The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) has taken action against over 40 businesses operating without valid tourism licenses. These businesses were found to be operating from unregistered locations and engaging in unauthorized advertising on social media. The BTEA is working to ensure compliance with regulations and protect consumers.
A state audit has revealed significant mismanagement of a $100 million grant program designed to streamline cannabis business licensing in California. The program, established in 2021, has faced criticism for its slow progress and inefficient use of funds. With the program set to expire in 2025, concerns are mounting about its ability to achieve its intended goals.
POP MART, the popular Chinese toy brand, has partnered with Samsung in Thailand to launch a limited-edition gift box featuring their CRYBABY character. This marks POP MART’s first overseas licensing venture and a significant step in their global expansion.
Hasbro’s mobile game Monopoly Go! continues its meteoric rise, generating over $3 billion in revenue since its launch just 14 months ago. This success has propelled Hasbro to the top spot for video game licensing, surpassing even Electronic Arts in terms of revenue generated from a single game. The game’s success has also led Hasbro to raise its revenue guidance for the full year.
Stability AI has announced a new licensing agreement for Stable Diffusion that dramatically expands the free tier, removes image generation limits, and addresses concerns raised by the community about the previous commercial license. The company also announced improvements to its SD3M model, which had received criticism from developers.
Despite Broadcom’s revised cloud licensing practices, critics argue that underlying concerns, such as price increases, unfair terms, and product bundling, remain unresolved. The company maintains it offers more customer choice, while critics urge antitrust regulators to investigate. Amidst these developments, Oppenheimer analyst Rick Schafer remains optimistic, citing Broadcom’s strong position in the semiconductor industry and potential benefits from growing demand for data center artificial intelligence.
Target will be phasing out physical media sales in their stores, following a trend among major retailers. The retailer will only stock DVDs during select times, such as Black Friday sales and new releases for major films. The website will continue to sell DVDs. This move comes as streaming services become more popular and consumers become more aware of the licensing restrictions associated with digital media purchases.
