London firm Wordsmith Law has sued legal AI startup Wordsmith AI over an alleged trademark clash. With the AI company valued at ~$100m, the case spotlights brand risk in legal tech as courts grapple with whether AI sits in the same commercial lane as law firms: NB

⚖️ Privilege: FWC rejects privilege claim over barrister-led workplace investigation. The Fair Work Commission has ordered production of an internal investigation report at Cohealth, despite it being authored by external barrister Daniel Fawcett and retained via lawyers. The Commission found the dominant purpose was disciplinary, not legal advice, and said privilege failed without evidence that the investigation was primarily for advice. Even if privilege existed, it was waived by partial disclosure to the employee during the process, underscoring that lawyer involvement alone won’t protect HR investigations: Lawyerly

⚖️ Contract: Need a refresher on the differences between reps and warranties? KWM has got the goods. A representation is a statement of fact made before the contract is signed that induces a party to enter the deal. If it turns out to be false and isn’t written into the contract, you generally can’t sue for breach of contract. Instead your remedies instead sit in misrepresentation, negligence, equity or under statute (like MDC under the ACL). A warranty is a contractual promise. If it’s breached, you can claim contractual damages designed to put you in the position you would have been in had the contract been properly performed, and in serious cases may also terminate. Practically, this is why parties who rely on pre-contract statements usually want them converted into contractual warranties (or framed as both warranties and representations): KWM

⚖️ Competition: ACCC’s new mandatory merger regime is in full swing. The ACCC has escalated Coles Group Limited’s proposed lease of a new supermarket and liquor site in Kalgoorlie to an in-depth Phase 2 review, citing risks to local grocery competition. The move is notable as one of the first acquisitions assessed under the new regime. Under the new regime, from 1 January 2026, parties must notify and wait for ACCC approval, and Coles and Woolworths face targeted notification rules covering all supermarket acquisitions and certain land deals, regardless of thresholds: ACCC

First-home buyer schemes are pulling thousands into the market, but the side effects are real. More than 21,000 buyers have jumped in since October, yet supply can’t keep up. And by the end of 2025, fewer than 44% of suburbs sat below scheme price caps, down from 57% the year prior. The result: demand is being fuelled faster than homes are built, pushing prices up where buyers are already stretched: Capital Brief

2026 tech trends are all about AI. Instead of phones, expect voice-driven wearables like glasses, rings, pens and jewellery, powered by microphones and speakers rather than screens. Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses lead the pack. AI will also push deeper into search, work software and dating. Health tech is getting far more intimate too, from perimenopause trackers to wearables flagging early cognitive decline: AFR

🧑‍⚖️ Mayne Pharma is returning to court next month to fight Cosette over the costs of its failed takeover, as the two sides square off over who should foot the bill for months of litigation. The company says it will enforce a court order requiring Cosette to pay its costs and will defend Cosette’s appeal: AFR

📺 Nine is set to sell 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR, with interests linked to billionaire publican Arthur Laundy emerging as the surprise buyer, edging out hot favourite Craig Hutchison. The deal caps Nine’s pivot away from legacy audio after last year’s $1.4bn Domain sale: AFR