Newly unsealed court filings show Microsoft and OpenAI executives discussed internally whether their AI systems were built using publishers’ content taken without permission. One Microsoft internal document described large-scale scraping of creative work as an “astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions,” adding that creators were not compensated. The filings also cite evidence that Bing Chat reproduced articles nearly verbatim, that GPT memorized more than 100 New York Times articles, and that the Times’ click-through rates fell 87% to 93% when users searched via Bing Chat rather than traditional web search.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta called off settlement talks involving Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, accusing the company of “playing games.” Bonta and a dozen other attorneys general have already filed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the merger. If the deal is derailed, it could trigger divestitures of Warner Bros. assets and rack up more than $1 billion in “tickingclock” fees ahead of a March trial.

Cinemark reported results for the second quarter of 2026 with total revenue of $1.09 billion, up 15.5% year over year. Box-office admissions revenue reached a quarterly record of $540 million, while concession revenue also set a quarterly record at $433.3 million. Net income came in at $140.8 million, translating to $1.20 in earnings per share, sharply higher than a year earlier. The results point to a stronger North American summer release slate and a broader recovery in theater-going.

IMAX reported 2026 second-quarter revenue of $102.8 million, up 12% year over year, while net income rose 30% to $15.9 million. Adjusted earnings per share increased to 43 cents from 26 cents. The company pointed to strong IMAX-exclusive exhibition performance for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” including a $52 million global IMAX opening weekend.

The U.K., Canada, Australia and several EU countries are advancing social media restrictions aimed at minors aged 14–16, with Australia’s law in force for six months. In the EU, regulators have opened a formal investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA) into Meta over allegations it has not adequately protected children from cyberbullying and grooming. Meta is explicitly named and could face fines of up to 6% of its total global annual turnover, marking a material escalation in regulatory pressure.