Your commercial news round-up: Asos, AI copyright, Asahi, Meta

Anna O’Boyle is acting senior content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net

Reading time: four minutes

Asos has confirmed that its website and app are continuing to operate normally after an unauthorised notification was sent to multiple users. In other news, legal experts have turned their attention to litigation involving the ownership of AI-generated characters in what could be a landmark case for AI copyright. Elsewhere, Japanese beer companies are being investigated over potential violations of Japan’s Antimonopoly Act, while Ofcom has launched an investigation into Meta over its alleged failure to conduct adequate risk assessments before launching a new Instagram feature. Read on for LawCareers.Net’s pick of this week’s top commercial stories.

• Asos is investigating unauthorised activity involving third-party platforms after hackers sent an “ASOS HACKED” notification to users of its app, prompting concerns about a possible cyberattack and data breach. The retailer said some “basic personal information” may have been accessed, although it doesn’t believe payment information or account passwords were affected. Asos apologised to customers and said its website and app continue to operate normally while the investigation continues. The notification, which appeared to have been sent by hackers, claimed that Asos had been compromised and threatened to leak data unless demands were met. Cybersecurity experts described the incident as a rare and “brazen” extortion attempt. The attack contributed to a fall in Asos’s share price of around 10%, highlighting the commercial and reputational risks that cyberattacks pose to businesses, particularly those handling large volumes of customer data across international markets.
• A US lawsuit over the AI-generated character Tung Tung Tung Sahur could help determine how copyright law applies to content created using AI, highlighting growing legal uncertainty around the ownership of AI-generated works. The dispute centres on the rights to use the character, which was created in 2025 by an Indonesian teenager using OpenAI's image-generation tool and later became a global online phenomenon. The owners of Do Big Studios received a cease-and-desist letter from French agency Mementum, which represents the character’s creator, regarding the use of Tung Tung Tung Sahur in a Roblox game. However, the games company stated that: “Mementum’s claimed rights do not exist. Under established law, copyright protection requires human authorship, and AI-generated material does not qualify.” US copyright law protects human-made creations, but the US Copyright Office has said AI-generated works must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The litigation involving Mementum and Do Big will seek to determine whether the level of human input involved in creating the character is sufficient to qualify for copyright protection. Legal experts say the case could be instrumental in helping to establish future standards for intellectual property rights and AI-assisted creative works.
• Japanese competition authorities have raided the premises of Japan's four largest beer makers over allegations that the companies coordinated increases in beer prices in potential violation of the country's Antimonopoly Act. Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin and Suntory Spirits confirmed that the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) had searched their offices and said they’d cooperate with the investigation. According to reports, the probe focuses on price rises implemented in October 2022 and April 2025. Kirin confirmed its brewery subsidiary was being investigated “on suspicion of a violation of the Antimonopoly Act”, while Suntory said the inspection related to a potential breach of competition rules within the domestic alcohol market. News of the investigation led to share price falls for Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo (Suntory’s beer business is not publicly listed). The case follows a separate JFTC investigation into alleged cartel activity involving major Japanese ice cream manufacturers.
• Ofcom has launched an investigation into Meta over concerns that its new Instagram Instants feature may’ve breached the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) by failing to undergo adequate safety checks. The regulator is examining whether Meta adequately assessed the risks that the disappearing-message feature could expose users to illegal content or be accessed by children. Under the OSA, technology companies must assess risks before making significant changes to their services. Breaches can result in enforcement action, including fines of up to 10% of global revenue. Meta asserted that it had conducted a risk assessment before launching Instants and repeatedly engaged with Ofcom. While a Meta spokesperson said the company would “cooperate with Ofcom during this investigation”, Meta has joined TikTok and X in a legal challenge against Ofcom's information requests under the OSA.

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