The Hong Kong government’s proposal to let directors obscure their identities on the companies register is a retrograde step that will facilitate fraud and corruption. Don’t take a journalist’s word for it. Don’t listen to the legal profession, which said in 2009 that ID numbers should be fully disclosed. Don’t pay heed to the accountants and corporate governance experts who ...

The Supreme Court has ruled that Google did not violate Oracle’s copyright when it copied 11,500 lines of JAVA code for its Android operating system. The 6-2 decision followed a long-term trend by reversing a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a specialised body that tends to protect intellectual property more aggressively than does the ...

Opposition to Boris Johnson’s go-slow plan for reopening the economy and his too-vague plan for domestic vaccine passports has been growing in his Conservative Party. There are many arguments raised, but what really bothers some conservatives (small and big C) is the suspicion that his policies reflect a sizable shift in the role of the state in people’s lives. Some ...