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Mall Of Cyprus Posts Solid Growth Amid Stable Operational Outlook

The Mall of Cyprus (MC) Plc has demonstrated robust financial performance with an increase in both operating profit and net profit after tax for the first half of 2025, while maintaining its strategic course. The company, which continues to focus on leasing and granting usage rights for its Shacolas Emporium Park, reported stable revenue performance alongside improved profitability margins, signaling a cautious yet positive market stance.

Financial Performance And Key Metrics

In the first half of 2025, the company recorded revenue of €9,626,770, slightly down from €9,795,143 in the corresponding period of 2024. Despite this marginal decline in revenue, operational efficiency has improved as evidenced by an operating profit jump from €7,225,766 to €7,422,904. Net profit after tax also reflected this upward trend, rising from €4,442,866 to €4,750,965. Furthermore, the firm’s balance sheet has strengthened, with total assets increasing to €244,391,951 and net assets climbing to €120,809,851 as of June 30, 2025.

Risk Management And Operational Stability

The board reiterated that there are no anticipated major changes in operations, financial position, or performance. Key risks remain consistent, including those arising from interest rate, credit, liquidity, and capital exposures. The company continues to mitigate these risks through rigorous management practices and board oversight. Specific challenges such as the variability in interest rates, particularly for long-term borrowings, are closely monitored, with all reported borrowings set at variable rates as disclosed in the financial statements.

Credit And Liquidity Safeguards

Credit risk is managed through comprehensive evaluation of the creditworthiness of lessees, with individual limits dynamically adjusted based on financial health and past performance. The company’s vigilance in liquidity management is evidenced by strong bank balances and controlled exposure to receivables and loans. This disciplined approach aims to ensure ongoing operational resilience and safeguard its liquidity position against potential market shifts.

Capital Management And Dividend Policy

MC Plc remains committed to an optimal capital structure that supports its long-term stability and shareholder returns. With a gearing ratio improved from 43.95% to 40.03%—supported by a reduction in net debt and an increase in total equity—the company continues to prioritize liquidity and capital efficiency. In alignment with its cautious approach, the board has currently advised against the payment of dividends.

Outlook Amid Geopolitical Uncertainty

Looking forward, the board does not foresee any significant changes or developments in the company’s operations or financial performance, despite external pressures such as inflationary trends and geopolitical tensions, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict. While these factors inject a level of uncertainty, the management’s proactive risk management framework is designed to navigate these complexities and preserve the company’s market position.

Copyright Law Struggles To Keep Up With AI Training

Courts Are Still Applying Old Copyright Rules To AI

AI companies train models on enormous amounts of published material, including books, articles and academic research. Whether using that content without authors’ permission violates copyright law remains unresolved.

Much of the debate centres on fair use, which allows copyrighted material to be used without permission in certain circumstances. Courts consider factors such as the purpose of the use, how much material was involved and its impact on the original market.

Anthropic Case Sets An Important Precedent

A major case involving Anthropic and a group of authors provided one of the clearest rulings so far. Judge William Alsup found that using copyrighted books to train AI models was lawful, comparing the process to people reading and studying literature before creating something new.

Anthropic was nevertheless ordered to pay $1.5 billion in a settlement. The penalty concerned books the company had obtained from illegal online libraries rather than the AI training itself.

For AI companies, that distinction could prove significant because it separates studying copyrighted material from directly copying it.

Competition Could Be The Key Issue

A case involving Thomson Reuters and Ross Intelligence offers a different perspective. A court ruled that Ross could not claim fair use after using Reuters’ copyrighted material to develop a competing AI-powered legal research platform.

The decision suggests courts may be less willing to consider AI training fair use when copyrighted content is used to build a product that directly competes with the original.

For authors, an unresolved question is whether AI-generated content should be considered competition for the works used to train these models.

The Law Has Yet To Catch Up

US copyright law predates generative AI by decades, leaving courts to apply old principles to new technology. Questions also remain over copyright protection for AI-generated works. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, a court ruled that material created entirely by AI cannot receive copyright protection.

Major AI companies remain involved in copyright litigation, and different courts could reach different conclusions. For now, there is no universal rule: the legality of AI training will depend on the circumstances of each case and how courts ultimately interpret copyright and fair use.

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