With EU regulatory approval in the bag and US regulatory scrutiny expected to clear in the coming weeks, the €55bn AbbVie and Allergan merger should start in earnest in February or March.

Qualcomm, which makes chips for mobile phones, faces fines of €580,000 a day after losing a court bid to block an EU order requiring it to supply information for a competition probe into the company’s sales tactics.

Wireless equipment maker Ericsson is suing Apple for alleged patent infringement.

Swedish wireless equipment company Ericsson has settled its legal dispute with Samsung Electronics about global patent licences.

Apple did not violate patents owned by Samsung in making the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad, a judge at the International Trade Commission said in a preliminary ruling last night.