (termed Nokia’s “Adjustable Arbitration Offers”), which the Claimants do not consent to. Both of these points were rejected by the court.

    Under Nokia’s interpretation of its ITU-T RAND obligations, Mr Justice Mellor stated that “the ITU-T system would be wholly unfit for purpose”. Agreeing with the Claimants, the court held that Nokia’s ITU-T RAND obligations created by way of its undertakings to the ITU-T are enforceable contracts under Swiss law. Importantly, these contracts were found to be for the benefit of third-party beneficiaries, which require Nokia to make RAND offers which are capable of acceptance and, when accepted, require Nokia to enter into the resulting RAND licence.

    In refuting Nokia’s position in relation to Adjustable Arbitration Offers, the court held that they do not constitute an offer of a RAND licence that is capable of acceptance. Furthermore, the court observed that no arbitration agreement has been concluded between Nokia and any of the Claimants, and that if arbitration was an alternative forum to the English Court as a result of making an offer to arbitrate, it could almost always prevent the English Court from assuming jurisdiction.

    3. INTERIM LICENCE DECLARATIONS SOUGHT BY THE CLAIMANTS ARE GRANTED

    Following its findings on jurisdiction, the court held that the following two declarations that were sought by the Claimants should be made:

    • A declaration that, in accordance with the contractual obligations on the part of Nokia and the undertakings given by the Claimants, a willing licensor and willing licensee would agree to enter into and actually enter into an interim licence pending a final determination of such terms as determined by the court
    • A declaration of the terms of an interim licence

    The court also found Nokia to be in breach of its ITU-T RAND commitment by making an interim licence offer that was conditional on Acer and ASUSTeK submitting to arbitration.

    The court determined the terms of the interim licences that would be declared, including:

    • There would be a sum payable by each of the Claimants to Nokia under their respective interim licences. This was for a total amount hallway between Nokia’s offer and the Claimants’ offers. It comprised a non-refundable amount of the sums the Claimants accepted should be paid and a refundable amount that could be adjusted up or down depending on the final RAND determination
    • The interim licence would cover both decoding claims and claims which the Claimants contended were technically essential to the operation of the standards

    4. WIDER RAMIFICATIONS

    This dispute is one of a series of actions brought by SEP holders against implementers of video codec streaming technology. As such, the result is of wide interest to computer manufacturers and providers of streaming services. Nokia has indicated it intends to appeal this decision, but the case will now proceed to a full RAND rate setting trial next summer, where Acer and ASUSTeK will ask the court to settle the terms of a final global licence to Nokia’s video codec SEP portfolio.

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  • PTCL completes acquisition of 100pc issued share capital of Telenor Pakistan and Orion Towers – Dawn

    1. PTCL completes acquisition of 100pc issued share capital of Telenor Pakistan and Orion Towers  Dawn
    2. PTCL to participate in 5G spectrum auction  Dawn
    3. PTCL-backed MergeCo eyes 5G rollout  The Express Tribune
    4. e& completes Telenor Pakistan buyout  Arabian Gulf Business Insight | AGBI
    5. Who is Awais Vohra, the New Telenor CEO?  TechJuice

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  • PTCL completes acquisition of 100pc issued share capital of Telenor Pakistan and Orion Towers – Dawn

    1. PTCL completes acquisition of 100pc issued share capital of Telenor Pakistan and Orion Towers  Dawn
    2. PTCL-backed MergeCo eyes 5G rollout  The Express Tribune
    3. Who is Awais Vohra, the New Telenor CEO?  TechJuice
    4. Telenor Pakistan sale completed  TradingView — Track All Markets
    5. Telenor Closes Sale of Pakistan Unit to PTCL  marketscreener.com

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  • Revenue seize 1,100 kg of chewing tobacco at Dublin Port

    On Monday, 29/12/2025, as a result of routine profiling, Revenue officers seized 1,100 kg of chewing tobacco at Dublin Port. 

    The illicit tobacco, which has an estimated value of €605,000, originated in India and arrived into Dublin Port via the Netherlands. 

    Investigations are ongoing.

    This seizure is part of Revenue’s ongoing work targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity. If businesses, or members of the public have any information, they can contact Revenue in confidence on Confidential Phone Number 1800 295 295. 

    [ENDS 31/12/2025] 

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  • UK cryptoasset regulation mini-series – Episode 6 – Overview of the Cryptoasset Regulations – Global Regulation Tomorrow

    1. UK cryptoasset regulation mini-series – Episode 6 – Overview of the Cryptoasset Regulations  Global Regulation Tomorrow
    2. FCA indicates path for future crypto regulation  Compliance Week
    3. UK Plans to Implement Comprehensive Regulatory Framework for Crypto Assets  Bitget
    4. How the UK plans to regulate crypto like traditional finance  TradingView — Track All Markets
    5. UK Sets Structured Path for Full Crypto Regulation by 2027  CoinCentral

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  • Tuning evolvability via plasmid copy number and regulatory architecture

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  • FCC Implements Categorical Prohibition on All Foreign-Produced UAS and UAS Critical Components

    FCC Implements Categorical Prohibition on All Foreign-Produced UAS and UAS Critical Components

    In addition to the restrictions on foreign-produced UAS and UAS critical components, the new Covered List entry also applies stricter prohibitions against “all communications and video surveillance equipment and services listed in Section 1709(a)(1) of the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act.” Section 1709(a)(1) specifically identifies Shenzhen Da-Jiang Innovations Sciences and Technologies Company Limited (DJI) and Autel Robotics as named entities (the “Section 1709 Entities”) and prohibits each entity—and any affiliate, subsidiary, or contractual vehicle of each—from selling communications or surveillance equipment or services generally, in the U.S. market, whether produced domestically or abroad.

    The Covered List
    Pursuant to the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (Secure Networks Act), the PSHSB is required to keep an up-to-date list of “communications equipment and services produced or provided by any entity” that, based exclusively on the determination by one or more of four exclusive sources, “poses an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons.” The potential sources, as listed in Section 2 of the Secure Networks Act, include “any executive branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise” and “an appropriate national security agency.” To date, the Covered List has exclusively focused on communications and surveillance products and services from named entities, each tied to either China or Russia.

    The effects of the Covered List have been expanding since its inception. Initially, the Secured Networks Act provided that the Covered List prohibits review or approval of equipment authorizations applications of devices for or that incorporate “covered” equipment, as well as the use of Universal Service Fund sources to purchase “covered” equipment and services. More recently, the FCC has expanded the Covered List restrictions into its  , and is adopting associated restrictions on certification bodies (Bad Labs) involved in the certification process.

    The Foreign UAS Public Notice
    As required by Section 1709(a) of the FY2025 NDAA, the FCC received a National Security Determination (NSD) from an Executive Branch interagency body, concluding that, in light of several upcoming mass gathering events, such as the World Cup and Olympics, and the general need to protect U.S. national security and cybersecurity, UAS and UAS critical components produced in foreign countries “pose unacceptable risks, given the threats from unauthorized surveillance, sensitive data exfiltration, supply chain vulnerabilities, and other potential threats to the homeland.”

    Within a day of receiving the NSD, the PSHSB released the Public Notice to add the following “Foreign UAS Entry” to the Covered List:

    Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and UAS critical components produced in a foreign country [incorporating the definitions included in the associated National Security Determination] and all communications and video surveillance equipment and services listed in Section 1709(a)(1) of the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (Pub. L. 118-159).

    The Foreign UAS Entry places a broad prohibition on all “UAS” and “UAS critical components” “produced in foreign countries.”

    UAS. The Public Notice adopts the existing definition of “UAS” under Section 88.5 of its rules, defined as “the uncrewed aircraft (UA) and its associated elements (communication links, uncrewed aircraft stations, and components that are not onboard the UA, but control the UA) that would be required for the safe and efficient operation of the UA in the airspace of the United States.” The FCC’s rules further define the UA to be “an aircraft operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.”

    UAS Critical Components. Both the NSD and FCC recognize that there is no existing definition of “UAS critical components.” Instead, both documents provide a broad, non-exhaustive list of components, and are to be treated as inclusive of any associated software:

    • Data Transmission Devices
    • Communications Systems
    • Flight Controllers
    • Ground Control Stations and UAS Controllers
    • Navigation Systems
    • Sensors and Cameras
    • Batteries and Battery
    • Management Systems Motors

    Produced in a Foreign Country. Notably, and aligned with the stated objectives of the Administration, the prohibition is location-based. The Foreign UAS Entry does not distinguish between UAS and UAS critical components made by foreign entities abroad or those produced outside the United States by U.S.-owned, operated or affiliated entities. Nor does the prohibition differentiate between U.S. allies and competitors or adversaries. The restriction is a blanket prohibition on foreign production unless covered by one of two exemptions.

    The Section 1709 Entities. Section 1709 of the FY2025 NDAA provides specific prohibitions for the two entities named in its provisions, separate and apart from the broad restrictions being placed on other location-based UAS and UAS critical component producers. The Section 1709 Entities are subject to a more “traditional” restriction under the Covered List. The two entities—DJI and Autel Robotics—as well as their subsidiaries, affiliates or partners, or any joint venture or technology sharing or licensing agreement with such entities, for any communications or surveillance equipment or services are prohibited from selling any products or services the United States. This means that, with respect to the Section 1709 Entities, the restrictions extend beyond just drone production and would also include any attempts to set up production within the United States, as well.

    Implementation 
    Under FCC rules, equipment on the Covered List is prohibited from receiving or being included as part of an application for equipment authorization. Entities and individuals applying for equipment authorization—a requirement for products that use or incorporate radiofrequencies before being marketed or made commercially available in the United States—are required to certify that the equipment is not and does not include “covered” equipment. This certification will now apply to any entities seeking authorization for UAS or counter-UAS systems in the United States, including those with applications that are currently pending, but not yet granted, before the FCC. Telecommunication Certification Bodies (TCBs) will also be tasked with reviewing equipment authorization applications to assess compliance with the Covered List.

    ***UAS applicants are reminded to ensure applications are up to date and contain accurate certifications given the changes to the Covered List.***

    The Exemptions
    While most foreign production has been effectively blocked from the U.S. market by the Foreign UAS Entry on the Covered List, the Public Notice does provide two notable exemptions:

    • Existing Equipment Authorizations. UAS and UAS critical components that have already received an FCC Part 2 equipment authorization may continue to be imported, marketed, and sold in the United States. However, no modifications, amendments or other updates can be made to existing authorizations.
    • U.S. Department of War (DOW) or U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Waiver. DOW or DHS can make “a specific determination to the FCC that a given UAS or class of UAS [or given UAS critical component] does not pose such [national security] risks.”

    While it is unclear from the Public Notice what a DOW or DHS waiver process will look like, or how it would be implemented by the FCC once made, some standardized waiver process is likely to be implemented. Such processes are also anticipated to cover existing processes like the Defense Contract Management Agency Blue List.

    The Public Notice also clarifies that the effects of the listing are not initially retroactive. This action does not affect continued use of drones previously purchased or acquired by consumers. However, moving forward, the FCC may place restrictions on previously-authorized covered equipment, including an outright prohibition, using additional enforcement mechanisms at its disposal.

    Takeaways
    With immediate effect and without notice, the Foreign UAS Entry substantially expanded the scope and potential impact of what had been expected to be a targeted action regarding the Section 1709 Entities. The consequences of this addition to the Covered List will directly and indirectly affect entities across the UAS and counter-UAS industry. Both international and domestic entities within the UAS ecosystem should carefully review the Public Notice and assess its anticipated impacts on operations, supply chain, and contracts.

    Companies currently selling or seeking to sell UAS and UAS critical components produced outside the United States that want to continue their U.S. sales should consider actively engaging with their business partners and the U.S. Government to both make a waiver request and avoid contract cancellation prior to adjudication of any such requests.

    For more information about the above Public Notice, the Covered List or compliance with these regulations generally, please contact the authors.

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  • Lost cavers brought to safety in overnight Matlock Bath rescue

    Lost cavers brought to safety in overnight Matlock Bath rescue

    A lost party of cavers were brought to safety in an overnight rescue operation.

    The alarm was raised that a group exploring the Ringing Rake Slough system near Matlock Bath had not returned to the surface just before 21:00 GMT on Tuesday.

    Derbyshire Cave Rescue Organisation volunteers and Derbyshire Police were called to the scene. Teams went underground at 22:30 and were able to locate the group “after a good search”.

    The lost cavers were warmed and then with some digging “in tight areas” were escorted back to the lower entrance near Matlock Mining Museum unharmed just before 05:00 on Wednesday.

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  • Iron ore price logs annual gain in a dramatic recovery fuelled by steel exports

    Iron ore price logs annual gain in a dramatic recovery fuelled by steel exports

    Stock image.

    Iron ore futures traded in a tight band on Wednesday, but defied early 2025 fears to post annual gains on the back of resilient demand in top consumer China amid robust steel exports and prospects of improved steel fundamentals.

    The most-traded May iron ore contract on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) closed daytime trade 0.57% lower at 789.5 yuan ($112.97) a metric ton, but posted an annual rise of 1.3%.

    The benchmark February iron ore SZZFG6 on the Singapore Exchange was up 0.2% at $105.55 a ton, as of 0736 GMT, set for an annual gain of 5.1%.

    Prices of the key steelmaking ingredient had come under pressure earlier this year on expectations of a supply glut and forecasts of faltering demand in China.

    But China’s consumption proved to be resilient, underpinning iron ore prices, even as crude steel output is set to fall below 1 billion tons this year.

    Cost competitiveness of blast furnace-based steelmaking kept operating rates high, boosting iron ore demand, although the cleaner electric-arc-furnace-based steelmakers had to scale down output when margins were squeezed by dwindling local demand and resilient ore prices.

    Ballooning steel exports, which are set to hit a record high in 2025 despite growing protectionist measures worldwide, offset sagging demand from the crisis-hit Chinese property sector.

    In the near term, ore prices are expected to find support from a flurry of restocking by steelmakers ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday in February. But swelling portside inventories and sluggish steel demand will curb the upside potential.

    Other steelmaking ingredients on the DCE were mixed on Wednesday, with coking coal up 0.45% and coke down 1.25%.

    Steel benchmarks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange moved sideways. Rebar lost 0.48%, hot-rolled coil fell 0.52%, while wire rod SWRcv1 gained 5.66% and stainless steel SHSScv1 firmed 0.57%.

    ($1 = 6.9883 Chinese yuan)

    (Reporting by Ruth Chai and Amy Lv; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Subhranshu Sahu)


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