Companies
Murdoch family feud finally resolved
It’s official: the long-simmering succession drama inside the Murdoch empire has wrapped up.
As Brian Steinberg writes in Variety, the agreement gives Lachlan Murdoch control of the voting shares that steer both News Corp and Fox Corp.
The deal also sees Rupert’s other children – Prudence MacLeod, Elisabeth Murdoch and James Murdoch – step away from any say in the family trusts
Online
Google shifts tone on the open web
After months of insisting the internet was alive and well, Google quietly admitted in a recent court filing that “the open web is already in rapid decline.”
As Emma Roth reports in The Verge, the line contrasts sharply with the company’s public stance that traffic is healthy and search is sending users to more sites than ever.
The filing comes as Google faces another major antitrust showdown in the US, this time over its dominance in advertising technology.
Legal
Bruce Lehrmann launches fresh legal action
The Australian’s Jack Nivison reports that Lehrmann has filed proceedings in the Federal Court against the Commonwealth, naming Special Minister of State Don Farrell and National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton.
The move follows ongoing fallout from investigations tied to Lehrmann’s time in politics and media.
Court documents show Lehrmann lodged an originating application, an affidavit and a subpoena request.
High Court showdown in the Perry v Perry case
After years of back and forth, the Katie Perry v Katy Perry trademark fight lands in the High Court today.
On one side is Australian designer Katie Taylor (who trades under her maiden name Katie Perry) and on the other is pop star Katy Perry, whose real name is Katheryn Hudson.
Following?
As Michael Pelly writes in Capital Brief, the dispute kicked off back in 2008 when the singer tried to stop the designer from trademarking “Katie Perry” in fashion.
Former Wiggles boss takes band to court
Ex-CEO Luke O’Neill has taken The Wiggles, Anthony Field and the group’s counsel to the Federal Court, claiming he was unfairly dismissed and denied part of his bonus.
O’Neill, who joined in 2023 to grow revenue and oversee hiring, alleges Field signed off on questionable travel and hiring expenses tied to family and friends.
As Clareese Packer details in The Daily Telegraph, The Wiggles’ lawyers say the claims will be denied, with a formal defence still to come.
Sport
Seven circles Netball Australia broadcast rights
The Herald Sun’s Emma Greenwood reports that Seven is positioning itself as a contender to bring Super Netball back to free-to-air, with talks underway ahead of the next broadcast cycle.
The timing works in Netball Australia’s favour, thanks to a new deal with World Netball that lets it package the sport’s World Cup rights into any future contract.
Fox Sports’ current $35 million deal runs until the end of 2026, covering both rights and production.
Streaming
Prime Video lands Sony, Roadshow films in new deals
The move will secure exclusive Pay-1 streaming rights to their theatrical film slates in Australia.
Under the agreements, Prime Video will become the first streaming destination for all Sony Pictures and Roadshow Films titles following their theatrical and digital rental windows.
AI
eSafety chief slams tech giants on child abuse content
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says big tech has failed to take responsibility for the spread of child abuse material, with no company showing “regret or shame.”
As The Guardian’s Henry Belot writes her comments coincide with six new industry codes tackling harmful content, including risks from AI chatbots.
She also revealed 100,000 Australians a month use an app generating fake nude images, even of students.
Publishing
Anthropic settles record copyright case
AI player Anthropic has agreed to a US$1.5 billion settlement with authors and publishers, ending claims it used their works to train its chatbot Claude.
According to Antonio Pequeño IV in Forbes, the deal is believed to be the largest copyright payout in US history.
Around half a million books were covered in the case, with authors set to receive about US$3,000 each.