Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 
Parents abused by their children often suffer in silence – specialist therapy is helping them find a voice 
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge 
Nvidia, ByteDance, and the U.S.-China AI Chip Standoff Over H200 Exports 
Anta Sports Expands Global Footprint With Strategic Puma Stake 
Asian Markets Surge as Japan Election, Fed Rate Cut Bets, and Tech Rally Lift Global Sentiment 
Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026 
Rio Tinto Shares Hit Record High After Ending Glencore Merger Talks 
SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off 
DBS Expects Slight Dip in 2026 Net Profit After Q4 Earnings Miss on Lower Interest Margins 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Sony Q3 Profit Jumps on Gaming and Image Sensors, Full-Year Outlook Raised 
Global Markets Slide as AI, Crypto, and Precious Metals Face Heightened Volatility 
Canada’s local food system faces major roadblocks without urgent policy changes 
American Airlines CEO to Meet Pilots Union Amid Storm Response and Financial Concerns 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
A federal judge has dismissed a 2019 lawsuit against Starbucks, filed by Balmuccino LLC, accusing the coffee giant of stealing its coffee-flavored lip balm trade secrets. The judge ruled that Balmuccino LLC waited too long to file the case in federal court.
The trade secret claim against Starbucks is over after a federal judge dismisses the lawsuit on technical grounds. The case was said to have been filed after the company launched its S'mores Frapuccino lip gloss in 2019.
According to Courthouse News Service, Starbucks was cleared because the complainant, Balmuccino LLC, waited too long to file the lawsuit in federal court. The latter sued SB for breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets. Still, U.S. District Judge John Chun explained that the case was tossed out because of the lack of jurisdiction over Starbucks since it was filed in a state court in California.
The judge sided with Starbucks after applying Washington state law instead of the more lenient California state law. He referred to the former to answer whether Balmuccino could still go after its claims after the statute of limitations expired.
"Balmuccino draws on California's more forgiving tolling law to argue that declining to toll the statutes of limitations during the pendency of the state-court action is bad public policy," Judge Chun stated. "Balmuccino may have a point that requiring a plaintiff to concurrently file separate actions in two different jurisdictions is inefficient and laborious. Yet this is the tolling policy that Washington has apparently adopted."
He added, "Even assuming that Balmuccino reasonably asserted personal jurisdiction in California at the outset of litigation, Balmuccino was on notice that it might need to file elsewhere at least as of June 2020, prior to the expiration of the limitations periods lessens the force of its policy argument that it would be unfair or redundant to have to concurrently file multiple suits in multiple jurisdictions."
In response to the dismissal of the lawsuit, Reuters reported that Eduardo Martorell, Balmuccino's lawyer, said they think the case was wrongly decided, so they will appeal the decision or re-file the suit in New York. He added that they would not stop fighting until the courts allow Balmuccino to be heard on the merits.
