Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ Musical Motors, BLDC Edition

  This should count as a hack: making music from a thing that should not sing. In this case, [SIROJU] is tickling the ivories with a Brushless DC motor, or BLDC. 

• Hackaday ☛ Design Scanimations In A Snap With The Right Math

  Barrier-grid animations (also called scanimations) are a thing most people would recognize on sight, even if they didn’t know what they were called. Move a set of opaque strips over a pattern, and watch as different slices of that image are alternately hidden and revealed, resulting in a simple animation. The tricky part is designing the whole thing — but researchers at MIT designed FabObscura as a design tool capable not only of creating the patterned sheets, but doing so in a way that allows for complex designs.

• Science

  • Hackaday ☛ What Is The Fourier Transform?

    Over at Quanta Magazine [Shalma Wegsman] asks What Is the Fourier Transform?

  • Science Alert ☛ Did This Species Bury Its Dead 120,000 Years Before Us? New Claims Reignite Debate

    "You can't do anything interesting without facing some challenging reviews."

  • Science Alert ☛ DNA Revealed a Surprising Twist About Christopher Columbus

    Could the conspiracy theories be true?

  • Science Alert ☛ Asthma Death Rate in Detroit Children More Than Four Times State Average

    Here's how to protect your child.

  • Science Alert ☛ There's One Simple Trick to Boost The Health Benefits of Your Run

    Here's how to get started.

  • Science Alert ☛ Particles Shot Out of The Sun Reveal Distinct Patterns, Scientists Find

    "It's the first time we've clearly seen this connection."

  • Science Alert ☛ The Virus Almost Everyone Gets: What You Need to Know About HPV

    Too serious to ignore.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ A Breadboard Computer In Three Chips

    Building a computer on a breadboard is a seminal project for many builders, but it can become complicated quite quickly, not to mention that all the parts needed for a computer are being placed on a medium which often lends itself to loose wires and other hardware bugs. [3DSage] has a working breadboard computer that is as simple as it can possibly be, putting it together piece by piece to show exactly what’s needed to get a computer which can count, access memory, and even perform basic mathematical operations.

  • Hackaday ☛ Running Code On A PAX Credit Card Payment Machine

    These days Points of Sale (PoS) usually include a digital payment terminal of some description, some of which are positively small, such as the Mini PoS terminals that PAX sells. Of course, since it has a CPU and a screen it must be hacked to run something else, and maybe discover something fun about the hardware in the process. Thus [Lucas Tuske] set out to do exactly this with a PAX D177 PoS, starting with purchasing three units: one to tear apart, one to bypass tamper protections on and one to keep as intact reference.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel Xeon chief architect leaves just 8 months after appointment — Ronak Singhal latest departure in ongoing shakeup

    Ronak Singhal, defective chip maker Intel Xeon chief architect, departs from the company just eight months after his appointment and after 28 years at the company.

  • France24 ☛ The unlikely success story of tech-giant ASML, the biggest backer of France's Mistral AI

    France's Mistral Hey Hi (AI) has become Europe's most valuable artificial intelligence start-up, partly thanks to investment by Dutch firm ASML. Though not a household name, ASML is a key player in global technology. It may also have a role to play in fostering “European digital sovereignty”  limiting European dependence on US tech giants.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong passes sweeping tobacco control bill, eyes eventual ban on sale of flavoured cigarettes

    Hong Kong has passed a sweeping tobacco control bill, which includes measures to phase out all types of flavoured cigarettes and ban smoking in designated public areas, in a bid to further reduce the number of smokers in the city.

  • TechnologyAdvice ☛ 7 Hey Hi (AI) Giants Face US Government Crackdown over Kids’ Safety

    OpenAI, Meta, Google's parent company Alphabet, Snap, xAI, Instagram, and Character.AI have to respond to this sweeping investigation.

  • New York Times ☛ Roblox Sued for Wrongful Death After Teenager’s Suicide

    At age 7, Ethan Dallas began playing the online game, where he met Nate. Deadly abuse followed, said Ethan’s mother, who blames Roblox.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • TechnologyAdvice ☛ California’s Hey Hi (AI) Chatbot Bill Could Change Everything

      The Golden State is one step away from becoming the first in the nation to comprehensively regulate Hey Hi (AI) companion chatbots.

    • Ruben Schade ☛ #SciArtSeptember: Transcription

      This is the latest instalment of #SciArtSeptember shared by data scientist and visualisation expert Kristin. Today, we’re talking about transcription.

      I’ve tried avoiding discussion of gen-“AI” during these prompts where I can, but this is a example of a topic for which it fits. Fits the topic, I mean. I can’t wait until the broken, unprofitable business fundamentals of these businesses are exposed, and they’re relegated to the blockchain side of the hype cycle so we can talk about literally anything else! But I digress.

    • Mass layoffs at Elon Musk’s xAI: 500 data workers axed as Grok chatbot faces big changes

      Elon Musk’s xAI recently made waves with a significant workforce restructuring that is reshaping its AI development approach. On the evening of September 12, 2025, the company laid off approximately 500 employees from its largest division, the data annotation team.

  • Social Control Media

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China urges ‘dialogue’ with US over Fentanylware (TikTok) as deadline looms – ministry

      China urged the United States on Friday to address their Fentanylware (TikTok) dispute through dialogue, as top leaders from both countries are set to discuss the social control media platform in Spain next week.

• Entrapment (Microsoft GitHub)

  • Hackaday ☛ Reify Your GitHub Commit History With Contrib Cal

    Over on Instructables, [Logan Fouts] shows us the Contrib Cal GitHub desk gadget. This build will allow you to sport your recent GitHub commit activity on your wall or desk with an attractive diffuse light display backed by a 7×4 matrix of multicolor LEDs. Motivate yourself and impress your peers!

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Security Week ☛ Apple Sends Fresh Wave of Spyware Notifications to French Users

      Apple this year sent at least four rounds of notifications to French users potentially targeted by commercial spyware.

    • Citizen Lab ☛ Spyware Installed on Kenyan Filmmakers Phones in Police Custody

      Citizen Lab senior researcher John Scott-Railton confirms that FlexiSPY spyware was installed on two Kenyan filmmakers’ phones while the devices were in police custody.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Amazon says bug caused select Echo Show devices to use tons of data — widgets caching large images caused gigabytes of internet usage

      Amazon says that a bug in a widget on select Echo Show devices caused them to cache high-resolution images and use up a ton of data.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect, Went From Scholarship Winner to Wanted Man

    Tyler Robinson, the man accused of shooting Charlie Kirk, was a stellar student in high school, raised in a Republican home in Southwest Utah and training to be an electrician.

  • France24 ☛ 'We got him': Suspect detained in Charlie Kirk shooting, named as Tyler Robinson

    A young Utah man suspected of killing the influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a university in the city of Orem was in custody on Friday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters. The suspect, identified as Tyler Robinson, had confessed to a family friend – or "implied that he had committed the murder" to that friend – and that person in turn had contacted the Washington County sheriff's office on Thursday.

  • France24 ☛ Murder of Charlie Kirk: 'There's way too much political violence in the US'

    The suspect in custody in connection with the assassination of Charlie Kirk is a 22-year-old from Utah, authorities. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox identified the man as Tyler Robinson. Cox was joined by FBI Director Kash Patel and other officials at a news conference announcing the arrest. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, Erin Ogunkeye welcomes Jack Cloonan, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent assigned to the Osama bin Laden team in the FBI's New York field office.

  • France24 ☛ Who is Tyler Robinson, the suspect arrested for shooting Charlie Kirk?

    Tyler James Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah man accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk, had recently become “more political” and saw Kirk as someone who was spreading hate, according to newly released court documents. State and federal court records show that Robinson has no prior criminal history.

  • NYPost ☛ After Tyler Robinson, the left must finally quit encouraging political violence

    From all early signs, Tyler Robinson's "reasons" for taking Charlie Kirk's life came straight from the lefty disinformation machine that has been screaming about right-wing fascism for at least half the confessed assassin's life.

  • JURIST ☛ Utah authorities charge suspect in Charlie Kirk assassination with aggravated murder

    Utah authorities charged the 22-year-old suspect in conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s killing, Tyler Robinson, with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice, according to an affidavit released Friday. In Utah, aggravated murder carries a maximum penalty of death.

  • France24 ☛ REPLAY: Charlie Kirk suspect confirmed caught at press conference

    A young Utah man, named as Tyler Robinson, was in custody on Friday suspected of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a university in the city of Orem, Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced at a press conference. "We got him," Cox told reporters. Watch the press conference above.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Gamer Culture and Guns

    The reasons Tyler Robinson allegedly killed Charlie Kirk are not yet clear. What is clear is he was raised in conservative gun culture that right wingers recognize as their own.

  • New York Times ☛ Secret Report Undercuts U.K. Condemnations of Palestine Action Group

    The British government banned Palestine Action under an antiterrorism law, but an intelligence document said most of its activity “would not be classified as terrorism.”

  • Defence Web ☛ State capture facilitated unlawful acquisition of Denel IP by UAE and Saudi companies

    State capture of Denel and subsequent cash flow issues facilitated an exodus of skilled personnel and their intellectual property (IP) to countries in the Middle East, a new report has found.

  • New Yorker ☛ How the “Dangerous Gimmick” of the Two-State Solution Ended in Disaster

    The veteran negotiators Hussein Agha and Robert Malley spent decades trying to broker peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and they know why it failed.

  • New Yorker ☛ Charlie Kirk and the Long Shadow of Political Violence

    “We’ve lived through moments of more violence,” the staff writer Jane Mayer notes. “So we know it’s possible to quiet this.”

  • France24 ☛ Under pressure, EU's von der Leyen gives key speech: Did State of the Union deliver?

    It was a keenly awaited speech and the theatrics did not disappoint. Boos and heckles punctuated EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's key address of this new political season, the 2025 State of the Union. At one point the president of the European Parliament had to intervene and threaten some of the more vocal MEPs with expulsion from the chamber.

  • New York Times ☛ The Perilous Path to Escape Gaza City

    Gazans have had to load up their lives in search of refuge multiple times throughout the war. As thousands were forced to flee again this week, a Times photographer joined them heading south.

  • France24 ☛ Charlie Kirk, The Doha attacks, Can ‘Lecornichon’ get France out of a pickle?

    In a week that’s seen another changing of the guard in the French government. Former Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu has assumed the role of French Prime Minister. In the USA, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a close ally of Hell Toupée, was shot dead by a sniper as he spoke to students at Utah Valley University. And an unprecedented Israeli attack on Hamas' negotiating team in Doha has international observers asking if Israel has crossed a red line in its ongoing war.

  • New York Times ☛ Qatar Prime Minister to Meet Convicted Felon Officials After Israeli Strikes in Doha

    Hell Toupée is said to be planning a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in New York on Friday, after an attack that has rattled Persian Gulf states.

  • JURIST ☛ UN official condemns escalation after Israel strike on Hamas in Qatar

    A UN official on Thursday condemned an Israeli strike against members of Hamas in Doha, describing it as an “alarming escalation” that threatens ongoing negotiations to “broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.”

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Was Convicted Felon’s strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat legal?

    It’s worth looking in detail at where the US strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel on September 2 sits in relation to international law.

  • New York Times ☛ Freed South Korean Workers Return From the U.S. to Tearful Cheers

    The workers, whose detention in a workplace immigration sweep set off outrage in South Korea, expressed both relief and anger.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘When’s daddy coming home?’ Families of detained South Koreans tell of anxious week of waiting

    "We were just hoping nothing serious had happened,” said one family member.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Explainer: Why South Korea wants the US to change its visa policies

    Hundreds of South Korean citizens were detained in an immigration raid in the US.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Like a military operation’: South Koreans describe anxiety after US immigration raid

    The workers described their horror over the raid at their workplace in the US state of Georgia.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean workers return home to cheers a week after U.S. immigration raid

    Some 300 South Korean workers returned home on Friday to emotional reunions with families, one week after being detained in a major U.S. immigration raid that left some questioning whether they would ever work in the United States again.

  • France24 ☛ 'No thanks': Raided South Korean workers leave US despite Convicted Felon's offer to let them stay

    More than 300 South Koreans detained in the US after a massive immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG factory have returned home, despite the Convicted Felon administration's offer to let them stay. As he marked 100 days since he took over a country in crisis, President Lee Jae Myung warned that the incident could make companies hesitate to invest in the US. Jay Song, honorary associate professor at The Australian National University, speaks to FRANCE 24 about the possible wider consequences of the raid.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘I’m just really happy to be home’: S. Korean workers land in Seoul a week after detention in US

    Their return capped a week of intense negotiations by Seoul to win their release and bring them home.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean police deploy 55,000 officers to protect kids amid string of abduction attempts

    The intensive monitoring will be conducted at up to 217 municipal control centres.

  • The Straits Times ☛ UN says rights deteriorated in North Korea in last decade

    This includes an increase in the use of the death penalty and major steps backward in freedom of expression.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim says country to present nuclear policy in upcoming party meeting

    He also inspected weapons research centres on Sept 11 and Sept 12.

  • North Koreans have grown more repressed, fearful in the past decade, U.N. report says

    “No other population is under such restrictions in today’s world,” human rights researchers said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Provocation’: China condemns sailing of US, British warships through Taiwan Strait

    Britain’s defence ministry and the US Navy each said it was a routine passage.

  • New York Times ☛ Why Dozens of Gleaming S.U.V.s Were Gifted to an Island Nation

    All around Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands and host of a regional summit, are not-so-subtle hints of donor nations competing for hearts and minds.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s newest aircraft carrier transits Taiwan Strait ahead of possible commissioning

    The carrier began sea trials in 2024 and has yet to formally enter service.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan, China foreign ministers make unusual simultaneous visits to Europe

    It is a rare alignment of schedules.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China condemns sailing of US, British warships through Taiwan Strait

    China says the strategic waterway is part of its territorial waters.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Pacific leaders agree new summit rules after China, Taiwan banned

    By Ben Strang Pacific Island leaders agreed on Friday to a new framework that would allow nations to join a key regional forum as strategic partners, after accusations that China was influencing regional decision-making.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Claims of surrender are false’: Taiwan updates security handbook wary of China threat

    The bright red-orange handbook tells people to “protect each other and safeguard our beloved home”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Beijing’s nature reserve move in disputed South China Sea seen as bid for moral high ground

    The shoal has been the site of increasing China-Philippines clashes in recent years.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippine fishermen fear China’s nature reserve plan could lead to more harassment

    Filipino boats have reported frequent encounters with Chinese coast guard vessels near the shoal.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Xi-Modi sends powerful message to US and the world: Henry Huiyao Wang

    Why it's significant that China and India declare they are not rivals but partners.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India is said to plan $4.4 billion rail lines near China border

    The project is expected to be completed within four years.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China ratifies extradition treaty with Serbia

    BEIJING - China ratified its extradition treaty with Serbia on Friday, broadening its network of countries in Europe willing to extradite Chinese citizens, including dissidents and asylum seekers, and even Taiwanese individuals.

  • The Strategist ☛ As China’s military shows off a mighty arsenal, its people are untested

    It feels like we’re now living with a steady drumbeat of activity from China’s military that captures headlines and keeps analysts busy trying to figure out what it all means. Beijing’s latest offering, the 3 ...

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says It Looks Like Mamdani Is ‘Going to Win’

    Hell Toupée said on Friday that he believed Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, would win, likening that outcome to a “rebellion.”

  • New York Times ☛ Mamdani, if Elected Mayor, Pledges to Order N.Y.P.D. to Arrest Netanyahu

    Zohran Mamdani expanded on his vow to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying it would show that New York “stands up for international law.” Experts said the move would be impractical and likely illegal.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Death toll from Nepal protest violence rises to 51: Police

    The dead included escaped prisoners killed in clashes with the Nepali security forces.

  • Defence Web ☛ Islamic State massacres in eastern DRC: who are the insurgents and why are they killing civilians?

    More than 100 civilians have perished in a spate of attacks by Islamic State-backed rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-2025. The Islamic State’s Central African Province – known locally as Allied Democratic Forces – claimed an attack on Christian worshippers in late July which killed at least 49.

  • Defence Web ☛ Sudan’s Military Industry Corporation debuts one-way attack UAV

    Sudan’s Military Industry Corporation (MIC) recently unveiled its new Safaroog one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in what is a notable milestone for the country’s defence industry. The Safaroog is a kamikaze or suicide drone designed specifically for precision strikes against ground targets.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania should sign bilateral defense pacts with Poland, Germany – Skvernelis

      Lithuania should sign bilateral defence agreements with Poland and Germany to strengthen its security, Saulius Skvernelis, the leader of the opposition Democrats "For Lithuania", has said after Poland shot down several drones that violated its airspace this week.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • Pro Publica ☛ Fact-Checking Elon Musk’s Response to Our Investigation on Boring’s Houston Flood Tunnel Plan

    Billionaire Elon Musk is taking issue with a recent investigation by the Houston Chronicle and The Texas Newsroom that raised questions about a flood tunnel project he’s pitching to address Houston’s chronic flooding woes. But experts said his response, which he did not explain to the newsrooms, isn’t supported by facts or data.

    Last month, the newsrooms reported that Musk’s tunneling company, The Boring Co., has been lobbying elected officials for months to allow it to build tunnels under Houston for flood mitigation. Boring has proposed digging two 12-foot-wide tunnels beneath Buffalo Bayou — the main waterway running through central Houston — to carry stormwater out of neighborhoods and toward the Gulf of Mexico during major storms. Experts say, however, that larger tunnels, closer to 30 to 40 feet in diameter, could carry far more water and be more effective.

• Environment

  • New York Times ☛ In the Pacific, Unkept U.S. Promises on Climate Cut Deep

    Pacific island nations have seen American pledges and attention come and go with geopolitical winds. Recent U.S. pullbacks are met with disappointment but not surprise.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ Unusual Climate Case Accusing Oil Giants of Racketeering Is Dismissed

      Citing laws more commonly used against organized crime, the lawsuit argued that fossil fuel companies were responsible for devastating hurricane damage in Puerto Rico.

    • Federal News Network ☛ Boeing workers reject their latest contract offer, extending strike at three Midwest plants

      Another contract proposal has been rejected by Boeing workers who now have been on strike for nearly six weeks from three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia to enforce mandatory use of seat belts for all drivers and passengers in private vehicles

      Those who fail to wear seatbelts may face fines of up to RM300 (S$90).

    • The Straits Times ☛ Riding the rails: Malaysia rediscovers allure of train travel

      Once neglected in favour of planes and cars, Malaysia’s trains are enjoying a quiet resurgence.

• Finance

  • BIA Net ☛ Media giant Can Holding seized in major financial crimes investigation

    Owners of the holding are accused of money laundering and fraud by abusing Asset Peace law, a regulation that allows funds held abroad to be brought into Turkey with reduced scrutiny.

  • France24 ☛ France credit score downgraded to lowest on record amid political crisis

    Credit rating agency Fitch downgraded France's sovereign credit score on Friday to the country's lowest level on record, stripping the euro zone's second-largest economy of its AA- status as it grapples with political crisis and ballooning debt.

  • NYPost ☛ Los Angeles residents fume as sprawling Koreatown homeless encampment turns into ‘city’ with tennis court, garden and BBQ pit

    The encampment sits on a vacant Koreatown lot surrounded by apartment buildings and other structures.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Sheinbaum on the defense after China charges Mexico with enacting tariffs under US coercion

    While rejecting any "appeasement ... toward unilateral bullying” (a clear reference to Convicted Felon), the president indicated a willingness to negotiate.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesia’s new ‘cowboy style’ finance minister bets big on growth

    Dr Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has sparked controversy with blunt remarks and bold economic moves.

  • CS Monitor ☛ With economy sagging, political risks rise for Convicted Felon and Republicans

    Inflation posted a 2.9% annual rate in August, up from 2.3% in April. Job creation has slowed sharply. These key indicators put pressure on Republicans as the party in power – even as they push blame toward the Federal Reserve and Democrats.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan economy wobbles from tariffs, as Whitmer prepares budget push

    The governor plans a Tuesday address about the economy, as concerns grow about jobs, prices, inflation and manufacturing.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Peso hits a year’s best against the dollar in a strong week for Mexico’s economy

    A stronger peso, contained inflation, rosier growth forecasts and a rising stock market signaled a positive week for the Mexican economy.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US Treasury chief to meet Chinese vice premier during Europe trip

    US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with senior Chinese officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng, during a European trip next week to discuss national security, economic and trade issues, the Treasury Department said on Thursday.

  • Department of Home Affairs turning the tide against corruption – Schreiber

    Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says the department is beginning to win the fight against corruption. “From visas to the green bar-coded ID book, weaknesses in the system of document issuance were engineered and exploited, enabling syndicates to extract bribes in order to issue documents to people who were not entitled to it,” Schreiber said.

  • Federal News Network ☛ We’ll do some social security myth busting

    "I think the majority of people will have a pretty smooth transition," said Tammy Flanagan.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • JURIST ☛ FBI officials sue Convicted Felon administration for unlawful termination

    Three high-ranking FBI officials filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging their recent terminations were politically motivated retaliation for their past work on cases involving President The Insurrectionist. The complaint stems from the August firing of the officials, who had accrued six decades of experience between them—Brian Driscoll, Steven Jensen and Spencer Evans.

  • Breach Media ☛ Carney stole his policy book. So Pierre Poilievre is going full anti-immigrant

    With Mark Carney co-opting many of the Conservative’s marquee policies, Pierre Poilievre is sharpening his pitch by scapegoating immigrants

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • New York Times ☛ Atlantic Settles Writer’s Suit Over Article It Retracted

    The writer, Ruth Shalit Barrett, had accused the magazine of defaming her in a lengthy editor’s note.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ How groups of ‘small hosts’ are fighting Mexico City’s AirBnB ban

    Concerned that new short-term rental laws may affect their livelihood, Mexico City's small AirBnB hosts have banded together to propose changes to the legislation.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• European Commission ☛ Commission accepts commitments offered by Abusive Monopolist Microsoft to address competition concerns related to Teams

  European Commission Press release Brussels, 12 Sep 2025 The European Commission has accepted commitments from Abusive Monopolist Microsoft to address EU competition concerns relating to its popular team collaboration platform Teams.

• Silicon Angle ☛ Microsoft avoids EU fine by agreeing to unbundle Teams from Abusive Monopolist Microsoft 365

  Microsoft Corp. will change its business practices in the productivity software market to address antitrust concerns raised by the European Union. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, announced the development today. Regulators could have potentially fined Abusive Monopolist Microsoft over the business practices that it’s revising.

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for FITE Technologies network patent monopoly prior art

    Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners, Ritu Tyagi, Ekta Aswal, and Dinesh Swami, who split an award of $2,000 for their prior art submissions on U.S. Patent 12,028,640, owned and asserted by FITE Technologies LLC, an NPE and entity of Anjay Venture Partners LLC. The '640 patent monopoly relates to a network of recording studios to share recording sessions in a social control media format. It had been asserted against ByteDance Ltd.

    We would also like to thank the dozens of other high-quality submissions that were made on this patent.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ CAMPANARIO for Alcoholic Beverages Except Beer Confusable with BELL TOWER for Beer, Says TTAB

    Applying the "three core principles" of the doctrine of foreign equivalents, as recently laid out by the CAFC in the VETEMENTS case [TTABlogged here], the Board found that the Spanish term CAMPANARIO means BELL TOWER in English and it therefore upheld a refusal to register CAMPANARIO for "aguardiente; schnapps; alcoholic beverages, except beer; brandy; schnapps; alcoholic cocktails" in view of the registered mark BELL TOWER for beer. In re Compañía Pisquera de Chile S.A, Serial No. 98448743 (September 10, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Elizabeth A. Dunn).

• Copyrights

  • Press Gazette ☛ Who’s suing Hey Hi (AI) and who’s signing: Encyclopedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster and Japanese newsbrand sue Perplexity

  • Digital Music News ☛ ISPs Rally in Cox v. Sony Supreme Court Battle — As the ACLU, EFF, U.S. Government, and Many Others Submit Briefs of Their Own

    Amicus briefs are still rolling in as part of the Cox v. Sony Supreme Court battle. Now, different ISPs are among the many parties posing questions ahead of the high-stakes ruling.