South Korea's top court has upheld an appeals court ruling to dismiss all charges in a long-running fraud case against Samsung chairman Jay Y. Lee. The accounting fraud and stock manipulation charges stemmed from a merger of two Samsung subsidiaries in 2015. Prosecutors had accused Lee of manipulating share prices to help clear the way for the merger in an attempt to consolidate his power.

In 2024, a court ruled that the prosecutors failed to prove their claims. The case has worked through the appeals process since then. In a statement to Reuters, Samsung's lawyers said the latest ruling confirmed that the merger had been completed legally and added they were "sincerely grateful" to the Supreme Court.

Back in 2017, Lee was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of bribing public officials with regards to the merger. However, the Supreme Court overturned the decision and ordered a re-trial. As a result of that, Lee was handed a 30-month prison sentence and served 18 months before being paroled. Then-South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol (who was removed from office this year and recently rearrested over a failed martial law attempt in 2024) later pardoned Lee.

While the Supreme Court's ruling had been widely expected, it clears "a layer of legal uncertainty" related to Samsung, one analyst said. It will allow Lee to focus more of his attention on Samsung, which earlier this month projected a 56 percent drop in operating profit for the April-June quarter compared with the same period in 2024. That is due, in large part, to sluggish sales of its AI chips.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/samsung-chairman-cleared-of-fraud-by-south-koreas-top-court-113043402.html?src=rss

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Uber drivers in British Columbia, Canada have joined a union and are now seeking the first collective deal for ride-share drivers in the country, according to Bloomberg. Drivers from Greater Victoria, in particular, have joined UFCW 1518, the province's largest private sector union, which currently represents over 28,000 workers across multiple sectors. "The organizing victory represents a new chapter for app-based workers, demonstrating that all workers deserve a voice in their working conditions, regardless of how technology shapes their workplace," UFCW 1518 said in a statement. 

The company told Bloomberg that the bargaining unit was certified after enough drivers in Victoria signed union cards. It was made possible by a change of labor laws in the province last year that allowed app workers to unionize. Drivers in the city have been organizing for months to influence their working conditions and have a say in future changes to the ride-sharing platform. Specifically, they're seeking greater transparency around trip rates and earnings, improved health and safety protections, as well as fair processes when it comes to account deactivations. Uber told Bloomberg that it will now meet with the union to hash out the terms of the collective agreement. 

In 2024, a group in Quebec formed the first union for Amazon warehouse workers in Canada. That group of workers accused Amazon of blocking its organizing efforts, though it eventually succeeded in getting the company to come to the negotiation table. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/uber-drivers-in-british-columbia-canada-have-unionized-122434476.html?src=rss

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French video game giant Ubisoft has been embroiled in a multiyear saga regarding a toxic company culture, multiple sexual harassment investigations and harassment suits filed by former employees. In 2023, five former Ubisoft executives were arrested on various charges related to these investigations. On Wednesday, a French court sentenced three of them to suspended sentences for enabling a culture rife with sexual and psychological harassment.

Former editorial vice president Thomas Francois was convicted on additional charges of attempted sexual assault and received a suspended three-year term. Francois was alleged to have perpetrated a bevy of sexual assaults at the workplace and held a pattern of egregious sexual harassment.

Various other executives, including former chief creative officer Serge Hascoet and former games director Guillaume Patrux, were sentenced to shorter suspended sentences. They also faced fines of up to $35,000. These convictions come years after anonymous reports of a toxic work culture at Ubisoft began spreading online, and the company launched an internal investigation.

Maude Beckers, an attorney for the plaintiffs, celebrated the convictions as a victory against workplace harassment, saying, "This is a very good decision today and for the future." She added, "For all companies, it means that when there is toxic management, managers must be held accountable and employers can no longer let it slide."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/former-ubisoft-executives-convicted-in-france-184919411.html?src=rss

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